“Who the heck are you?”…and other important questions.

09Dec11

Whether you’re cold calling, having a face-to-face meeting or preparing copy for your website, if you sell B2B, be prepared to answer three questions from the perspective of your customer:

1. Who the heck are you?

This is more than just telling the prospect what you sell, how long you’ve been in business, blah, blah, blah. This question separates you from competitors and whatever else is taking up your prospects’ time. Your prospects may not be motivated to buy. They may be tight with your competitor. They probably have more important things clamoring for attention. You must stop your audience for a nanosecond and plant a seed in their mind that what you want to discuss might be worth their time.

2. Why should I care?

Your answer to must be directly relevant to your prospect. Your answer has to be:

Something the prospect thinks/cares/worries about

Something that isn’t being said by everyone else.

Something you can really provide.

Your job here is to raise an eyebrow. And earn a few more minutes as you move to Question 3. Make a wild claim and you’ll be hearing crickets.

3. Why should I believe you?

This is the struggle for credibility. No single fact will win it for you. You need a cornucopia to tip things in your favor.

Some ways to bolster your credibility include awards, acceditations, testimonials, case studies, your reputation, credentials, other successful products/services, and even the way you dress and act. You’ll want as many of these as you can get, not just one or two.

However, a good, strong, logical story, well told, can earn as much credibility as three or four of the credibility-builders listed above. This is especially true for companies that are “early adopters” who rely less on what others do and more on their own judgment.

You may not have all the proof you need. But if your stuff works, there’s a reason. And if you can explain why it works while others’ fall short, and you can do it in a distinctive, compelling way, you’ll pass Question 3. This doesn’t mean you don’t need any of the credibility-builders. The more the merrier. But if you’ve got a great story to tell, learn to tell it well.