I just finished reading The Wedge by Randy Schwantz (http://thewedge.net). I highly recommend this book if you sell services. Here's an excerpt that drives home a critical point that every business owner and sales professional needs to know:
It's time for lunch and you walk down the corner where there are two restaurants: Abner's Abstract Grill and Cathy's Concrete Café. You stick your head in at Abner's and ask, "What's good today?" Abner sticks his head out of the kitchen and says, "The burgers are very good today. You'll like 'em."
You walk across the street to Cathy's and ask her the same thing. Cathy says, "I just finished grinding the fresh sirloin for our burgers - 98% fat-free and ready to flame-broil on our mesquite grill which is designed to sear in all the juices. We season it with a special blend of Worcestershire, black pepper and garlic and serve it hot and fresh on a whole wheat sesame seed bun, along with a heaping order of gourmet onion rings."
Randy goes on to ask: Who makes the better burger? The answer is that Abner may prepare his burgers exactly the same way, maybe even better. But you wouldn't know it from his message.
To set yourself apart from your competition, you want to hone your message to avoid abstract phrases. Instead use concrete images, details and stories.
Here's what you want to do. First, look at the language you utilize when speaking with a prospect. Your prospect is asking, "Why should I hire you?" Or, "Why should I buy your product?" If you're talking about things like quality, experience or responsiveness, you've got some work to do. Your competition makes the same claims. You haven't distinguished yourself.
Go deeper with your prospect and paint a picture. For example, instead of throwing out the word "responsive", talk about "returning calls within 2 hours of receiving the message."
Make absolutely sure that your message allows your prospect to visualize the way you provide value to your prospect in a way that they'll select your burger every time!
