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To Increase Sales You Must Separate The What from the How

Written by: Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Article Overview: Sales professionals are asked at least once if not 10 times a day, What do you do? Unfortunately, far too many share the how and not the what. Are you one of them?

To Increase Sales You Must Separate The What from the How

Sales professionals are asked at least once if not 10 times a day, What do you do? Unfortunately, far too many share the how and not the what. Are you one of them?

Just yesterday at a formal business networking group, Indiana Business Network, I listened to 13 of the 15 people present share the how of what they do instead of the what of what they do. Understanding the what alludes many sales professionals, small business owners and even C-Level executives.

Think of your most recent business networking event. When you asked someone, "What do you do?", was his or her response something like:

• I sell real estate (Realtor)?
• I make companies more visible (Marketing)?
• I create health and wealth (Financial advisor or an executive coach)?
• I deliver training? (Sales coach, business consultant or trainer)?
• I am a banker?

All of the above statements are far closer to the hows of what these businesses do and not the what. To get to the what means you must understand these words of Stephen Covey, Begin with the end in mind.

The end are the results that you deliver. When you render down the how of what you do, what are the direct results from the how of you interaction with your product or service.

One of my clients who is a mortgage broker states he is the most treasured steward of your greatest asset. His goal is to become your trusted advisor because the what of what he does is being a steward.

When you can clearly articulate the results of your products and services, then you will be able to consolidate that statement into 10 words or less. The human brain can only process at one speed. It takes in 7 to 14 bits of information (syllables) and then starts to process. When the brain is processing the conversation you are having with a potential customers (a.k.a. prospect), it is also receiving multiple streams of data from all the other senses. Hence your message must be short and succinct to maintain that person’s attention.

Invest the time to construct a what message and discard your how message if you want to increase sales. By taking this action, you will become the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits because people will truly know what you do.

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Article Tags: business consultant, business network, business networking group, c level, estate realtor, executive coach, formal business, health and wealth, human brain, indiana business, level executives, li li, mortgage broker, multiple streams, networking event, sales professionals, small business owners, stephen covey, steward, syllables



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