How to differentiate yourself successfully from the competition in COVID-21?

The webinar about how to differentiate yourself successfully from the competition. It is hosted by Dominique HANS, Sales Trainer, and Consultant at Perform’ Hans and Managing Partner at Value Selling Associates.

N.B: Avis aux français, les diapositives sont en français, puisque ce webinaire a été créé pour le marché français, mais est valade pour tous types de pays en temps de covid.

Webinar Agenda:

• Current context
• What needs to be changed?
• How: Draw your client’s attention.
• Create a need for a differentiator.
• Find out the value of this difference.
• Differentiate proactively.

Differentiation FAILURES and impacts:

Current context:

• Most markets are saturated:
  • Flooded with a low-priced competition.
  • Competitors look alike.

•  The purchasing cycle becomes more complicated:
  • Power changes
  • Budget arbitration
  • What is the value?

The purchasing cycle has very much changed. Now, customers have the power and make their own choices. For budget reasons, companies often decide to internalise their solutions. Consequently, to sell, we need to start off and establish a dialogue around value unlike the example below.

Up to now 71 % of salespeople only talk about their product. This way of selling no longer works.

What does it mean for sales professionals?

• Fewer opportunities.
• Behaviour/Competencies/Expertise.
• The differentiation must go beyond the product and its abilities.
• The dialogue around value must be significant and relevant.

Different or differentiated:

Different:

It refers to the list of your unique abilities. We mean here by unique abilities, the functionalities, and differentiating elements of the products.

Differentiation:

Successfully link your unique abilities with your potential customers’ issues. In other terms, sell unique abilities that are relevant and valuable to your customers.

Let me give you an example:

If I have a business based in France and only working with customers, trying to sell our international services and expertise will not interest them at all.

Furthermore, it is the salesperson’s role to discover additional problems to resolve, which will create further needs.

Going even further/beyond…:

Widen/Research your customer requests to put forward your unique solution abilities compared to the competition.

How to successfully differentiate yourself from your competitors?

• Success rests on the knowledge of companies and their business.
• Our competitive advantage is in the way we sell our products and services, and not based on our product or technical knowledge.
• Become an expert in problems by asking questions to find a solution for our clients.

The reversed approach:

• Understand what urges your potential client to listen to you.
• Switch your dialogue to draw the attention of your conversation partners.
• Link your solution to your potential client’s problems.
• Put into practice the differentiation method to all your clients’ messages: introductions, proposals, customised communications. Repeat 2-3 times throughout your negotiation the differentiating points.

5 differentiating sectors:

• Abilities
• Reduction of risk/brand
• General Terms and Conditions
• Client experience
• Price.

Terms and conditions: small and mid-sized companies can allow themselves to be a little more flexible with their terms and conditions.

Customer experience: the stakes are to figure out the client’s priorities and challenges.

Position your differentiation:

1- The client recognises the need: his problems.

2. The client searches for a solution.

3. Discovery of additional problems: reducing the competition.

The salesperson must look for additional problems to create the need.

The challenge of value fulfilment:

The customers’ stakes are the centre of this challenge and are composed of:

• Stakes
• Problems
• Solutions
• Achieved value.

Develop the value for the client:

VB or BV = Business Value

The tangible value is measured by calculating the Return On Investment (ROI) and the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), while the intangible value can be achieved with a sound sales pitch.

For example, the price can be determined by measuring the key performance indicators (KPIs) such as the trading ability.

VP or PV = Personal Value

Personal value is of an inestimable value. It answers the question: What will I earn from it?

For example, for the customer experience, the salesperson must find out what are the client’s personal values, e.g., self-sufficiency, innovation.

For that, they can ask the client: ‘What is important to you personally?’ The salesperson can also help the customer delve further into their decisions since customers often do not take the time to work on this. The salesperson can ask: ‘How do you perceive this solution?’

However, the absence of differentiation rarely indicates that a product or a service is of bad quality. It generally means that we have not succeeded in discovering what was important for the company and for the client.

In the current context where everything goes fast, the client rarely notices this. That is why it is important to ask them more questions to discover their needs.

How do you differentiate yourself?

1. Follow-up customer’s needs to put forward your unique abilities compared to the competition.
2. Develop the value of your differentiators in your potential clients’ and clients’ minds.
3. Bring concrete answers to your clients’ key stakes by becoming their personal trusted adviser.

Action Plan TO differentiate yourself from your competitors:

• Choose an ongoing opportunity:
  • Step 1: Determine where you are different or better than the competing alternative choices.
  • Step 2: Are these differences linked to problems by your client?
  • Step 3: Create specific questions to discover new needs linked to these differentiators.

• Discover the Personal and Business Values linked to your main differentiators.

Before moving to the conclusion, please find answers to the asked questions:

Question 1: Can you please talk about the case of an invitation to public tender/procurement?

Answer: The invitation to tender/the call for bids is a list of the client’s solutions and problems. You need to answer that list and ask your client what are their priorities.

Question 2: What is the human factor in the differentiation?

Answer: Distance selling implies more importance on the content rather than the human interaction.

Question 3: How can I identify the personal value without appearing intrusive?

Answer: The personal value can only be identified in one-to-one meetings with each decision-maker. One needs to identify all alternatives. For example, for a service, you can consider as important the client’s time, money, and human resources.  Traditionally, you can only ask these questions at the second or third meeting. If the client doesn’t answer, you shouldn’t insist and take time to build the relationship.

Question 4: What can I do when a potential client requests a demonstration before even negotiating?

