Client Monkey Blog

In truth, it’s WHO YOU ARE, rather than what you do or what you know, that persuades someone to buy from you. People will choose to do business with you because they like you, relate to you, and trust you.
What traits define “who you are” in the minds of others? Obviously there are many things which define who we are, but the following list is a good place to start.

Have Integrity

• Do what you say you’re going to do.
• Show up on time
• Return phone calls in a timely manner

Care About Others

• Do what’s in the best interest of others, even if it doesn’t result in a sale
• Add value beyond the value of your products and services
• Take an interest in your prospects and your clients as people, not just as business relationships

Have a Professional Appearance

• Dress and act professionally, which usually means slightly better than your prospects
• Be relatable
• Be respectful of people and their time

Have a Positive Attitude

• People like to do business with people they like and like being around
• Be a positive and optimistic person
• Focus on the possibilities and not the obstacles

If a person continually improves in these areas, not only will it cause more people to choose to buy from them, but they will ATTRACT more of the kinds of clients they want. Opportunities will seem to “materialize” because of who we are. Plus, you’ll enjoy your business more than ever before.

Most of us could benefit from improving in one or more of the areas mentioned above, but it can be a challenge to achieve that improvement. Often it’s difficult to improve in these areas simply because we’re blind to where and how we could improve. We’re creatures of habit and mostly operate on “autopilot”. Additionally, it’s really not about how we see ourselves, but rather how others perceive us. Therefore, trying to make many of the changes necessary is almost impossible. The most effective way to identify areas for improvement is to ask those around us. (Obviously, we need to choose people who want us to succeed and who we trust.) Once we become aware of those areas we want to change, the next challenge is in actually making those changes. The problem here is that because what we’re trying to change are habits – habits that no longer serve us – we generally aren’t even aware when we behave the way we do. After all, they’re HABITS. So once again, the best way to make the changes that we want is to enlist the help of people around us. Ask those people you trust to point out to you when you fall into those old habits that you want to break. In this way, your attention will be drawn to your actions so you can act with intention rather than by habit or reaction. By getting an objective perspective and then making the changes you want, you’ll be able to accelerate your success, make more money, and stop selling!

Let’s face it… No one likes to be “sold” something.

To me, being “sold” is when somebody convinces me to buy something – whether or not I really needed or wanted it. Have you ever been convinced by someone to buy something, maybe even against your better judgment, and then regretted having made the purchase? I’m willing to bet we’ve all experienced a situation like that. Maybe we were shopping for something, maybe we were just passing the time, or maybe we weren’t “doing” anything – we just happened to be waiting somewhere and somebody struck up a conversation with us. And as they talked to us they may have even started to become assertive or pushy. Or maybe they began using “techniques” on us – moving us (read that as manipulating us) ever closer to saying “Yes”. They kept us on the spot until we either said “Yes” or ran in the other direction as fast as we could. Either way, whether we said “Yes” or said “No”, the whole experience left a bad taste in our mouths.

No one likes to be “sold” something.

‘Yeah, but nothing happens until someone sells something, right?’

Well, that’s the way the saying goes, but we know that what it really means is that nothing happens until a purchase is made.

‘Blah, blah, blah… Isn’t this just a matter of semantics? Aren’t you just playing word games?’

No. This isn’t a matter of word games. The distinction between selling and buying is important to understand. People do not want to be “sold” things. They do not want to be “maneuvered” into a sale. Instead, they want to make a free choice to buy products and services.

‘OK, let’s say I believe there is a difference. How exactly does this apply to me? How could I change what I’m doing to close more sales (and get people to LIKE ME more)?’

Here’s the key to success: Since people want to feel that they’re freely choosing to buy, and you want them to choose to buy from you, then you need to be someone who people choose to do business with. This concept is at the core of business success. Let’s identify what causes people to want to do business with someone. First off, let’s acknowledge an important point. While it is important to be as knowledgeable as possible about your products and services, that knowledge is rarely the reason someone will choose to do business with you.

In truth, it’s WHO YOU ARE, rather than what you do or what you know, that persuades someone to buy from you. People will choose to do business with you because they like you, relate to you, and trust you.

(Continued Next Week…)