Alright, let’s make things really simple here.
If there were to be two major objectives in sales and marketing they would be, put as plainly as possible:
- To get noticed.
- To convert into revenue.
That’s all. That right there is practically the major aim of any sales and marketing strategy in the modern business world – to get noticed, and then turn that attention into a sale.
But of course we know if it were as simple as that then everyone would be doing it – so what is the key ingredient that ensures a successful marketing and sales approach at the end of the day?
The answer sits within a key human behavioural concept that is largely driven by our need to survive, but has converted itself in the modern business world as an effective thinking and actionable strategy.
The key is not necessarily to be better, but to be different.
We are driven as survival-obsessed organisms to ensure that we take notice of any changes in the environment that require our attention.
It’s that part of our brain designed to search for both prey and predator when we were running with sticks across the Savannah all those years ago. It used to be utilised in scanning movements in the grass. Now it’s used in the modern business metropolis to pay attention to anything that catches the eye.
So if you want to get noticed, be different.
But what about when it comes to the actual product being sold?
Well, the equation here is no different.
The most important key to understand here is that there is no point going into a market offering the same product or service at the same price as everyone else.
You’d be denying yourself the critical leverage required to stand out in business for the long-term.
Therefore, if you’re going to enter a new market, ensure that your product has some sort of unique selling point – the operative word here being ‘selling’.
Be different in the value you add.
Be different in the way you add it.
Be different in the platform you add it on.
Be different in who you add it with.
Be different on price, time or energy required to buy in.
Be different in the field you specialise in.
Be different in who you make it exclusive for.
Be different in your unique quality you bring to the table that no one else can.
Once you have gathered your prospective buyer’s attention, the sales conversation becomes a lot easier when you can help them realise how your product or service is different to anything else out there.
Remember, you don’t have to necessarily be better – simply be different.
That’s what gets the ball rolling.
That’s what is going to help you win.