Sell Yourself First

Book excerpt: Today more than ever, the biggest thing that separates you from your competitors is you. According to Thomas A. Freese, whose Question-Based Selling system has been adopted and implemented by thousands of salespeople in companies all over the world, YOU are the biggest differentiator between you and your competitors. Given the current business climate, sellers should no longer count on their product or service to sell itself because their toughest competitors are out there with similar products they claim are better. Instead, it's more likely that in closely contested sales, the decision will come down to whichever salesperson offers the best service, is the most responsive, or displays any number of other highly intangible attributes, such as credibility, expertise, helpfulness, and integrity. The challenge for sellers is to convey these qualities in a way that promises value to customers. Freese explains how to maximize a value proposition and ultimately win more sales through strategies that include: ? managing conversational dynamics ? influencing the customer's buying criteria ? justifying costs ? creating curiosity about your product