---

Guest post by: Leanne Hoagland-Smith Become an Author

Tweet

---

---

In reading a LinkedIn Post from the Sales Training Execution Discussion Group, one of the respondents reminded me of something I had heard several years ago. During a pep talk in a large sales meeting, the CEO of Black and Decker said something like:

“Our customers don’t WANT to buy drills. They buy because the NEED holes!”

Some call this Solution Selling others will call it just doing what a good salesperson does. To be effective using this sales process really demands a thorough understanding Education Based Marketing instead of the traditional sales or product based marketing approach.

Within this marketing approach your goal is to reinforce the first two steps of the marketing process:

1. Attracting Attention
2. Building the Relationship

Education based marketing allows you to demonstrate your positive core beliefs (business ethics). Also this approach works with the 3 Buying Rules and helps to put a lid on the 5 Sales Objection Buckets:

3 Buying Rules

1. People buy from people they know and trust.
2. People buy first on emotion, then justify it with logic.
3. People buy on value unique to them.

5 Sales Objections Buckets

1. You
2. Your Company
3. Your Solutions (Products or Services)
4. Your Price
5. Your Delivery

The question you as a professional salesperson need to ask is are you positioning yourself from a product perspective or a need perspective? Then if you can go beyond the benefits and determine the additional value your solution offers, you will have a competitive advantage. Of course this begins first by educating yourself, doing your research before you can engage in education based marketing toward your potential customers (a.k.a. prospects). Who knows you may actually Be the Red Jacket in a sea of gray suits.

Related Articles

  CAN TWO SALESPEOPLE REALLY BE THAT DIFFERENT?
  The Prospect Isn't Talking With Any Other Salespeople
  The death of the sales call?
  Asking Questions
  How Greed Can Cost You The Sale
  Are You an Order Taker or an Order Maker?
  Order Taker vs Order Maker
  How Many Salespeople Do you Need?
  Buyer's Remorse: What is it? And How Do You Avoid It?
  How to Find the Compelling Reasons Behind Seth Godin's Intangibles
  Ask Questions Your Customer Can Answer
  Why Do You Buy?
  3. Penetration Selling -- Penetrating the Prospect's Reluctance to Communicate
  The Hidden Importance of Listening
  You Can't Sell Anybody Anything… Until They Discover They Want It!
  Survival of the Fittest on the Sales Force
  Why Should I Buy From You
  Will Salespeople Take a Straight Commission Job?
  You Must Take Action Now... Sales and Marketing Training
  The Biggest Obstacle To Sales Success Is I Am Not A Salesperson

Related Forum Posts

Re: When do entrepreneurs retire, if ever?
Re: Does video help your business?
Re: Stopping Drive-by Spam
Re: hello everybody this is the founder of CeoCabin
Your advantage over others

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

How Many Salespeople Shouldn't Be in Sales

Why Prospects Don’t Tell You the Truth

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.