Your buyers want to put your product on a list…
They want to do this so that they can compare and contrast you to everyone else on the list.
They want to do this so that they can find the “best” product. Unfortunately for you, the best usually means the lowest price.
So if you want to get more deals done, your offer needs to become “list proof.”
So how do we become “list proof” without coming up with an offer so obscure the buyer doesn’t know what we’re pitching them?
To become list proof while making a clear offer, we have to add intangible value to our offer.
But what is intangible value?
Well, a couple of years ago I bought this watch. It wasn’t crazy expensive, but as I was spending thousands on pointless man jewellery, I wanted to get it from somewhere I trusted.
So I did some research online, and I found a company that sold expensive man jewellery that shared a bunch of insights through their Youtube videos. I watched hours of their content!
Eventually, this companies Youtube channel helped me narrow down which version of the watch I wanted to buy.
I rang up and the Leeds branch of this shop and they didn’t have the watch I wanted. I was after a particular, wavy blue, James Bond style watch face.
I was a little disappointed, but they said they could ship the one I wanted from their London store and it’d be there the next day for me to look at. So they saw a problem preventing a sale, and solved it.
When I went to the watch shop, they had all kinds of Rolex’s, Patek Philip’s, and other Omega watches. I was like a 6ft 3 child, wide-eyed in a sweet shop. But the salesperson focused me back to the watch they’d send to the store and kept me on the buying path.
And so, of course, I bought the watch, and I’ve been wearing it every day since.
Now don’t get me wrong, I never use it to tell the time, and so it’s a pointless device, but I love it. I am a happy customer.
Now I could have made a list of all the stores that stock this watch, found the lowest price and went there… but I didn’t.
So let’s take a look at all the differentiation this watch shop did throughout the sales process that made them “list proof” and secured them the deal –
- They built trust
- They shared insights that helped shape my buying choices
- They helped me solve a buying problem
- They focused my buying journey
The watch shop differentiated themselves using these steps, without comparing themselves to their competition.
They understood that if they compared themselves top their competition, they’d get put on a list.
So, regardless of how many lists your product ends up on, your goal as a sales professional is to become “list proof”. You become “list proof” by the value that you personally bring to the buyer.
Because if you’re not on a list, then you have no competition. (cross out lines on list and circle one of them).
And you’ll close more sales.
