Relationship Selling - Being the Expert

In this installment of relationship selling, we're going to discuss what it means to be the expert for your prospect. This is the first step in relationship selling and an important one. If you don't establish yourself as an expert, then it becomes very difficult to convince your prospect that you can solve the problem that they are currently having. This article will show you how to be that expert and why it's important. Hopefully, after reading this, you'll know how to become the expert in YOUR niche.

In order to understand the importance of being the expert for your prospect, put yourself in your prospect's shoes. Let's say that you want to get a new guitar, or even your first guitar. You want to get one that you know you're going to enjoy playing for a very long time. So you go to a music store and ask to speak to a salesman. How are you going to feel if you ask the salesman what guitar you should get and his answer is, "Oh, they're all the same"? Are you really going to believe that? Will you look at that person as an expert in his field?

Now, let's take the same person who goes to that music store but gets another salesman who says, "Well, if you want to get more enjoyment out of your guitar, get one that costs a little more." And then he explains to you the difference between the more expensive guitars and the cheaper ones. He points out how cheaper guitars don't have as good an action and go out of tune faster. He goes over every detail. Aren't you going to look at him as an expert in his field? Aren't you going to take his advice? Who are you going to buy from, the person who told you the guitars are all the same, or the person who explains what the differences are?

With relationship selling, sometimes this is the whole ball game. Now, the trick is to convince somebody that you are indeed an expert and know what you are talking about. How do you do this? The answer is not one that you are going to like. You have to actually BE that expert. You have to know what you are talking about. This means that you have to know your field. You have to study it constantly. You have to know all the changes that are going on in it. If somebody asks you a question, you have to come up with an immediate answer. Any hesitation on your part, any hint that you had to think about your answer and you've put doubt in the prospect's mind.

But this is only part of being an expert. The other part is showing your prospect the confidence that you have in what you are saying. You have to be so sure of yourself that it appears effortless in the way you come up with answers. The more confidence you show, the more impressed, but more importantly, at ease the prospect will be with taking your advice.

There is no shortcut around this process. 

If relationship selling is important for your business, you MUST know what you are talking about. If you don't, trust me, your prospect will know it.

 

 

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