Strengths Based Selling: #11 Engagement

Engagement: Engaging both employees and clients makes the difference between so-so companies and relationships versus great companies and relationships. Discovering people’s strengths, designing activities and services that align with those strengths and following up and nurturing those relationships based on strengths makes the difference. Such engagement moves you from being merely a price-based vendor to a value based partner—a big difference. And if you need any statistical proof, take a look at page 142 about why engagement is good for business. For example, higher employee engagement results in !8% higher productivity, 16% greater profitability, 49% lower turnover, and much more.

Strengths Based Selling: #10 Team Selling

Team Sales: If every person has 5 strong talents that can be developed into strengths, then it stands to reason that partnering with others in your firm only increases your possibilities when dealing with clients. And the authors make a compelling case for this in the book. Think of tag-team wrestling as a good analogy—the team can adjust with member strengths as the engagement continues…thus match definite strengths with clients’ needs.

Strengths Based Selling: #9 Rataing and Growing

Serving, Retaining, and Growing: Using your talents and developed strengths not only helps you get the business (sell) but also can and should help you retain and grow that customer/client business. In fact, the close (sell) is just the first step in the entire engagement cycle with a client. And the best time to solidify relationships is early on—using your talents. So, if you’re a strong relater or learner, use those talents from the get-go to establish a long term relationship. Growing a relationship is far easier and more lucrative than finding a new one.