How You Describe Yourself Matters in Selling

If you want to be remembered, you need to be memorable. Not in the "brand building" way those advertising agencies push, but in measurable terms that keep customers calling you over anyone else. How are you describing yourself?

In "Avoiding the 'Jack of All Trades' Syndrome" I shared with you ways of describing results you create and how buyers want solutions, not concepts. I also shared the fact that many of your buyers don't know the technical terms for what they want.

As it was recommended to me, and as I tested it, decision makers are attracted to meaningful statements that convey results they desire. They more are likely to call your office if they feel your expertise matches their problem.

The more complex your solution, the more communications matters in building business relationships. How you communicate, who you communicate with, and what you say matters.

Who cares if a customer recognizes your logo because if they don't have a good feeling you can solve their problem, then recognition means nothing. The big advertising firms won't tell you this because they make their money on advertising purchases (not results.)

But you, in the real world, are only paid on results. Your profits are determined by the results you create for customers, and your ability to attract them for the lowest cost per lead.

That's where a clear description of yourself really matters, especially in a competitive business-to-business situation.

Now I still fall into this mistake because the generic phrases are easier to use as categories, however, I immediately follow or proceed the service term with a result oriented headline.

Other mentors pointed out that short descriptive categories have value to some people (which testing confirmed) while the results oriented package reaches others. Using both short descriptive phrases and results oriented language touches both sides of a larger buying audience.

The mistake many sales and marketing professionals make when describing themselves is saying how they do it, rather than what results they create. Or when they say "what" they do, they use terms the buyer doesn't understand.

One of my companies, Hitt Publishing Direct, provides "Advertising Campaign Management" which is a generic category, really only saying "what" I do, rather than "how." But this phrase isn't enough because it doesn't telegraph the value of what is done.

For that, I need to say more about the results in what I do, for example, "How to create advertising that boosts your bottom-line now." In this statement I'm providing more of a reason why you might work with me over someone else.

The short phrase catches the attention of some readers, while the results oriented language captures the interest of others.

Using both statement helps convey a complex process (or set of actions) to speak with a decision maker who wants someone to "manage advertising campaigns in a way that increases profits." How can this work for your business?

One client, used to "supply secretarial, security, accounting, and other office staff", they now "provide resources that lower project costs and allow you to focus on core competencies." This allowed the firm to go past staffing in to management consulting and technology solutions.

Another provided "fleet gasoline, diesel fuel, and lubricants", now provides "lower fleet management costs and better fuel controls that prevent theft." Petroleum marketing is a very competitive business, but very few companies take the fleet management approach.

These statements telegraph the value of what each company is providing in words their buyers understand. Study the language of your customers and the industries they serve. Your message is just the starting place for a conversation about specific solutions later outlined in a proposal.

Using results oriented statement removes service restrictions and opens the doors to larger contracts. This kind of language is more meaningful, telegraphs value, and it's something buyers can connect with.

Avoiding saying "what" you do helps because you don't blind prospects with an approach they may have tried in the past and failed with, instead you invite them to focus on the end result. Language is very important in every aspect of your selling.

Think about how you describe yourself. Does it say anything about the value you bring and what a client gets for doing business with you? It should.

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Listed below are links to weblogs that reference How You Describe Yourself Matters in Selling:

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Tracked on February 17, 2010 9:43 PM