Packaging - Can you package your product more attractively? Do colors of your package relate to your product? Can you package your product into a smaller or larger package?

Delivery - Can you offering cheaper shipping? Do you have a high enough profit margin to offer free shipping? Can you ship your products faster?

Benefits - Can you offer more benefits than your competition? Are your benefits stronger? Do you have believable proof that supports your claims?

Quality - Is your product built and tested to last longer than your competition? Can you improve overall quality of your product?

Performance - Can you make your product faster at solving your customer’s problem? Is your product easier to use than your competitions?

Features - Can you offer more product features than your competition? Do your features support benefits you offer?

Availability - Is your product always available or does your have to backorder it? Can your product suppliers drop ship to your customers?

Extras - Do you provided free bonuses when your customers buy your product? Are your bonuses more valuable than your competitions?

Service - Do you offer your customers free 24 hour customer service? Can you provide free product repair? Does your competition make their customers talk to a machine?

Proof - Can you provide more proof than your competition that your product is reliable? Can you provide stronger testimonials or endorsements?

Guarantees - Do you have a stronger guarantee than your competition? Do you offer warranties with your product? Do you provide an easier return policy?

Bob: Show us how to use that saw (pointing)

Fred: That is a crosscut saw, Bob. It is mainstay in most basic construction. Bob, this is easiest of all saws to use. You hold it like this, Bob. And when you begin movement up and down, you put your index finger along side here, can you see that, Bob? That’s how you cut straighter Bob, with that little finger pointing way.

(and so on.) catching on? Everyone Bob talks with uses his name repeatedly. If you look at it apart from program, you can see that people don’t really talk that way. Could all his guests be instructed to use his name in every sentence possible? Bob never uses their name after introduction until end bit when he thanks guest, by name.

So who’s name do we hear, hundreds of times in a program? Bob Vila! It didn’t take long for him to be recognized as consummate hammer and nails guru. Better yet, he doesn’t do any of work on his shows, he just gets people to use his name while they do it all.

How does this relate to sales you ask? Easy, you can use Bob Vila approach on your customers. Use their name at every opportunity. Practice until you can use it in every third sentence. It will create an instant rapport. The more you can use customer’s name, more you can build trust and confidence with that person.

Think about many times you have watched Bob on TV and not noticed how guests use his name over and over. The majority of people don’t see it until someone (like me in this article) points it out. Most folks never see hidden meaning there, or recognize unusual sentence structure. You can use name-infected sentences in any conversation, to your advantage, every time. They work, beautifully. And they never offend ("Hey, Fred, would you mind not using my name so much, I’m sorta sensitive!").

The next time you talk with a customer, remember what Bob Vila did and you, too, can be most respected person in your field.

For another article about business, get "Voice Mail Can Be Your Buddy" MailTo:VoiceMail@BigIdeasGroup.com

©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights Reserved Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.com BIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and Small Business Consultant with over 30 years experience, http://BIGIdeasGroup.com