The 3 keys we will give are such gems when it comes to sales, they work, have worked, and will always work. Let’s get right to it.

1. Know How You Add Value

The number one thing to getting that sale has nothing to do with what you do as oppose to how you do it. If you approach your prospect keeping firmly in mind the value you add to his/her life, you have won 75% of the sales battle. We are not talking about features and bullet points, but true value you add to the prospects life.

This is easier said than done, because many of us guess or make generalizations about what our prospects value. Yes, we all want to save money, make more money, and enjoy ourselves, but you have to dig deeper. Understanding the value position comes from 3 things.

• Listening
• Experience
• & More Listening

The more you listen with a keen ear as to what the prospect values, the better you are able to convey your solution and product in those terms. Doing this on the fly takes practice and a degree of experience

Through actively listening you develop the experience to know when you have found added value. Also with experience comes the knowledge of when and how to launch into your sales 101 book of closing the deal. If you jump the gun and go straight to closing before you have found the value play, you will be halted before you even begin.

So ALWAYS ask yourself before and after a sales experience.

1. What did the other party value?
2. What clues did they give about what they value?
3. Was I attentive in finding the value or was I more interested in the sale?
4. How did I tie my pitch into the prospect values?
5. Did my time with the prospect add value to his/her life?

2. Do Your Homework, Be Prepared

This one goes with number 1 of Adding Value. It is a prerequisite and will help you because it is about preparation, doing your homework. You want to find out about your prospects wants, needs, values, age, demographics, habits, and any other pattern you can think. The more you find the more you can start to truly understand your prospect. Target market research via direct survey of current, past, and lost clients is the best way to gather information. You also might want to review some of your sales along with industry data to gather useful statistical trends. If you are attending an event get a roaster of attendees and look them up. Know who you are in front of and know what they are likely to value.

If you’re thinking this sounds a lot like target market research, you are correct with one added point. More than facts we are trying to narrow down the values of our market. Facts help in getting you in front of the right person, but value sells products.

Now that you have an arsenal of information does that mean you do not listen? NO, you still have to listen, even more in fact. Think of the information you have like studying for a pop quiz. You do not know going in what will be on the test (the exact values of the prospect). So you wait and listen patiently and when you find the value you attach your service to it. Because, you have done your homework you are prepared and will be ten times more effective.

3. Continue To Add Value without Direct Pay

Orientating your sales process to finding added value should be a priority. In fact, become obsessive about finding and delivering value. I guarantee you will blow your competition out the water as they are only thinking about the sale and pushing products.

The one thing about this powerful orientation is that it must come from a genuine place. That is, you must really want to provide value to your prospects and not just play lip service to it. That means you go the extra mile, many time without ANY directly pay. Like sending a kids birthday card, referring someone to take handle a issue you are aware of, and the most selfless of acts, referring a competitor who is better suited to meet the client’s needs.

I know you are saying yeah right, but in my experience you have worked on adding value when you do these things. You are no longer thinking about it, reading about it, but living it. Something lived is bound to catch eyes, influence others, and make people react. And like all laws of nature things come full circle, what goes up comes down, what you put out comes back. Add value even when you see no direct payoff.

You will reap what you sew and you will be flexing your added value muscles, which will lift your sales beyond most sells schemes and tactics.