What’s the value of working with a knowledgeable, credible, and trustworthy salesperson as opposed to someone whose methods are somewhat questionable? The difference can be huge to customers even if the products being offered are virtually identical. In sales, the customer’s perception of your value is equal to the benefits of your product or service plus the intangible values you bring to the table.

From my perspective, it’s no longer enough to be friendly and polite. There are plenty of salespeople in the world who are nice. The idea behind this concept of selling yourself is to accrue enough value to tip the scales in your favor whether you are up against a competitive proposal, or you are competing against the decision to do nothing. We also want to accumulate enough value to overcome any questions or concerns that may come up when dealing with objections.

Whether a salesperson is born with character traits like credibility, integrity, knowledge, helpfulness, candor, or respect, is debatable. The key is being able to convey your intangible values throughout the sales process, so sellers who think strategically can be perceived as more valuable resources than the competition. That’s where the application of specific techniques becomes very important. As I have said many times, even if you are the most valuable salesperson in your industry, you still must say and do things that cause you to be perceived as such.