“Why do people buy from you?”

Sit with that question and make some notes. Why do you think people buy from you? Why do they choose you over others? What is it that you offer that people find so irresistible? Make a list.

Next, seek validation. That is, go ask your customers. You can do this face-to-face, over the phone at the end of a call, or you can ask them to fill out a survey anonymously if you like. Either way, I think what you will find is that there are reasons are quite different from your beliefs.

You are probably going to answer the question and talk about your commitment to the client and your level of service, etc. You might include something about trust or maybe even price or total value.

All good reasons.

Before I go any further, have you ever asked yourself this question? If you haven’t, I’ll bet you have some assumptions. I think it’s important that you understand the truth. It’s rather like playing a card game and not understanding that every time you lay down a certain card, you win that hand. Once you realize this fact, you can win a lot more hands by playing that card.

Okay, then, so what is your card? Why do people really buy from you?

One survey put it this way:

1. Raw sales ability – people buy from you because of your outstanding sales skills;
2. Product knowledge – people buy from you because you really understand your products and services;
3. Customer knowledge – people buy from you because you understand their business, their challenges, and their needs as a company.

Perhaps this is not what you expected and that’s the point of this exercise. It might be a little bit more difficult than you think to find out the answer because people are either going to tell you what they think you want to hear, or they’re really not able to put their finger on it exactly. But if you ask the question enough, you are bound to get someone who hits the nail right on the head.

From that point on, your gonna win a lot more hands.

Hey! My new book is back from the printer and now on sale. It’s called “The 25 Best Sales Tips Ever!” You’ll never guess what it’s about. For more information, go to The25BestSalesTipsEver.com

Need sales?

Bill Farquharson can drive your new business sales momentum. See his training programs at AspireFor.com or call Bill at (781) 934-7036. His email address is bill@aspirefor.com.

This article originally appeared in Printing Impressions.