Grant Cardone - If You're Not First, You're Last - Sales Strategies to Dominate Your Market and Beat Your Competition

So, maybe in addition to installing a product, you hold initial meetings for the entire group to whom you’re selling, motivate and ensure buy-in from them, and conduct follow-up trainings after product installation. You can follow up further by holding teleconferences with clients throughout the year to continue to answer questions and make sure that they’re familiarized with the new product. Though these unique selling propositions may be things you were willing to do last year, you really have to promote now in order to make your proposition appear unique. You don’t reduce the price, but you do sweeten your proposal by building value.

In my experience, one of the reasons people stall when it comes to decision making is due to negative past experiences. The more unique you can make the proposition appear, the more success you will have in overcoming people’s tendency to delay making a choice.

For example, I own apartment buildings, and when things tighten up, people shop more diligently. They want the most apartment for the least amount of rent. Because other apartment owners are feeling the pressure, they will start to reduce their rents, which puts downward pressure on my properties and their rental incomes. I don’t want to be compared with the apartment building down the street and be forced to drop my price. Therefore, I look for creative ways to add value to my property so that we keep our occupancy high and don’t erode our revenues. I distinguish myself from my competition by offering unique value-added options. When you start thinking of how to solve problems creatively—without lowering prices—you will come up with great propositions.

We did this exact exercise with one of our properties when our competition was lowering prices. Since we wanted to maintain income, we knew we would have to come up with something to differentiate our offering. We knew, for instance, that people love their animals and that many apartment complexes don’t allow them. So we added fences to each of our downstairs units that allow our tenants to have dogs of any size. Because of this proposition, rents and occupancy at my building are now higher than at my competitors’ properties, and I raised the overall value of the building by increasing my cash flow. Because I was creative and found distinctive ways to build value, my apartment product stands out from the rest of those in the marketplace.

Here’s another example. Let’s say that you own a salon and want to offer some kind of value-added proposition that makes it more attractive for people to spend money on getting their hair cut from you. You don’t want to drop the price, though, since this will only remind them how tight money is and possibly keep them from coming to see you. Instead, you call your clients and let them know about a new initiative:

“Hey, I wanted to call and tell you that we are now offering wine and cheese in my shop for anyone who comes in to get a haircut in the next two weeks. It’s a lot of fun, and you’re past due for a cut anyway, aren’t you? We’ll also be giving out free head and neck massages—so come on in for some relaxation time!” The cost of wine and cheese is almost nothing compared with the income you will generate from this creative value-added thinking. All you have to do is make the call, bring the wine and cheese from your house, and take an extra five minutes giving a head massage when you shampoo clients’ hair.

Regardless of the type of business you run, you must build value, communicate that you are doing things differently by providing even more service, and highlighting how unique your proposal is. People want to feel good and receive special treatment, and they want to be told about what you’re doing. There are endless ways in which you can add value without decreasing price and create more business for yourself and your company—even in a contracting marketplace. Selling is all about building value, so in order to create your own economy, you must become effective at selling. And to do any of this successfully, you must be completely sold on what you offer and have a complete commitment to your expansion—and a fierce disregard for contraction.

Remember: The value-added proposition should increase revenue without costing your company any additional money. Do not confuse this with the second sale or use any of your second-sale opportunities to make the unique value-added proposition. Now—more than at any other time—is when you promote and show excitement about your products, services, company, and yourself in a manner that adds value to each of these things and makes them unique in the market.

Improve the Value-Add Proposition and increase sales.Visit www.grantcardone.com/resources

Now is the time to let your customers know you are hungry. It’s not the time to act like you don’t need their business. There is an old saying that tells people to “fake it ’til you make it.” Well, this doesn’t apply here! Instead, you want to “ act hungry to make sure you don’t end up hungry. ”

No one likes people who act like they are better than others or so important that they don’t need your business. Everyone appreciates someone who goes the extra mile and really shows others that he or she wants, needs, and values others’ business. You will never create a powerful, solvent, prosperous, and abundant economy with an attitude of arrogance. You better have your best game face on when economies tighten up; people who are looking for reasons not to do business with you won’t tolerate any egotism. In almost every seminar I conduct, someone will say to me, “I’m afraid I might seem weak if I act like I want the business too much.” My response is always the same: “The biggest mistake you can make is not to act like you’re hungry for the business!” You cannot afford to make mistakes in these times. Let your competitors act like they don’t need the business, while you make it clear that you do .

Let’s face it: You need clients more than they need you in any economy, and just because you were a hotshot in the past means nothing now. I know companies, executives, and individuals that are still acting like they’re top in their industry because they used to be number one in their market, yet their current sales are off by 40 percent. Being number one doesn’t pay bills—and your position is only as valuable as the degree to which you are profitable. What you did last year means nothing in the market today. History is laden with companies that were number one in their field but who only exist nowadays between the pages of books. Sears and Kmart are two perfect examples of these. Both dominated their fields at one time, but their arrogance cost them their positions—and now they’re struggling in the market.

The primary goal in a shrinking economy is to close the gap in lost sales and keep finding creative ways to do so. There’s no time to brag about your position or discuss yesterday’s fortunes and successes. Spend all your time, energy, creativity, and resources in advancing your goals and getting so far ahead of the pack that you seize your competitors’ business along the way. The real world of business is the most brutal battlefield in the world; it will not tolerate conceit or people who are living in the past. Customers don’t value excuses, timing, reasons, ratings, yesterday, position; they only value results. If you want to create your own economy, you have to know what you are dealing with. The only way to impress the marketplace is to gain market share going forward—at which point, it will grant you all of its gold and treasures.