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#32: Differentiating

#32: Differentiating

Differentiating in sales, careers, and leadership

April 01, 2022

Enjoy this week’s email….because who doesn’t want a bluebird every week…

#1 - How to be explicit in differentiating

In the past, I was not differentiating well enough.

The main cyber security market is really crowded with many overlapping submarkets. The same buzzwords are sprinkled around everywhere by people who won’t agree with what they mean. It's no wonder cyber security teams are confused. And when you confuse, you lose.

In early meetings with vendors, prospects are trying to figure out:

what does this company do?
how are they different from other companies I know?
what problems do they solve for me?
who else are they already working with?

We can’t leave to chance that the prospect will pick these out of our conversation along the way.

We must address these questions explicitly, not implicitly. And, because the market is so crowded, differentiation is the most important.

If we don't explicitly explain our differentiation they will not get it. And if they don’t know what we do differently…

The opportunity will stall out.
They won’t have a reason to do business with us.
They will be hopelessly confused.
They will forget about us.

When they do get it, we’ve increased dramatically our chances of having an opportunity with momentum. You've given them something to remember you with. They will know that you have a unique approach to solving their problem.

So, let's break down how to be explicit in our differentiation.

a. Create a visual

Give it the showcase it deserves and use audio and visual to explain it. Create a slide and title it something like 'why our customers think we are different'.

What to put on the slide?

Simple words and diagrams.
Try to keep it to 3-5 points.

What NOT to put on the slide?

Vendor speak
Vague language

A test: if you have to explain what the slide really means, you are doing it wrong. Eg “this is a bit of an eye chart, what it is trying to say is…”

b. Be explicit during the conversation and demo

Even though you have a slide just for differentiation you need to reinforce your points during the conversation and the demo.

And each time you do it, actually say “this is why we are different…”

Linger on this as well by asking response-provoking questions about how it compares to what they are doing now, or the impact if they had this in the future.

Important: plan this out so you know exactly where in your talk track/ demo you will bring out these points and exactly how you will do it.

c. Reframe the problem

A reframe is one of the most powerful tools you have. Done well, it gets people to think differently about the problem to better position your uniqueness

eg…”Many think that this is a product problem. That with an improved product everything will work better. It's not...If you take it first to principles, it is an architectural problem. The way you've been forced to do it up to now will never work, no matter how many new features or tweaks are added. It needs a whole rethink of how to even do this...and that's what we have done.”

Where and how can you reframe the problem the prospect is trying to solve?

You will be different in many ways, you just have to make absolutely sure your prospect knows and cares about these.Follow these 3 steps and you dramatically improve the chance of that happening.

Time for a dad joke break...

Thieves have stolen 20 crates of Red Bull from my local supermarket.I don't know how these people sleep at night.

#2 - Denise Hayman shares ways to differentiate yourself

This week on the Sales Bluebird podcast, we had a special guest, Denise Hayman, CRO at Sonrai Security, join us.

She shares her experience in the cyber security industry and the valuable takeaways she kept from each of her roles in different companies.

Lessons learned from Denise:

Effective prioritization is critical when managing the pressures of constantly bring in numbers.

The right motivation, coach-ability, and desire to do something different are key elements to sustained success

Too often, basics like having the right processes to ensure sales teams are talking to the right people, are overlooked

You will be able to see how you can best use your skill sets to benefit companies if you have an open mind and a willingness to understand what’s going on in each one

When you rise above the noise and go the extra mile, you will be able to flourish.

Listen for more

Sales Bluebird podcast episode 113>>>YouTube clips: 0:36 Don't forget! The CISO is often not the buyer for a cyber security company>>>2:04 How to better align sales and marketing>>>2:28 A lot can be learned from the disciplined DLP sales process>>>

#3 - Differentiating qualities of great leaders

The biggest difference I see between true sales leaders and the rest can be summed up with THREE words....OPEN. TO. LEARN.

True leaders don't believe they have all the answers.
True leaders don't believe their way can't be improved.
True leaders don't believe they are better than their team.

They do believe in GETTING BETTER.

True leaders believe they can learn from those around them.
True leaders believe their sales process can be improved.
True leaders believe there is always a better way.

So, when you're working for a leader who believes they know everything (and you don't know anything)...STOP!It's an abundant world out there. Life is short.Find someone who will truly lead you, not hold you back.