Why should I buy from your company?

Know the answers to these questions before your prospect asks!

These two questions oftentimes stump an audience or individual I’m working with.  If you are a salesperson, I encourage you to get really good at answering these questions.  If you are a sales manager, bring this exercise to your next sales meeting.  Have your team take out a piece of paper and write down their answers to these two questions.

Why are the questions and their answers so important?  Because, every time you meet with your customer or prospect, they are asking those questions in their mind.  Your prospect is asking themselves, “Why should I stop buying from my current vendor and switch to you?”  If you are lucky, as I was, a prospect may ask that question out loud.  Right after I introduced myself, a prospect actually asked, “Why would I want to buy from you and your company?”  It was early in my selling career and I had not spent much time thinking from the customer’s point of view.  I was just out there making connections and telling a lot of people about my products.  When hit with this question, I was stumped just like most of the audiences or people I coach are when I ask them to answer that question.

When asked, some common replies are, “I’m dedicated to helping my customers…I am or was a farmer so I know their challenges….We are well known and been in business for many years….”  There’s nothing wrong with these answers, but they are not specific nor are they unique to you and your company.  When I hear these responses, I’ll ask, “Are your competitor’s salespeople dedicated to helping their customer’s?” “Are some of your competitor’s also farmers as well and do they also understand the customer’s challenges?”  The answer is usually, “Yes” to both.  Then, I have them go back and answer the question again.  However, this time I ask them to come up with reasons their prospects should buy from them that are unique to them and their company.   That’s what the prospect is actually asking.  “How are you different/better than all the other companies calling on me?”  And “How are you different/better than all those other salespeople calling on me?”  The answers can’t true of your competition or your prospect will resort to price as the differentiator.

My actual reply that day was extremely forgettable.  I think I mentioned something about how long my company had been in business… how large the company was…. we have great products…..I probably even mentioned the research that went into the products.  Needless to say, I didn’t sell that prospect.  At least not that day.  As I drove away from the prospect’s business, I first had a feeling of anger or resentment that he threw that question out there.  After all, we were a good company, producing good products at a reasonable price.  We tried hard to do our best.  Discussing it among my peers and my manager, I put together my information and called it, “Why me”.  It was a mix of material designed to explain our unique position in the marketplace.  It also incorporated why a prospect would want to buy from our sales & support team in this market.  This component of the “Why Me” material was very important and helpful.  Products and services were what we actually sold, but they came and went over the years.  But, the sales and support team just kept expanding and getting better.  We became a force that was difficult to sell against because of the support our customers got.

Going through that experience early in my selling career forced me to understand what every customer and prospect is asking – “Why You?”  

How would you answer?

If you found this to be helpful, forward on to someone you know who might also appreciate it.

For more Ag Sales Training, Ag Sales Coaching and Leading Ag Sales Teams, go to http://www.GregMartinelli.net/