Yes, you read that correctly. I’m confessing to selling people and if you want your business to truly grow you should sell people too.
I still remember the day I realized how important it was to sell our people vs. our products. In our business, probably much like yours, we provide products and services that twenty other companies right down the road also provide. What sets us apart? Our People!
From a client’s very first touch point, our people begin to tell our unique story; their own unique story. A story that is engrained in every fiber of our organization and delivered with the unique and diverse skill set that reside within each team member that touches that client. Our team doesn’t focus on selling another event venue filled with tables, chairs and fancy technology. Instead our team will walk a client through a fully integrated experience where they share a tailored vision for delivering unmatched results. Our people do more than deliver the same tired set up that was provided to the previous ten clients. Instead our team focuses on curating an experience that is unique to you and your vision for a spectacular event. Our team doesn’t sell you on the same beef or seafood dish you can get from any one of our amazing competitors. Instead one of our Chef’s will walk you through an experience that displays their personal passion and love for providing scratch made cuisine that is fully customized to your specific desires.
I want our team to share their personal stories, experiences, perspectives and unique personalities. I want our team to build relationships with our clients that turn into friendships. Think about what it means when you say something like “I buy from them because I trust them.” Is it because they have a better product, because they deliver on time, because they exceed your exceptions? I’m sure that is the reason you trust them. However, I want you to look further into that trust. It’s not the product or service, it's the people behind producing and delivering the product or service that you truly trust and ultimately buy from. It’s that special relationship you have with the actual person behind the product or service that makes you say things like “let me call my guy!” (or “girl”… my business partner and wife corrected me)
As a business owner I’m always more proud of a client review when it refers to their coordinator or chef by name vs. the company itself. It evokes thoughts of our clients sitting around a table with their friends recapping an amazing experience they had with our company because of one or more of our team members.
You see business is less about the product or service you sell and more about the people who provide them. The next client that walks through your door or calls your company, don’t sell them your product or service, instead sell them on the people behind the magic and watch your business grow to new heights with greater rewards.
Market your people and let them market themselves!
- Brian