Differentiation Via Common Courtesy - Short Attention Span Sales Tip

Seth Godin wrote a terrific book called, "The Purple Cow." In it, he describes the gifted being remarkable and talks about how important it is to be different but also that being different has a short shelf life.

A subject that comes up quite frequently is differentiation. We are in print. Our equipment is beige and uses electricity. Our 1% gallon of milk is not very different than our competitors’ 1% gallon of milk. There is not always a big difference between your company’s equipment and that of your competition. How, then, does one stand apart? Surprisingly, a good deal of differentiation comes from the common courtesy lessons that your parents taught you growing up.

For example:

• Diligence — 90% of all first-time voicemail messages to new customers go without a follow-up. Do you want to be different? Call twice;
• Listening skills — Paying attention, listening with not just your ears but your entire body, tells the prospect or customer that they are being heard. So often today we are talking to the top of someone’s head as they are pecking away on their cell phone;
• Follow-up — Do you call the customer after a job is arrived? Do you ask, “How did the trade show go?” If not, you should!
• Thank you notes — Do you remember how your mother used to tell you to send thank you notes for birthday presents? Well, sending a handwritten thank you note after first appointment will not go unnoticed.

The thing about common courtesies is that they’re not common. By doing the basic, often the mundane, and by practicing the lessons that you grew up with, you could find yourself head and shoulders above the crowd.

It’s not complicated. It’s common sense.

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Bill Farquharson can be reached at (781) 934-7036 or bfarquharson@idealliance.org