The most distinctive and savvy salesperson Iâve ever known happens to be a man who sells insurance in central Texas. When we met, he had been in the industry for only five years and already had become one of the top insurance salespeople in the United States. His schedule goes something like this: he schedules three appointments a day for four days a week, does charity work on the fifth day, and takes off on the weekends. He meets with 12 people during his four-day workweekâa schedule that, over the past five years, has helped him develop an astounding database of 2,000 clients, all of whom have purchased insurance from him. His business is solely referral-based; he has never paid for any advertising or bought a list of leads.
How does he do it? With a uniquely bold sales distinction: he sends a limousine for his prospects or customers and brings them back to his office for a two-hour meeting. If theyâre hungry, his cook prepares a meal for them. He closes the deal on their insurance options and then sends them right back home in a limo. His clients ride and dine in the lap of luxury. Word about this celebrity-level treatment from an insurance salesman in Texas spread like wildfire. Thatâs all it took for his business to explode.
One more thing: he treats his top clientsâabout 20 people totalâto yet another limousine ride. At the end of the year, they are chauffeured to Dallas for a gourmet meal in a fine restaurant, and then they enjoy a theatrical production of A Christmas Carol.
Instead of buying ads or spending money on search engine optimization, this sales professional chose one very special and extremely distinct sales tacticâa tactic that became his weapon of mass revenue production.
Thatâs what sales distinctions can do for you. Figure out what you can do to set yourself apart from the sales packâand then do it. Donât overthink the think. Overdo the do. In other words, donât overanalyze an idea. Get out of your self-imposed box, and get rid of the ego. Decide what you want to do to distinguish yourself, and then make every effort to get it done to the best of your ability. According to the dictionary, distinction is âthe act of distinguishing or the condition of being dissimilar, different, or distinct.â According to Sales Coach Chuck, distinction is the key to increasing your sales revenue and boosting your sales career. As I say to many of my students, âIn sales, you had better become distinct or you will become extinct!â To reach the top, you must leave the beaten path. If everyone else is doing itâwhatever âitâ happens to be at the momentâthen stop doing it yourself. Instead, find a different approach, a better way, a technique unlike the others. For example, I recently met a car salesman who wears a black tuxedoâcomplete with bow tie, studs, and patent leather shoesâwhenever he delivers a car. Thatâs his sales distinction. He has the image of a tuxedo on his business card and âTuxâ is his sales nickname. Customers have a hard time forgetting Tux. How could they? He is consistently among the top group of salespeople in the country for his particular automobile manufacturer.
Having been in sales for more than 20 years, Iâve learned a few effective tactics to progressively distinguish myself from the common salesman. While limos, tuxedos, and theater trips are great, you donât need to make such grand gestures in terms of time, money, and effort to differentiate yourself. There are plenty of little things you can do every day that will set you apart from other salespeople in your industry. These distinctions have worked for me, and they will work for you.
1. Follow up immediately. Donât wait, and donât procrastinate. I add a new prospect to my database the very same day I meet him or her. At this moment, Iâve put a complete follow up infrastructure in motion. Regardless of the economy, changes in technology, additions to my staff, the balance in my bank account, or whether Iâm away from the office, my follow-up system is on automatic pilot. It is a simple and efficient process in which I contact my prospects and clients from time to time by using a series of mailed material, e-mailed information, and consistent e-mail updates. This guarantees my ability to connect with everyone with whom I communicate, without exceptions. It is set for life until they opt out.
2. Deliver added value by doing something extra for your customer or client after youâve made the sale. I plan to spend some additional time, at no charge, when I consult with a company. Usually, Iâll meet with salespeople for some one-on-one coaching. If the client is local, I make certain to accompany them on one of their face-to-face sales presentations during my six-month coaching program, or I sit in on one of their sales phone calls. If theyâre not local, then I can observe and listen to a sales call over a conference telephone call or during a webinar. Whatever the sales circumstance may be, I donât charge for my time.
3. Network clients. Many of my clients across the country know one another, something that is possible because I put them in touch with one another. I recently coordinated an exchange program between two of my largest clientsâone based in Florida, the other in Texas. The two clients are in similar industries but are not competitors. A sales manager from the Texas company flew with me to Florida to spend a day with that client; the vice president from Florida spent a day in Dallas with the vice president of the Texas company. The new environment that each executive encountered introduced them to new perspectives on day-to-day operations and tactics. This has improved productivity and enhanced the corporate culture for both companies.
