When it comes to your Alison’s Pantry business, would your friends know that you were a representative for the company if they looked in your freezer or pantry today? If so, I applaud you. If not, here’s a few ideas to help you become better at what you are selling. The best way to become the sales person you want to be is to become the customer that you are looking for.
No one ever said sales were easy. To be good at what you do you must have a conviction for what you sell. How do you receive that loyalty and confidence in what you sell? By using your own products. By gaining a knowledge of how they work and how much you enjoy using them. How can you expect your customer to purchase products from you when you yourself will not purchase them? As a rep you even get a discount on your own products, why wouldn’t you buy from yourself? Why support the competition? A successful business person buys from him or herself. If you were in the market for a Toyota and happened to see your salesman drive away in a Honda, how much confidence would you have in the salesman and the product that you were planning on purchasing? The same is said for you as a representative of Alison’s Pantry. You should not be purchasing any products somewhere else that you can purchase from yourself. It’s the #1 rule of sales. Walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
Here’s a challenge for you, grab a black marker and your newest catalog, find five minutes to look through the catalog and circle all the items that you use in your home. Now look and see if you can find a competitor’s item in your cupboard or freezer. Make an additional mark in your catalog on that item. The next few months, concentrate on replacing those competing items with a product from your own store. This will take a few months, but at the end of it, you will have tried more of your own products and learned more about them to share with your customers. Besides learning and experience with your own products, you will also be gaining exposure to your products. You will also be making an investment in yourself and in your business. If a customer or friend stops by and happens to see in your cupboards or freezer, there would be enough of your own products there that they would know that you believe in what you sell. By supporting your own business, you support your customers.
Being your own best customer will not guarantee your success with Alison’s Pantry, you still must do the work, but not buying from yourself will certainly guarantee that your success will be more difficult.
This year be your own best customer!
Stacee Izatt, RSM