It's easy for salespeople to be down in the weeds. After all, they have to make their numbers. According to Lee Salz '92, they would be better off stepping back to look at the big picture. Salz asserts that salespeople should give thought to how both their products and their approaches are positioned in the marketplace. That's the overarching concept behind his newest book, Sales Differentiation (HarperCollins, 2018). Salz, author of five books and CEO of Sales Architects, gives us a preview of what readers will encounter in his new book. As he tells it, salespeople at any stage of the career spectrum can benefit from his book.
Where did the idea for the book come from?
Differentiation has been a passion of mine since I was a teenager. I was always intrigued
by the creative ways in which products were differentiated as well as the ways in
which they were sold. After graduating from Binghamton University (then called SUNY-B),
I took on several sales and marketing leadership roles, which gave me the opportunity
to develop what I call today "sales differentiation." Since then, I've been helping
companies develop their sales differentiation strategies.
Who is the ideal audience? Is this just for salespeople who aren't getting results?
Or, can successful salespeople benefit, too?
The 19 sales differentiation concepts presented in the book are applicable to the
rock star as well as the newbies in all industries and companies of all sizes, whether
you're selling products, services or technology. They're designed for the core purpose
of helping salespeople win more deals at the prices they want.
Are salespeople too focused on numbers that they don't think to be creative?
Historically, salespeople have been told that sales is a numbers game. "If you make
enough calls, you will succeed in sales." That's partially true. Quantity is important,
but that alone won't make someone a rainmaker. The quality of each sales interaction
plays a major role in a salesperson's success. Creativity is a key ingredient in the
sales success recipe.
What are some common mistakes that salespeople make?
One big mistake is that when buyers balk at their prices, salespeople become defensive.
They blame the buyers for not perceiving value in what they sell. What they should
do instead is see it as a personal development challenge and improve upon their sales
approach, so the next deal isn't lost due to price.
Without giving too much away, what are some of the ways salespeople can differentiate
themselves?
Salespeople have opportunities to differentiate both what they sell and how they sell,
which are the two sections of Sales Differentiation. With respect to "what they sell,"
the challenge the book addresses is helping them lead a buyer to be as passionate
about a differentiator as they are. In the "how you sell" section, they learn the
many ways to provide meaningful value to buyers beyond what their products offer.
