Why You Need to Sell Yourself Before Selling to Anyone Else

Have you ever been stuck in a sales job where you have to sell something you don’t believe in?

Maybe you know the product or service doesn’t work. Maybe it does, but you’d never buy it yourself.

Wasn’t it tough to be in that situation?

And how well did you sell that product or service?

It’s so much easier to sell something if you know it’s something you’d buy yourself if you were in your prospect’s position.

And why should someone buy from you in the first place, if you aren’t sure they should buy it either?

Let me explain how you can sell yourself on a product or service first – before you sell it to anyone else:

1. View Your Customer’s Purchase as an Investment, Not an Expense

If you think they’re just going to hand over some money so you can make the sale, that makes you anxious. Of course you won’t believe in what you have to sell.

But if you yourself see exactly how your product or service cuts their costs or increases their profits, then of course it makes sense and you believe in what you have to sell.

If you don’t already have enough knowledge of the product to sell it to someone else, do everything you need to get that knowledge.

2. Can Any Other Company Deliver What You Do?

If you know your competitor’s solutions for your customer’s problems, how do they compare to what you have to offer?

Think your solution really isn’t all that different? Study it closely – there’s  surely some great differences.

When you find them, focus on those in your sales conversations.

If you can’t find one, then maybe it’s time to work for another company.

3. Do You Have Your Own Value Proposition?

Now this isn’t one you have to state to your customers, boss, coworkers, or anyone else. Instead, it simply outlines what you find valuable about the product or service you sell.

It should be 1-2 sentences long at most.

4. Focus on Caring about Your Customer’s Needs

You can’t control what product or service you have to sell. If you’re stuck in a situation where you feel pressure to sell something you don’t think is the best solution for your customer, focus on putting their needs first.

Maybe that means you tell them the solution you have isn’t a good fit for them.

Sales is crazy. Sometimes when you turn down the wrong prospects, they respect you more, and then send you referrals who might be a good fit for what you offer.

But the point is that you care about every interaction with your customer to the best of your ability – and that’s 100% under your control.

Whenever you choose to do the right thing in sales, though, your customers and prospects reward you. Find a way to sell yourself on what your company sells first – and the financial success follows.