Having listened to countless introductions by salespeople from all different industries, I can say, with confidence, that most salespeople mention features rather than benefits when introducing themselves and their company to prospective customers.

To quote one of my favorite authors, Linda Richardson, from her fantastic book Stop Telling Start Selling, "Features are what your organization puts into the product. Benefits are what the customer gets from the product."

What I Commonly Hear

"At Company A, we are the makers of Gizmo, a software package for manufacturing companies. We won the XYZ Award last year. Are you familiar with us?"

"This is Jane Doe from Company XYZ. We have catered parties for some of the top corporations in the area such as_______. Do you have any catering needs?"

What's the Problem?

Company A is very proud of the award that their software has won, and justifiably so. The problem is that an award itself does not tell the prospective customer how the software might help them. They might also think that it is expensive and only for "elite" or top manufacturers.

Catering Company XYZ worked hard for many years to prove themselves and put together such an impressive client list; they should drop a few names. However, just because they put on a gala event for a big corporation doesn't mean they can meet this particular prospect's needs. If the company the salesperson is calling on is much smaller, for example, they might think that the big corporation will get five-star treatment while they settle for less, or that this catering company would be much too expensive for them.

Try a Different Approach

Here are some suggestions for how I might advise the sales representatives to alter their introduction:

"At Company A, we are the makers of Gizmo, a software program that helps manufacturing companies save _______ and increase ________ by __________. If saving _________ and increasing ________ are issues that you have been considering, we would welcome the chance to speak to you about our XYZ Award-winning software."

"This is Jane Doe from Company XYZ. We specialize in catering events for the corporate market. If you are thinking about honoring your valued customers by hosting special occasion parties and would like to work with a company that understands the unique needs of a corporate event, we would like to talk to you about XYZ and the work we have done for such companies as __________ and _____________." (Make certain that you mention companies that are similar in size to the prospect.)

Aha!

Now I understand how Gizmo might be able to help me. If their software can do what they say it can do, no wonder they won that prestigious award.

The last time I needed a caterer, I just called someone a colleague recommended. It wouldn't be a bad idea to at least talk to another caterer who has experience working with the corporate sector.

It's Worth the Effort

Most people think that crafting an introduction for their product or service should be easy and that the benefits of what they offer should be obvious. It is neither. Writing an introduction that succinctly explains what you do and articulates the benefits to the customer is one of the most time-consuming and painstaking exercises that a sales organization can go through.

It is also important to build a library of these introductions that can be used for the many different situations a sales representative faces: calling into different size or type companies, calling on different job titles or at different levels within the organization, and making introductions of different products or services. To create interest, the benefits or clients cited need to be aligned as closely as possible to the person being called.

No matter how hard you work on your introduction, you will never pique every prospect's interest. But if you want prospects to pay attention when you call to introduce yourself, you must make certain that they are clear about what it is that you do and how this product or service could be of potential benefit to them. It will increase the odds of them staying on the phone with you and hearing more about what you have to say.

The first quarter of 2007 is over. Is your sales team exceeding your expectations? If not, it's a great time to assess the salesforce and find out which sales skills your staff could use some help with. Call or email me to learn how.