What is R.U.M.?

One of the most basic tenets of selling is that you are going to have to figure out ways to stand out in a crowd. The bigger the group, the bigger the challenge and, speaking of large groups, how about the internet and social networks? Very crowded! You need to be …

R.U.M. – Remarkable, Unique, Memorable

It’s not magic …

Where everybody practices bad behavior, you don’t. You are remarkable.
What everybody else does, you don’t. You are unique.
When they think about the best person for their needs, they think about you. You are memorable.

You stand out because you are perceived as being different from your competition and in a good way!

There is more good news when it comes to your competition. The bar to leap over them has been set incredibly low. When was the last time that a salesperson or a company exceeded your expectations? How about never or close to it!

There are only three possible outcomes from any customer interaction. What are they?

Did not meet expectations – you are toast, burnt.
Met expectations – you are corn, canned.
Exceeded expectations – you are prime rib, medium rare.

Let’s say that you won that sale despite your best efforts to lose it. You made the sale, but … you don’t have a customer that will buy from you again, without getting bids, and the one who will willingly refer you to others.

You were probably low bid and there ain’t no honor in being low bid. Even worse, this sale gets you nothing more than this sale. Every sale going forward with these folks will be just like any other new business and you will be starting over from scratch.

You may have met expectations which, at best, is a neutral experience that is not all that different than … canned corn. I always get what I expect from canned corn, regardless of the brand. Maybe all you were was just the lesser of multiple evils.

On the other hand, when you exceed their expectations, you can expect to be treated with a “most favored” status. No bids. No competitors. Repeat business. Referrals. Just don’t muck it up by becoming lazy, overconfident, or complacent!

What else can you do?

Become a Trusted Advisor – Build multiple relationships within your customer’s company as well as with outside vendors who will be instrumental in your projects. You are building a web of connections, all of who will watch your back as you will watch theirs. This includes identifying and nurturing internal advocates in addition to buying committees. Your guy disappears? You have backups!

Act like you work there – This is a very subtle technique and its effectiveness is compounded when used in conjunction with having achieved the status of a trusted advisor. It removes the adversarial seller-buyer relationship. It’s selling without … actually selling.

Under promise and over deliver – As a general rule, however much time I am going to tell you that it will take for me to do “x” is going to allow me enough time to make that date even in the event of unplanned surgery. Whatever I agree to give you, in return for your business, I will give you more than is expected.

Set clear expectations – Let them know what will happen and when and how and also make it clear what parts they have to play in order to keep things on track!

Pop up at unexpected times with unexpected items of value – I like to email people free goodies at odd hours. I happen to be a VERY early riser so that helps. I also have Gmail and delayed sending. If you don’t have that, there are several apps including Boomerang that will give you this capability. Guess what? I actually do think about my customers at 3 AM.

R.U.M. salespeople will consistently exceed customer expectations and, as a result …

Your sales ratios will increase.
You will attract better prospects as your reputation becomes more established and recognized.
Referrals and repeat business, from all sources, will increase dramatically.

Questions? Book a free 30-minute Zoom meeting with me! Email – craig@adaptive-business.com

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Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services

Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!