Lee Salz is a Featured Columnist for The Business Journals.
Dear Salespeople,
You all have come into my office and told me…
We’re the largest supplier.
We’re the niche provider.
Our product comes in every color in the rainbow.
Our company specializes in certain distinct colors.
We are the pioneers of our industry.
We are the leading-provider in our space.
We are a family-owned business.
We are a publicly-traded company.
We’ve been in business 25 years.
We are locally-based.
We have offices around the globe.
We are the fastest.
We have the best quality.
Some of your sales colleagues grouped these statements into an elevator pitch.
“We are the largest provider offering products in every color in the rainbow. We are the pioneers of our industry and are family-owned. We are locally-based and have the highest quality products.”
By telling me these information nuggets, you thought you differentiated yourself from your competition, but you didn’t. We finished our meeting and I still don’t know why any of the information you presented matters to me.
If you truly want to stand out from your competitors, I want to know one thing and only one thing.