Don’t be the Best - Be Chosen

Do you believe you offer the best service, product, or skills in your area… yet maybe you are still not getting the results you are looking for? “Hey!” you say, “What gives? Don’t people want The Best?”.
Well… no. Contrary to popular belief, there is a different reality behind why your customers choose you - or your competitors.


Who Gets Chosen?
Think of McDonalds hamburgers for a moment. They are the top-selling hamburgers in the world. But, are they the best hamburgers? Most people I ask say, “No”! So how did they get to be number one, and chosen so consistently often? Because there is more to success than being the best!

Now, I’m not criticizing the fast food industry; in fact, it has done a superb job of combining two of the most desired things on the planet: Fast and Food.

We like fast food because it meets specific needs. Under certain circumstances, people will trade the absolute element of quality for speed… and if you can put a little “special sauce” on it, well, so much the better.

The point is, McDonalds’ success isn’t about being the best. McDonald's became so successful because their food doesn’t taste bad and is occasionally innovative. But more importantly, they are chosen so often.

“Success isn’t about being the best at what you do, it’s about being consistently chosen to do it.” - David Hutton

Here’s a radical idea I’d like you to consider: There really IS no such thing as The Best! If we could actually agree on what is best, everybody would choose it. But the next day, something else would come along and be the New Best. So, fortunately for us in business, people don’t necessarily choose what’s best… they choose what they are comfortable with.

In other words, people will choose what they FEEL is the best for them. That’s right, I used the “F” word: FEEL! People buy or choose to deal with others based on their feelings. They may know McDonald’s isn’t the best, but they know it is dependable and fast, all the time - which gives them a feeling of trust.

So, logic may get them to you, but they SELECT you based on the feelings they get because of you. And that is the secret to being consistently chosen.

Before we go further, let’s look at the logic part of this. This logic says you must have something to offer something that people want.

To meet this need, you pursue the methods, tactics, and knowledge behind what you do. For example, McDonalds makes decent burgers from good ingredients, cooked to the right temperature and they serve it fast. That’s the logic behind the product and is what initially draws people to them.

So let’s be very clear at this point: You should be as good as you can be at what you do so you can bring value to every exchange.

But simple skill and knowledge are not enough; they are one sided and are just the price of admission. After all, anybody can make hamburgers and, indeed, many are considered better than McDonalds. Yet “Mickie D’s” remains at the top.
Why?

Because they know there are other factors at work besides “being the best” and they exploit them. McDonald’s continually asks the one important question:

“What really matters to the people that are our customers?”

This was brought home to me recently while attending a real estate appraisal and valuation course, where we were given many lengthy, tricky, even crazy exercises in figuring gross square footage of a property. The class complained loudly over these seemingly unrealistic problems.

But I reminded my classmates that we must learn all of this so we can quickly and accurately evaluate the properties we are entrusted to sell or buy for our clients. That’s a “no-brainer,” as they say. That’s the science we spoke of a moment ago.

But square footage doesn’t sell a house by itself… it gets you in the door. The fireplace, the backyard or kitchen, the local schools or golf course – that’s what sells. The “feel” of experiencing these things is what people ultimately focus on. It’s all very personal – and far removed from the science.

McDonalds gets this; their advertising combines a simple musical jingle with an emotionally charged slogan, “I’m loving it.”
They know that once you start singing these words and putting it together, mentally, with their hamburgers, they have you. Being the best is no longer important.

Everybody wants the same three things; Love, Money and Prestige. They want to be cared about, have some security and be acknowledged as ‘someone’ in the world. So instead of being the Best, be good. Then ask yourself these questions:

1. Do I know what really matters to the people that are my customers?”
2. Do I have care and concern in my business transactions – and is it detectable?
3. Can I show proof of my integrity, stability and value?
4. Will people ultimately end up looking good, by doing business with me?

Answering these questions with “Yes,” will be the stuff of my next update.

Talking to Friends about Your Business.

This is from Michael Oliver, who is the driving force behind the "Natural Selling(R)" program. I thought it was good enough to include here, since it has some wide ranging applications in both life and business. I hope you enjoy it.

"When I talk with Network Marketers and Direct Sales People, it's
surprising how many are reluctant to talk with friends and family
about their business.

I guess it's understandable in many ways, because they don’t want
to run the risk of alienating those close to them.
If this happens to you, it does mean you're missing out on a
source of high quality business partners and customers.

Perhaps even worse, they might need what you have to offer and
they're missing out because you haven't spoken with them about
it.
(The story is always told of the insurance man who didn't sell his friend a policy, because he didn't want business to ruin their friendship - and then the friend promptly dies, leaving nothing for his family to live on.
The bereaved widow, who is destitute, now despises the insurance man - for not selling life insurance to her husband, the man he called his friend.)

So, what's the solution so that everyone wins? Here are some
suggestions.

1. Keep in mind the first principle of Natural Selling. That is, your purpose is to help other people solve their problems. When you're talking with friends, or anyone come to that, all you're looking to do is to discover if they have the types of problems you can help them solve. That's all.

2. Before approaching a friend, take some time to prepare yourself. Think about everything you know about them. Write down everything you can about their family, their hobbies, their sports, their jobs, their relationships, and especially their likes, dislikes, passions, and so on.

3. Write down all the problems you might have heard them talk about, that your business might be able to solve. Things like health problems or tight finances, and think, if you can, how it’s affecting them.

These are the things you can explore further when you next speak with them.

Now, when you do speak with someone keep in mind the following...

* Respect the relationship that is already there. What’s more important? Your friendship or wanting them as a business partner?

* Explore their previously expressed problems or see if they do have the types of problems you can help them solve without necessarily talking about your solutions.

* Let go from talking about your business opportunity. Your first aim at this stage is to simply discover if you might be able to be of help. If in the course of your conversation it becomes clear your friend or family member might have an interest in changing their present situation, then you can offer your solution there and then, or continue the dialogue at another time.

If you adopt this approach, you won't run the risk of upsetting people. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how many of them will be open to listening to you."

Michael Oliver
Natural Selling® Sales Training
For Personal & Business Success

Find Michael at www.NaturalSelling.com