Selling tips will come and go, but serving will always make a lasting impression.

Most business owners are approaching a time when they step away from their business to work on their business with the coming new year.  Often this is the only time they will do this.

So let’s consider a Swift Business Solution, something that can make a significant IMPACT in your business. Serve your customer not only like you want them to stay, but they will also tell their friends about how you SERVED them.

Focus on serving first and selling second… Here are a few tips to help you do just that:

 1.  What sets you apart from the others?

Make time to identify what makes you unique and differentiates you from your competition. Don’t guess at this, take time and identify 3 key things or approaches and most important, know how to communicate them.

If you sell the same widget, then it will be how you serve them that sets you apart.

2.  It is not about you!

Remember, ask the right questions. Start with the ones we learned in school (how, what, where, when and why) then ask your customer to go deeper, so you can learn, understand and communicate how you will be there to support them. Not only during the sale, but for the long term.

We develop and maintain our clients online presence. This is more and more often their first impression for them personally or their entire company. One question I love to ask is…What are the three most important things for them to communicate?  This gets us started in identifying how to best layout their site.

3.  Know Your Prospect

Your first stops might be their website (it is for Swift), social media and industry information — consider your contacts, business and friends. As long as you have your customers best interest in mind and not your pocket, those that have a relationship with them will want to help you make a strong impression.

4. Be The Authority

The best way to present yourself as the authority in your field is to be well prepared to educate. The best way to set yourself apart from the crowd is to share what you know. By giving away your knowledge you begin to develop trust, demonstrating that you are interested in a long term relationship, not a one time sales event.

5. Stand Out – Go Above and Beyond

I have a good friend that is in the restaurant food industry, a foodie that loves to live through the food he prepares. Where some sales people would offer thoughts and ideas on how to adjust a restaurants menu, he would go much deeper. He would develop new and unique menu items, work a Friday Night dinner service or weekend special event all to ensure success, which ultimately led to his. When I met him, he was working the streets, knocking on mom and pop restaurants.  Today he is a VP for a Fortune 100 company, all because he served before he sold, putting his clients needs first.

Take the time to learn how to Identify your clients and customers needs, then meet them. If you serve them, they will come. Provide a quality product at a reasonable price and serve like no else will and you will build a business that will more than survive, it will thrive.

Greg Weinstein is husband, father and the Director for Swift Business Solutions.  In addition to developing and maintaining their clients online web presence, Swift works with their clients to track and identify ways to Do Business Better and meet their clients needs to develop long term ongoing relationships.