5 Secret Strategies to Use TODAY to Stand Out From Your Competition

In this article, I’ll be talking about five super secret strategies that I usually only share with my paying clients. These strategies are going to help you stand out amongst your competition, even if you're a small fish in piranha infested waters. You can stand out, even if the other guys are stronger, faster, and more experienced than you. There are a few key strategies that you can put into action no matter the size of your business or your own level of experience.

The bottom line is, you've got to get creative. You have to step back and gain perspective to understand where your clients are coming from and what problems they have that your business solves. Whether you're a lipstick maker, a sandwich shop, a sales strategist, a publisher, or whatever your business is, you need to find unique ways to adjust your angle and show you customers or potential customers how you can help them. Getting creative is important, especially if you're not the cheapest option in town, because I don’t want you to have to offer the lowest price to entice clients.?

The same old tactics just aren’t?working anymore. Our customers are getting more savvy, which is good. We want them to be educated. We want them to know about the marketplace. And then, of course, we want to continue to be that trusted advisor in their world. When your customers are shopping around for a solution, oftentimes they only look at their problem from their perspective, from one very specific angle. They have a very specific pain. They keep crying about this pain, feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes it’s exhaustion or not having enough time or wanting to make more money. I hear these overarching issues from clients a lot. And so how do you stand out? Because those are pretty big problems and there are probably about 10,000 ways to solve any one of those problems. Strategies to stand out is what we’re talking about today so read on, give them a try, and let me know in the comments if any of these work for you!

One thing about getting creative is that it can produce lots of success stories, but failure is part of the process often too. It’s important to evaluate your failures when you try something and it doesn't work, because oftentimes it will help you find the path to success. When it comes to getting creative about how to solve your client’s problems you have to avoid looking at them straight on, but instead look at them from different perspectives and different angles.?

This is the first strategy I want to share with you today: figure out the different angles you can utilize to look at your clients problems. Things rarely pan out exactly how we expect them to so looking at each situation from multiple angles is so important. And remember that whatever problem they're telling you they have, whether it’s small or large, they really need help finding the problem beneath the problem. If you help them get to the bottom of their issue then your unique solution, even if it costs more, will be more appealing because you helped them identify the actual problem instead of just the symptoms that they're having because of the problem.?

The second strategy might sound simple at first: ask better questions. Many sales people ask questions but they're just waiting for the person to answer so they can shove a pre-packaged spiel down their throat. They do this because they want to rush through the questions. You can't rush it. Here are a few key questions that I encourage you to ask: Where are you looking for support? What have you tried so far? What hasn't worked? What has worked?

The key to getting this second strategy right is to listen without interrupting. Come to every single phone call or client meeting with two things: a pen and a piece of paper. That's it. You don't need to come with all your marketing materials and infographics yet because you don't know the full picture. At your first meeting with a potential client, whether it's in their office, on the phone, at a coffee shop or wherever it might be, you need to diagnose the problem so listen carefully. You should be listening twice as much as you're talking. People that are looking at sales from the outside think: aren't salespeople supposed to tell me what I need? But the best salespeople ask you what you need and then they come up with solutions and the solution may not be them. It’s important to remember that the solution to your client’s problem may not be you.?

These conversations are also one of the most important places where women are different from men when it comes to selling. During a consultative conversation, when we hear a client say something that resonates with us or describe something we have in common we're quick to jump in and share our experience. But, hold on a minute before you jump in. Make sure the client is finished and that you’ve given them a chance to answer the question. Listen, without interrupting. If you don’t, you’re missing the meat of what your client is saying at best and at worst, you’re making them feel shot down or unheard.?

Listening in this way will allow space for them to tell you what the real problem is, which they may not even be able to verbalize yet. You have to bring it out of them. What is the real problem? Why aren't you doing this or that? What is happening when you’ve tried this or that? Ask the important questions and listen without interrupting.?

The third strategy is something that I say over and over again: repeat back to them to make sure you didn't miss anything. By reflecting back all the things you just heard them say, you are allowing them to complete the thought and simultaneously validating what they've been feeling. Once you understand the whole picture, you’ll be able to see how you may be able to help them or maybe it’ll become clear that you need to send them somewhere else. Often, though, you’ll need to ask more questions after you’ve made sure the picture you have so far is correct because it might still not be the full picture. You could say, for example: Tell me more about such and such or what happened when you tried this. By asking these questions you’ll get more information and a fuller picture from the client. You're the expert in your space. They are suffering with a problem they can’t fix and they don't have any idea about your side of the woods. So, they're coming to you because they need your expertise. Let them give you all the information you need so that you can make the best next step recommendation for them.

The fourth strategy is: tell a relatable story. Even if you haven't had 10 clients just like them before you can find something in your past experience that relates. You could think? back on a problem you solved in your corporate life or at another job you had. Then use that story as an example and tell the client how you solved the problem and what solutions you can bring to the table. Many people come into this part of the conversation with the mentality that they need to show their stuff or share 100 testimonials. But honestly, people are only going to buy from you if they trust you. And what other people say about you doesn’t typically build trust. So it's important that you're connecting with them and not just showing them what everybody else says about you.

Last but not least, the fifth strategy: move along to the next commitment. This is where most people lose it. They get to the part where they're asking questions, they're telling a relatable story, but then they just sit there. You have to go one step further. If you don't offer the next commitment, which is either a consultation, a strategy session, or maybe another meeting, if you don't offer this right now then you are just warming them up for somebody else.

These strategies will help you stand out, no matter how big you are, no matter how small you are. People don't buy from logos. They don't buy because you're wearing the brand colors. They buy because they like you and trust you. They choose to work with you because they feel like you have their best interests in mind. You just need to convey that through this system.?

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