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How To Overcome The "You're All the Same" Objection
July 21, 2014 |Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
If there's one comment you here over and over again among manufacturers it's, “Customers say we're all the same. It all comes down to price.” And, you know what? They're right. If a prospective customer can’t tell the difference between you and the other guys, guess how he'll decide between the two of you? By price, because it’s the only information he has.
But what if there was a way to show prospective customers that your company is an industry leader with the smarts, skill, technology, experience, and imagination that separates you from your competition?
There is and it’s called social media.
Let’s use an example. FedEx wants $20 to deliver a part you need tomorrow. Del’s Diabolical Delivery service will do it for $16. Who are you going to use? FedEx of course. Why? Because you know FedEx will get it there tomorrow. And knowing it will get there tomorrow is worth paying the FedEx premium. You know who FedEx is, you know what they can do, and you trust them.
So how do you use social media to show that your company is worth the money?
Use Social Media to Prove Your Claims
I've said this before, but it's absolutely true: If you say you are wonderful you're just another vendor saying they are wonderful. However if a third party, like a customer, says you're wonderful, well that's a different story. And social media provides the place for prospective customers to check you out and for your current customers to testify to your value. Nothing supports your claims better than having a prospective customer seeing an identifiable peer testifying on your company’s behalf.
Social Media Allows Leadership Establishment
A company that posts original and informative content can create a quality of thought leadership in their industry. And it is not just limited to large corporations. It takes hard work, imagination, and ton of discipline, but the rewards more than make up for it. Quick, who’s the leader between Apple and Dell? And who’s margins would you rather have?
Use Social Media to Answer Customer Questions
Every prospective customer has questions and issues that need to be addressed. When a company provides answers to customers questions and potential concerns they go from being an unknown quantity with a price attached to a credible alternative with sound reasons for doing business with them.
Using Social Media Well Distinguishes You From Competitors
Most companies are using social media in one fashion or another these days. And most are doing it abysmally. This is a huge opportunity. I'm always a big believer in taking advantage of my competitors mistakes and believe most manufacturers are hilariously inept with social media. Most companies just treat it like another advertising medium which is a big mistake. That's not what people expect on social media. They do not expect a sales pitch, but expect help with specific problems.
Social media isn’t easy. It isn’t expensive, but it is time intensive. But what would 10 new customers be worth to your company this year? You don’t have to be RFQ fodder. You and your company have smarts, you have skills, and you're the best fit for a lot of customers. Start using social media to show them the type of company they could be teaming up with.Bruce Johnston is a sales consultant specializing in social media and especially LinkedIn. He has over 25 years experience in high-tech sales and management. He can be reached at brucej@practicalsmm.com or through his profile on LinkedIn.