It's a bit prosaic to say that today's marketplace is global in nature and more competitive than ever. However, while these observations may be old hat, they are, nevertheless, facts.

More competition means more comparisons being made among vendors. Customers know they have more choices. To make sure they make the right choices, customers have become more knowledgeable about the products they buy. Many organizations have put more checks and balances into the buying decision. As a result, the selling cycle has been lengthened and made more complex. The need for the organization and the sales force to differentiate themselves from their competition has become paramount.

In addition, more competitors often means not much difference between one product or service and another. Given these factors, how is it possible to influence the customer's buying decision when so few distinct advantages exist?

Our own experience and common sense tells us that the decision to buy from one organization rather than from another often comes down to the difference between the relationship between the buyer or buyers and the organization's salesperson.

What attributes do we usually associate with a successful salesperson? All the traditional attributes still apply - professional appearance; product and service knowledge; deep understanding of the customer's organization, its marketplace, and competition. Most everyone would agree that all these are essential for any salesperson. In the current market, however, salespeople need more than these essentials - they need a competitive edge.

Among the questions that one needs to ask and answer are . . . how to personally stand out from the crowd . . . how to make yourself the competitive plus. We believe and our common sense tells us that the salesperson must develop a unique relationship with each unique customer. Our thesis is that a salesperson develops strong and binding relations by recognizing that he/she must be good at "selling different customers differently." How does one do that?