One of my favourite questions in seminars is, "Who thinks their marketplace is more competitive now than it was 5 years ago?" I love it as a question because the vast majority of people believe that their markets are more competitive. They're probably right.

Clients are more knowledgeable, information is easier to come by every day, and sales and marketing techniques are getting more and more sophisticated. What a nightmare!

Or not…

I believe that today you have an unprecedented opportunity to make your fortune by outselling, outmanoeuvring and outclassing your competition. It's true that business is evolving at an ever faster pace but if you embrace this change and thrive on it you can succeed like never before.

Think about it!

Most of your competitors are sitting around moaning and whinging about the fact that they can't keep up! Don't be a doofus! Get your act in gear and take your market by storm.

Here's 10 tips for outselling your competitors and the market every time!

Tip1: Work harder

Whoops! I just lost a lot of my readers! Didn't you want to hear that? Most people I work with don't want to hear that… at first! Today's society is all about getting it cheap and easy. Fame comes to the fortunate… get on TV, win the lottery, make an insurance claim…

Well, maybe you're prepared to sit around and wait for it to happen but I'm not and neither are thousands of people I've worked with… now. You have an unprecedented opportunity to sell but you're going to have to work for it. Period.

The best salespeople are the hardest workers. So get over it and get on with it! Hey and you know - if you sell something your passionate about hard work can be fun!

Tip 2: Work smarter

Don't worry, you don't have to be a brain surgeon or a nuclear scientist to work smarter! Most salespeople go with the flow working on all sorts of activities that do not produce results. I watch them day in and day out as I am visiting with clients and amazed by the stuff they call work! You know the stuff… surfing the web somewhat aimlessly, checking email boxes, shuffling papers… What SATS (Sales Avoidance TacticS) do you use on a daily basis?

To work smarter you have to ask yourself one simple but powerful question… "What daily activities do I need to do every day that will make me more sales?"

Whatever the answers, work out how much of it you have to do and do it come what may!

Congratulations! You're working smarter!

Tip3: Increase the lifetime value of existing clients

Most salespeople make a sale to a client and then move on to the next one. Most clients think that salespeople only ring them when they want to a) sell something new or b) renew their contracts.

If someone only rang you when they wanted to sell your something or get you to commit to a new contract what would you think about them? What feelings and emotions would you associate with them?

When a new opportunity came up in your business would you ring them or would you ring the salesperson who stayed in contact with you?

It's obvious isn't it but because most salespeople only ever "chase the money" they forget the lifetime value of a client and consequently they run the risk of losing deals and clients.

One of the easiest way to increase the lifetime value of a client is to increase the longevity of the relationship. I speak to clients every day who say things like, "Well no client lasts for ever?" and "It's normal for clients to move after a couple of years - that's industry standard?"

When we look at the way their clients are treated they realise that they have created the industry standard themselves. Standards are set - you can change them.

How would you need to treat your clients to increase their longevity?

Tip 4: Create new products for existing customers

Another great way to increase the lifetime value of clients is to sell more products to them. There are two ways to do this…

Firstly, you need to ensure that your clients are introduced to your whole product range. Just because you know what else you sell doesn't mean that your clients do. They're not psychic! What's more, if you approached them in a specific area they may well have you "pegged" as only dealing with that area!

Expand your sales possibilities by expanding your client's knowledge of you! As a young salesman, one of my most sobering moments was when I told one of my most loyal clients that I could have fulfilled a huge deal he head just signed and he said to me, "Gavin, I'm so sorry. I didn't even know that you did that!"

Secondly, you need to develop new products and services to meet your clients' needs. Find out what else your clients need and give it to them. How easy is that!

Tip 5: Add value to client relationships

How do you add value to your client relationships? When I ask most salespeople that question they look at me blankly! Eventually, they usually say something like…

"I provide a good service" or… "We have the best products"…

These are what you do, they like them sure but they're not adding value beyond the sale.

Let's try a different question…

How could you add value to your client relationships?

Aha! Ask a better question and get a better answer! You need to work out ways to add value above and beyond the sale. Why? Because that will make your clients think of you as someone who cares about them and their business and that, in turn, will make you more sales.

There's many ways to add value… free training seminars, product updates, market updates, technology reports, white papers, newsletters…

Think of some for your business right now!

Tip6: Under promise and over deliver

I hate sounding like some old hack but some phrases just can't be beaten can they! Most clients have no real expectation of salespeople. They expect to be under whelmed and they're usually right. - sigh -

Here's a couple of tips for how to under promise and over deliver…

1) Don't exaggerate, bullshit or waffle! Most salespeople lose the plot when they're "selling" (see authors many comments on selling vs. telling) and get carried away. Don't!

2) Set client expectations so that they are always delighted with the solution they get from you.

There is no better way to set yourself apart from the competition in your clients' eyes than to be seen as "the one" salesperson who always delivers!

Tip 7: Know Your Market Inside Out & Upside Down

Do you read the industry press? Do you read the business section of quality newspapers? Do you study how your market and your clients are evolving? Do you know how both yours and your competitors products help your clients?

Most salespeople don't know these things well enough. They say that they want to be the best but they don't behave like they want to be the best.

The best in every field are experts!

You want the best doctor. What is he? An expert! You want the best engineer? What is she? An expert! You want the best sales speaker? What is he? Me! Oh, sorry - an expert!

Being an expert doesn't have to consume your life! You won't have to burn the midnight oil, skip the family holidays or abandon the pub!

What it does require is commitment. Commitment to find out what you need to know to be the best. Commitment to developing your self. And commitment to taking action for a small period of time, regularly.

Imagine what you could achieve if you committed even half an hour a day to becoming an expert.

Tip8: Understand and predict customer wants and needs

You've got market knowledge.
You're an expert in your products / solutions.
You ask questions and you listen.

You can predict the future!

And you should! If you can use your expertise to predict customer wants and needs then you're going to have one heck of a lot of happy customers!

Tip9: Know how your product really helps your clients

OK! OK! I know! I've said this before! But most salespeople just don't get it!

I don't care about your product! I don't care about how many widgets it has? And I certainly don't care how many dongles it has! And neither do your clients! Get me?!

You need to understand how your product really helps your clients. What pain are they in that it solves? What happens if they don't solve that pain? What happens if they do?

Tip10: Understand the true biz context of your offering at the right level of specificity

Most salespeople laugh (or cry!) when I mention the word specificity but I believe that this rather strange word makes and breaks sales every day!

Everyone operates at a certain level of specificity and you need to meet them at that level…

Consider a chocolate factory… the CEO of a factory cares about profits, operating costs and efficiencies; the ops manager cares about the smooth running of the factory, the day to day operational issues and resources; the line managers care about the job getting done, their staff doing what they're supposed to and their hourly targets being met; and the Oompah Loompahs care about how easy their life is!

Now I know that's a simplified example but you get my point don't you! Speak to the CEO about hourly targets and you're not going to make a sale; speak to the Oompah Loompah about operating costs and efficiencies and he is unlikely to know what you're on about.

You need to understand fully how your product or solution helps your clients in their business at the right level of specificity.

Got it! Get on with it!