I recently attended the National Speakers Association Annual Conference, Influence 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a great event in which to network with fellow speakers, learn from numerous breakout sessions, and celebrate the best speakers in our profession.

There was a speaker on the main stage, Gerry O’Brien, who delivered a presentation that hit home for me. The title of the presentation was “Becoming the No. 1 Choice in the Crowded Speaker Market.” In this article, I will concentrate on his last main point, “The Power of Because.”

Why people buy your product, whether you are a speaker, a home improvement store, or a dry cleaners business, can be boiled down to this: people buy your product “because” they view your product as a better value than any other products they could buy. It is that simple!

What is your “because?” It’s your job to determine your “because” and craft your language to your customer to make them want to buy your product.

Below are three steps to determine your “because” and make your customer buy your product/service.

Customers’ Wants and Needs

Formulating your “because” starts with determining your ideal customer’s wants and needs.

Discover your ideal customers’ wants and needs by determining their “pain points.” “Pain Points” are difficulties your ideal customer is having in their personal and professional lives. There are various ways to determine your customers’ “pain points.” Three ways to do this are:

Understanding your customers’ “pain points” will reveal their wants and needs. There has never been nor ever will be a successful salesperson who ignores their customers’ needs and wants.

Understanding your customers’ needs and wants is necessary but not sufficient to make the sale. You must also differentiate yourself from your competitors. The first step in doing this is discovering what and how your competitors are selling their products/services.

Differentiating Your Business

The second step in discovering your “because” is differentiating your business from other businesses vying for the sale. You need to find out what and how your competitors are selling their product/service to do this.

There are many ways to do this. Some are:

• Research competitors’ product/service on the Internet

• Research how your competitors are explaining how their product solves the customer’s problem

• Buy the competitor’s product/service and see first-hand whether the product/service satisfies the customers’ wants and needs.

Differentiating your business from your competitors starts with understanding your competitors’ products/services and how they are marketing and advertising to your customers.

You now know your customers’ needs and wants, and you know how to differentiate yourself from your competitors. The last step is to determine your “because.”

Determining Your “Because”

Many years ago, I was helping to write a technical proposal for my company. If we won the contract, it would be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The proposal manager gathered us and told us the proposal must not only be convincing to the customer; it must be compelling to the customer. What did she mean by being not only “convincing” but “compelling” to the customer?

Because our proposal was compelling, we did win the contract to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. It was the largest contract my company had won up to that point.

If you convince your customer to buy your product/service, it means you have just “cleared the bar” to get your customer’s business. The customer thinks they could have gone with another business and received the same results, but, for whatever reason, they went with your company. If you have just convinced your customer, you have not set the atmosphere for follow-on business. You have just had a “one-off” or one-time business opportunity.

If you compel your customer to buy your product/service, it means your customer is thinking about the huge risk they will incur if they don’t buy your product/service. They believe if they do not buy your product/service, they will lose work, time, and money. In other words, there is an internal forcing function within the customer decision-makers that is compelling them to select your product/service. Your job is to craft your proposal that makes them think this way. You must, of course, deliver on your promises.

If you want repeat business, you should give your customer more than what they bought. You want your company to have the reputation of offering your customer over and above for which it paid. This is one way to differentiate your product/service from your competitors.

Another great way to differentiate your product/service is to have periodic meetings with your customer to ensure you deliver the product/service that genuinely satisfies your customers’ wants and needs. In addition, these regular meetings give you a chance to fine-tune your product/service.

You now know the three-step process to determine your “because” to win more business: (1) Determine your customers’ needs, (2) Determine how you will differentiate yourself from your competitors, and (3) Determine your “because.”

Another way to look at your “because” is why the customer chose your product/service.

Determine your “because” correctly, and you will become rich!

Call to Action

• Determine your customers’ wants and needs before you deliver your offer

• Determine how you will differentiate your product/service from your competitors’ products/services

• Determine your “because” and craft this into your compelling offer

Frank DiBartolomeo is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and award-winning speaker, presentation and interview skills coach, and Professional Member of the National Speakers Association. He was awarded Toastmasters International’s highest individual award, Distinguished Toastmaster, in 2002 because of his outstanding work in public speaking and leadership.

Frank formed DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC (www.frankdibartolomeo.com) in 2007. The mission of DCI is to help technical professionals to inspire, motivate, and influence their colleagues and other technical professionals through improving their presentation skills, communication, and personal presence. Frank can be reached at frank@frankdibartolomeo.com and (703) 509-4424.

Don’t miss Frank DiBartolomeo’s latest book!

“Speak Well and Prosper: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Better Presentations”

Available now at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com