Personality Goes a Long Way
I never really knew the importance of carrying myself with a little personality until a couple of years ago. I use to think that business was all about business and people didn’t really care how I acted as long as I got the job done.
To a certain degree this use to be true however in today’s climate where competition is very high and consumers/clients have many other options, you have to add as many positive variables into your business as possible.
Many times when you’re negotiating a deal in reality you may be presenting a particular product or service, but hundreds of people in your area may also be presenting the exact same thing. You may try to present and sell on price, but with economic conditions and supply and demand factors, many times your price will be very similar to your competitor’s price as well.
Of course everybody says that they offer superior customer service and support for their clients and customers, but that’s something that the client can’t see and they won’t be able to determine if that is true until after they have made their buying or contract decision, so this isn’t really a major determining factor on the front end of the deal neither.
Ultimately when you’re closing a deal the prospect is going to end up making their decision based upon YOU. That’s right, like my old sales manager use to say at one of my sales positions jobs, “the client is ultimately buying you.”
So while holding this idea in mind always remember to present yourself in a very professional way, but also present yourself as someone who is likable, easy to get along with, intelligent and someone who will be dependable and reliable.
Recently I presented a cleaning bid for my commercial cleaning business. My business partner knew another individual, who in turn knew the office managers of this particular firm we presented the bid to and he’s also the one that told us that they had an open contract.
After going in and presenting my bid we obviously didn’t hear anything from the company because they were not making their decision until around the first of the year.
However my partners contact did recently speak with the individuals from the firm we’re trying to put a deal together with and they mentioned how they liked me as a person and how I presented myself and that our firm is definitely in the front running for the deal.
I’m sure without a doubt I didn’t talk about anything different that other contractors who had performed a walk through and submitted a bid before me didn’t discuss, all we truly talked about was the details of the contract and what they expected to receive from the contractors that they hired.
I was in the office a total of fifteen minutes at the very most; however I presented and carried myself in a certain manner and displayed a likable personality; folks, this is a hidden secret to keep in mind when you’re working on your next deal. It could offer that extra edge that you need over your competitors.
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