Why People Want to Work with Me

Oh, this is so not going to be what you thought it was when you read that title!  And I’m not even sorry! 🙂

There are countless reasons why people choose one company over another when making purchasing decisions.  Ultimately, we trust who we buy from and we believe they are able to solve a problem that the purchase promises to correct.  As a seller, it’s up to you to inform and build a relationship that moves your audience from being a stranger to your products and services to knowing, liking, and trusting you enough to invest in your solution.

Let me just say that you will not convert everyone. Wouldn’t that be grand if they did?  But where there are options, there are choices.  Not everyone you encounter is going to move through the know-like-trust phases to a buy decision.  Finding your ideal audience is like dating.  Not everyone you date is going to be a match for an extended relationship.  Even fewer are going to be great candidates for marriage.

Rest assured though, your audience is out there!  Below is a great reflective exercise you can do in your journal to think through this at a deeper level.

• Create a list of 10-20 reasons people buy from you.
• Create a second list of 10-20 reasons why people might prefer to buy from someone else.
• Reflect on the first list.  Prioritize finding ways to bringing more of THAT into your service delivery!  What’s better than discovering what your people like about you than doubling down on it and bringing even more of it?!
• Reflect on the second list.  These are probably qualities or characteristics that you either don’t posess or they don’t currently show up in abundance.  The list should fall into two categories: legitimate reasons not to work with you and things you want to improve upon. Consider the following questions.
  1. Are these legitimate reasons people should not work with you?  It very well may be they are not your ideal client.  Knowing who isn’t a good fit for you is just as valuable as knowing who is.  Take note of these qualities that you don’t stand for.  Sharing these up front can eliminate needless dating and save everyone a lot of time.
  2. Do these reasons represent improvement opportunities for you? If you wish to attract these clients, how can you give them more of what they are looking for in order to make you the most attractive option? For example, if one of the reasons is “they have more experience and are more confident than me”, what kind of actions can you take to gain that experience and confidence? A great goal is to improve yourself off this list until the only reasons on the list are those legitimate reasons that someone is just not a good fit to work with or buy from you.

Bonus introspection: Check out Simon Sinek’s Ted Talk.  Are you focusing more on “what” when you should be selling your “why”?