Answer: We highly recommend you leave the demonstration at the very end of the negotiation process, as it often lacks interactions with clients when doing so. If you do go ahead with a demo, make sure to ask for the client’s feedbacks and initiate the demo with the following questions: Your time is precious. I do not want to waste your time. Can I ask you further questions to present you with the most appropriate information/demonstration?

Finally, ‘clients do not buy what you do, but why you do it.’ Quote by Simon Sinek, ‘Start with why’ author.

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Entrepreneurship Web Summit for Women: Conference Summaries

These short series of entrepreneurship web summit for women were brought to you by Morgane FEVRIER, business mentor and personal development coach for women entrepreneurs.

This French entrepreneurship web summit for women took place in March 2020 over 10 days with 3 web conferences each day. Please note there was and is no replay option for these. Consequently,  I will only share with you the ones I have attended.

The conferences address 3 essential and complimentary themes; namely business, well-being, family and relationships.

In this blog post, there are summaries of 4 conferences from the entrepreneurship web summit for women.

1. How to authorise yourself not to be pigeonholed by society

Sabine ZAHNER is the first  speaker from the web entrepreneurship web summit for women. She is a freelance photographer, a Chi Nei Tsang  therapist and personal development coach.

She gives you tips to find out what motivates you and what projects you should go for.

To figure out these, you need to start asking yourself :

What works for me ? Does it work for me?

In other terms, she advises you not to accept every single client proposals, but instead follow your gut feelings and your values. Connect yourself with your body and emotions. If your body and emotions feel it’s not the right timing, project, it is best to let it go. If you have difficulties doing this, reconnect and touch your body and learn to breath. You can also go for belly massage to help your digestive system when you feel under pressure.

She believes you should take decisions based on how enthusiastic  you are about a specific project. For example, if you have zero interest in the final products or feel the client isn’t paying you enough, it is worth to turn down the request. This way, you free up time for a new client, for which you may get more interesting projects.

Don’t under-estimate either networking and connecting with potential clients. Sometimes, this can happen over an informal meeting. Take a little step and make a small choice daily to keep you motivated.

2. How to confront your fears to create your ideal life

Aileen VALERE GILLE is from Belgium. She worked for 5 years as a career adviser and 12 years as charity business manager (HR, budget, recruitment).  Then, she trained in kinesiology and various coaching and holistic methods.

She gives you few tips on how to confront your fears. She advises you to try out kinesiology and group psychotherapy, in order to manage your insecurity feelings.  For that, you need to ask yourself these questions:

a) where do these fears come from? You need to try and understand them

b) what are the other thoughts to have?

Similarly to Sabine, she places the importance in your intuition into your business and life. To do so, you need to pay attention how your body is responding to various events. She feels you should give yourself small challenges without beating you up either.

 You need to loosen yourself up by taking a light approach towards life. She also recommend you to switch business only if you have enough funds to quit your normal daily job. She, herself, took a while to go full-time entrepreneur. Initially, she worked full-time, then part-time, until she felt ready to quit her daily job to go full-time freelance.

3. How to use your quarter century life crisis to think finally about what you really want 

Mylène MARVIN worked in Human Resources and has followed and tested coach trainings. She is now a life coach and therapist specialised in career and life transition, who helps her clients to manage better their emotions and know themselves better.

She believes you need to overcome the idea that a permanent contract is a secure employment. However, she thinks that security does help you to question yourself about your achievements.

Similarly to Aileen, she thinks you shouldn’t quit your job too quickly and take time to think about your project. Instead, you should look into temporary entrepreneurship relief (ie unemployment benefits paid out for a year). Some companies also offer mutually agreed termination of contract, in other terms, a kind of unpaid leave for ‘business creation’. If your company does not offer such option, then you will need to keep working and saving money for your start-up.

She has launched a Youtube channel called ‚quarter century life crisis’, in which she views this crisis time as an opportunity to specialise yourself, follow your path and avoid repressing your emotions.  It is a point in your life where you can ask yourself : ‘what do I want ? Why am I here ?’

It is a good time to dare doing a useful job, beng authentic and following a small step that will make sense to you.

When it comes to your business, it is important not to view everyone as competitors, but instead exchange with your competitor.s and help each other out, even you have the same job and target.  Indeed, working in partnership (2 people) can be rewarding, when it comes to, for example, organising a big event. It lightens the workload and makes you feel less isolated.

4. How to find and maintain a good work/ life balance

Marie-Agnès JAMBARD is an energy psychotherapist and reflexologist.

She has had multiple freelance jobs such as beautician, salesperson, old age and disabled people carer before she launched her business in energy therapy and reflexology.

In this visioconference, she is giving us tips to lead a successful and balanced personal and professional life.  She feels we should focus on 3 points helping us to find a balance :

a) Assess yourself

Where am I in my professional life? Do I feel nourished? Do I feel fulfilled? This is a start where I question myself.

b) Identify difficulties I encounter in each of these areas (professsional/personal).

Welcome these difficulties, do not avoid them. Nothing is fixed, you need to reassess yourself regularly. Avoid putting yourself last and do not limit yourself.

If you have issues in all areas, start with the personal ones. Every starts from yourself and the need to be aligned, in agreement with oneself.

You need to start getting to know yourself by knowing your needs and expressing them. Everything that we live outside starts by oneself. Assess what suits you and do not cut spontaneity. Find what livens you up.

c) Confront and reconnect with yourself.

Listen to the life intelligence which carries you. Listen to it and trust it. Connect yourself to your intuition. Let it go of the classical conditioning. Allow yourself to be ‘you’ and show the example. Get out of the beaten tracks by forgetting limiting beliefs and old ways of functioning.