What Are You Selling? It May Surprise You

Jun 19, 2020

A common question we ask in our sales training workshops, is what are you selling?

The answer to this question holds the keys to how to conduct your sales strategy, how you position your product or service, and even how you speak with your potential clients.

So, what are you selling?

Is it your product or service?

Perhaps it’s the features and benefits?

In this article, we’ll finally answer the age old question of what are you selling; so that you can focus on positioning yourself and your sales conversations in the right way.

What Are You Selling? It’s Not Your Product Or Service

So, what are you selling?

Many people think that they’re selling their product or service.

They focus on presenting and pitching new clients, with the hope that something tweaks their interest, it sticks, and that they’ll buy.

People don’t buy products or services.

Instead; they buy what it will mean when they own a solution to their pain points, or desired positive results.

Read on to learn why.

Related article: How To Sell Your Services – Step By Step

It’s Not The Features Or Benefits Either

In a moment, we’ll dive into answering the question what are you selling.

But first, it’s important to identify that you’re also not selling features and benefits.

A lot of sales training courses and books document that you should focus on the features and benefits of a product or service, and that’s why people buy.

However, just because your product or service may have some key features and benefits – it may not serve your potential client at all.

Something that may be important for one person, may not have any value for another.

Focusing on presenting features and benefits during your sales presentation, is a quick way to lose sales.

Shortly, we’ll prescribe the method to use to help you win more sales – as well as make no assumptions about what it is in fact they’re wanting to buy.

What Are You Selling? The Answer Is Meaning

The answer to the question what are you selling – is in short one word; meaning.

People buy what it will mean when they own your product or service.

All people buy for two reasons – they buy logically, and they buy emotionally.

Generally, people first buy with emotion, and then justify their purchase or their decision with logic.

People buy the meaning of owning your product or service, and the feelings it will give them once they have that meaning.

For example, if you’re selling real estate – a common way realtors and agents sell properties, is they take their potential clients into the home, and talk about its features and benefits.

The issue here – is what meaning are you actually trying to sell?

To first understand the meaning behind why they want to buy; you have to ask open and sales probing questions to uncover the rationale as to why they want to invest in a new home.

For example – let’s say they respond with that they want to live closer to work?

If so, why?

Many people will start to present homes that will give them a solution to this.

The issue though, is that we still haven’t uncovered the meaning.

Why do they want to live closer to work?

Is it because they’ll have a shorter commute to and from work?

And if they have a shorter commute – what will that mean?

Does it mean more time for their children?

Perhaps it means they can spend more time with their partner, or maybe even more time at the office.

Whatever their answer is – that is what you’re selling.

Once you understand the reason behind what they want, you can start the process of helping to solve their pain points, rather than prescribing something that doesn’t give them meaning.

Related article: Sell The Sizzle, Not The Steak – Its Meaning

You Need A Consistent System

So, to learn what are you selling specifically to that potential client, it’s important to follow a systematic process that asks questions, finds pain, and uncovers what their desired result will be.

The 5% Sales Blueprint; our online sales process training program, details the importance of following the following steps:

Building rapport
Qualifying
Pre-framing and positioning
Asking questions that find pain, and desires
Discussing money
Presenting
Handling objections
Asking for the sale

There are many benefits of using a sales process when having conversations with your potential clients.

First – it takes away the winging it approach; this allows you to have consistency, meaning you’ll close more sales more regularly.

The reason so many Sales Professionals and Business Owners get inconsistent results with their closing rate, is because they’re consistent with their sales process.

Secondly, it gives both you and your potential clients certainty.

Feeling certain is crucial for your potential client, if you want them to make a buying decision.

If they feel uncertain – they won’t buy.

It’s also important for you, because it’ll mean you’ll go into your sales conversations with confidence.

Clients can tell when someone is confident; and if you’re not feeling confident, how could you expect them to be confident in buying from you?

To learn more about the sales process in more detail and how you can put it into practice, read the linked article below.

Further reading: The 7 Step Sales Process – Learn To Close Easier

Final Thoughts On What Are You Selling

The question; what are you selling, is excellent because it gives you the opportunity to learn, and break down the meaning behind why people want to buy from you.

A quick exercise we recommend, is to write out what it will mean when someone buys your products or services.

By doing so, you’ll get clarity on what you’re actually selling, as well as what kind of questions you should be asking to learn what your potential client wants to buy.

So, what are you selling?

You’re selling meaning.

If you want to learn how to take your sales to the next level, register for our free 7 day sales challenge here.