If you have a client whom you think might benefit professionally from meeting another one of your clients, then by all means, introduce them. They will not only learn from one another, theyâll be grateful to you for giving them the opportunity to see how other companies work, and for significantly expanding their networks.
4. Have a manicure. May 18, 1996, will always live in my memory as the day I learned that manicures are not for women onlyâand the day I paid $1,000 to be trained by Nido Qubein.
Nido is president of High Point University in High Point, North Carolina, chairman of Great Harvest Bread Company, an entrepreneur with interests in banking, advertising, and real estate, and former president of the National Speakers Association. Nido has traveled the world as a speaker and consultant addressing business and professional groups. These are the accomplishments of a man who immigrated to this country as a teenager from Lebanon without knowing a word of English. However, on that day in May, Nido spoke about concepts that were so strange to me, it was almost as though he were speaking a foreign language.
âChuck, are you serious about your business?â Nido asked.
âYes, of course,â I replied.
âThen I want you to have your nails manicured.â
After a few moments of shocked silence, I said, âNido, I live in Texas. I fish for bass. Iâm not so sure about that idea. It makes me feel very uncomfortable.â
He simply responded, âChuck, if youâre serious about your business, then youâll have your nails manicured.â
Eventually, I took Nidoâs advice and had a manicureâand Iâve been having them ever since. I know it sounds strange at first, but the truth is that someone with clean, manicured nails is distinctive. It shows that you make an effort with your appearance, and will be likely to make an effort in most other areas as well. If your customers see that you take care of yourself, then they will feel confident that youâll take care of them as well.
5. Upgrade your wardrobe. Whether you sit in a cubicle making phone calls and never lay eyes on a client, or see clients only once in a while, or spend every single day with clients, you need to dress for success. I canât tell you how many times I have gone into an office and seen salespeople who are dressed as if they were about to change the oil in their car or go dancing at a nightclub. Purchasing well-made, quality business clothing is making an investment in yourself. Have a suit or dress tailor-made; there are affordable options for tailored clothing. Make sure you are fitted properly with good material. Polish your shoes. Women and men can choose handsome purses or attachĂ© cases. If you want to attain a high level of income in the future, then you need the right kind of clothing now. Enhancing your wardrobe speaks volumes to clients and boosts your self-esteem and confidence.
6. Stop relying on text-only e-mails. The next generation of e-mail communication has already arrived. Instead of typing a message, send a video or audio message. This is an easy and inexpensive way to distinguish yourself from the competition.
7. Be a calligrapher. Buy a calligraphy pen and use it when writing thank you notes or other handwritten correspondence to your top clients. A message written in a way that requires skill and care lets clients know they are important to you. Clients are much more likely to save and even display a beautifully handwritten note than a hurried e-mailâit will constantly remind them of you and your services.
8. Get yourself some coaching. Steve Langham, a businessman, entrepreneur, and millionaire who has had an extremely positive effect on my life, once said, âHighly successful people reach out for counseling, coaching, and training when they donât need it. The rest of the world reaches out when they do need it.â To improve professionally or personally, reach out to people who can help you. Donât be the Lone Ranger. Instead, tap into support systems. I work with several coaches to maintain and improve my physical health, my financial security, and my spiritual well-being. They make me a better person, and I am happy to pay them for their knowledge and effect.
9. Stay fit and healthy. Your physical health and fitness greatly affect your professional performance. The two are inherently intertwined; your body is with you 24 hours a day, both on the job and off. Do whatâs necessary to be healthy. You have to eat every day, so choose foods that are energizing. Although itâs quick and easy to grab food on the run, fast food will actually slow you down, so make smarter decisions during mealtime. Exercise to stay fit or to lose weight, if necessary. It doesnât necessarily come easily; you must work at improving and preserving good health. But the payoff, both personally and professionally, makes the effort entirely worthwhile. It will save you time and money for the rest of your life.
10. Listen. Listening requires very little effort and yet, for something that seems so easy, it is the weak link in the skill set of many salespeople. And, of course, the typical salesperson will disregard the thought of training in this area. So donât be typical. You can start listening to your clients right now. All you have to do is stop talking. Furthermore, donât interrupt when clients are speaking, and donât talk over their words. Iâve coached thousands of sales calls, and I can assure you that most salespeople talk until theyâre blue. When I listen in on sales phone calls, I sometimes hear a few sudden gasps from the client as if she is trying to say something but canât get a word in. I tell the salesperson, âQuick! Call 911! Your client is choking! . . . because you wonât let her speak!â Many salespeople donât even notice when a client is trying to talk.
Donât be that kind of salesperson. Donât be so wrapped up in your sales pit...
