Why Should a Prospect Buy From You?
by Ken Hall

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If a prospect asks, "Why should I buy from you," what is your answer? One popular answer is, "I’m better than anyone else." Another is, "I give great service!" Both of those are wrong answers. They may be true, but they are not good. They don’t grab the prospect’s attention. Here’s why:

Statements that are too general are usually not believed. Take Travelocity’s slogan: "You’ll never roam alone." It really doesn’t mean anything. As a home-based agent, you are just as willing to call a hotel if there is a problem, aren’t you? So, their slogan doesn’t have believability.

Does their statement serve its purpose and give prospects a feeling of comfort? Not if they read the blogs or check out some of the customer complaint sites. It not only isn’t convincing, it has become somewhat of a thorn in their side. (The one I like best is the guy who said, "…I’d like to meet the gnome and introduce him to my nine iron.")

Another problem with making a general statement about service is it doesn’t position you above anyone else. Who advertises bad or mediocre service? You never hear anyone say, “We aren’t as good as the others.” Clients expect good service. Clients expect you to work hard on their behalf. They expect you to be price competitive (maybe not the lowest, but at least competitive.)

No, to be believed you have to be more specific. You have to create an image in the prospect’s mind. For instance, take either of the first answers and rephrase them to include strong descriptions: "I do a great job for my clients. I involve you. I ask you questions, help you determine what you want to do on your vacation, and then use my experience and knowledge to help you find it. I do it so well I have clients who have been working with me for 10 years. That’s how good I am."

It is a much longer statement, but don’t you get an image in your mind? One that evokes a real person, instead of just a pat answer? That is what you want to achieve at this step: becoming a professional travel agent instead of a salesperson.

What do you do now?

It’s time for self-diagnosis. You need to find out why your current clients buy from you -- why they came to you in the first place, and why they would recommend you to friends and acquaintances. Take a sheet of paper and make three columns on it. (A word processor is a great tool for this.) Column headings should be "Trait" - "My Impression" - "Clients’ Impression." Just start writing down what you think are the traits you possess that make people want to buy from you. These probably include Honesty, Good Communicator, Reliable, Always Available, Knowledgeable, Professional, etc.

In the column under "My Impression," write down what the trait means to you. As an example, next to Knowledgeable you might write, "6 years experience specializing in cruise sales, 11 cruises on 5 different lines, MCC holder." Or, for Reliable, maybe you will put, "When I tell clients I will have a recommended itinerary and quote on a given date, I always make that deadline" or "I keep a written ‘do list’ to keep track of and follow through on all commitments," and so on.

Next comes the hard part. Call several clients and tell them you have had people ask you why they should buy from you, and (being the modest person you are) you have to struggle with the answer. Since they have been your clients for years, you would like them to tell describe your traits that mean the most to them. When they mention a trait -- for example, "Friendly and pleasant" -- ask them to give you examples.

This is not an exercise to be done in one day. Start it some evening or when you are on a plane flying somewhere. Keep working at it, because it is a task that should never be completely done. Keep at it, and three things will happen.

First, you find some very pleasant surprises about how your clients view you. This is a huge ego boost, and it keeps you from becoming overly critical about yourself.

Second, you will be able to answer the question much better when prospects ask why they should buy from you.

And, third, you will get some referrals from your existing clients. (But, that is a subject for another time….)

Ken Hall is president of HomeBasedPros.com, a subscription e-letter with marketing and sales ideas for home-based travel agents. For more information, go to HomeBasedPros.com or contact Ken at Ken.Hall@HomebasedPros.com.