How often do you hear salespeople talk about how "cool" their product is? How this "bell" and that "whistle" make it the greatest thing since soft, white, sliced bread. 

Or, how about the independent professionals, you know – coaches, consultants, designers, writers, health practitioners – who I sometimes refer to as "non-traditional" salespeople, who focus on just how advanced, different or special their methods or processes are? 

If you're in the market for any of those products or services, do you really care about the bells and whistles or the special processes? Probably not. Why? Because what you really care about is what those products or services will do for you: How they will make your life easier; save you time, money, stress; help you sell more; make you healthier; increase your productivity; make life more enjoyable; decrease your costs; make you more competitive. What you really want are the benefits of using that product or service. 

So now turn the tables. You're the seller. How can you be sure you're conveying the value in what you're selling? And, more importantly, how can you cut through all the clutter of feature based selling that's so prevalent in the marketplace? 

Buyers are tired of hearing the same old sales pitches. Their time and patience are stretched by the realities of day-to-day living or business in the trenches. Consumers contend with an increased workweek, the increasing demands of family responsibilities (in many cases caring for children and parents), longer waits at the cash register and longer commutes. Business managers and executives are faced with seemingly unmanageable workloads due to reorganizations, downsizing and ever-increasing pressures to increase sales and cut costs. 

Today buyers just want to know what you can do to help them meet their objectives. They want to know what you can do for them, not how you'll do it. They want good outcomes and solid results. They want you to solve their problems. 

So that's the answer. That's how you cut through the clutter. Rather than leading with how cool your product or service is, think like your customer and realize that it's just a tool to help them achieve their goals and solve their problems. Focus on your customer's needs and determine how you can fulfill them with your product or service. 

The short and sweet of it: Start a conversation with your customers. Learn about their problems. Help them prioritize and place value on solving those problems. Show them the benefits of your solutions. Deliver the results they want and need. Oh my!

Pat Hassett draws on more than 30 years experience in sales, sales management and sales support roles across several industries. He stands ready to help you increase your sales, your profitability and your customer loyalty through the use of customer-centric sales methods, high level customer service and customer relationship management tools. To learn more about how SalesNow! can help you, go to www.salesnowonline.com or write to infalesNowOnline.com. For tips and advice to help you increase your sales, your profits and your customer loyalty visit blog.pathassett.com. 

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