How to Differentiate Yourself in Sales
If you fail to differentiate, you are selling as much for the competition as you are for yourself.
Luckily for you, there are easy ways to differentiate yourself and pull ahead of the rest of the pack.
One sales training tip that is a game-changer for many is the comparison principle. Essentially, people decide by comparison. The key to selling your solution over the competition’s is making the right comparison.
Sequencing
The sequence in which options are offered makes a dramatic psychological difference.
According to a study covered by Psychology Today, “there is an overwhelming tendency for people to pick either the first or the last of the items in the sequence.” In fact, the options in the middle of the sequence “are not chosen very often.” In a wine sampling study, for example, “the first and last items accounted for about 65% of their choices, while the remaining 3 items accounted for only about 35% of the choices.”
Recently, I received a magazine offer with three subscription offers:
- One year for $10
- Two years for $5
- Three years for $5
Why even offer the second option? Because people use it for comparison and usually choose the third option!
Differentiation
This technique is called differentiation and it’s grounded in its ability to establish a standard of comparison. The real purpose is to educate the buyer on their different options.
It seems as if they are making an objective decision, but they are not. The key is the relative difference between the options.
How can you use this technique in an honest manner?
Establishing a Standard for Comparison
Before sharing your price with a client, first educate them on the cost of your competitor’s products. Then show your price prior to any volume discounts and with all the options. By educating them in this fashion you are establishing a standard for comparison.
Finally, you can provide the options that you think will best suit their needs and, relatively speaking, it will make it easy for them to compare.
Differentiate to Persuade
Remember, if you’re not differentiating yourself, you are selling as much for the competition as you are for yourself. In order to be truly persuasive, you must create a sharp contrast between your solution and all others.
Boldly claim your solution’s uniqueness. Make these claims short and sweet, ensure they’re focused on your customer’s pain, and differentiate yourself in sets of three (this makes your claims easier to remember).
Humans are hardwired to recognize contrast. In fact, differentiation is proven to move people’s emotions. We make decisions by comparing our options, and in sales, it is the role of the salesperson to draw the proper comparison.