About two weeks ago, I was doing a seminar for a variety of professionals. Some were sales professionals and some non-sales professionals. I often find that non-sales professionals (attorneys, doctors, engineers, architects) believe that the expertise they possess is what is most important when "selling" their services to others. It could be, but most often, a layman does not know the level of their expertise, so it is most often assumed by the prospect. Therefore, what criteria should prospects use to makes decision on whom to work with in the professional services industry?

"Well, Greta, I understand that you need to ask clients what they are looking for, but it is different for our business," one gentleman said. (By the way, whenever someone says to me their business is different, I tell them that they owe me $1. I am very close to retiring).

When I asked this gentleman, an attorney, why his business is different, he exclaimed that, in professional services, people make decisions on the professional's level of expertise. That's right: He told me that his prospects are buying expertise.

Unless you are calling on robots, your business is not that different. If you are trying to gain additional business from humans, it has more to do with the way they make decisions, not what you are selling. In other words, it is the interaction with your prospect and what is important to them that matters.

So, am I saying that being an expert isn't important? Being really good at what you do is immaterial? Not at all. What I am saying is that decisions are made in a lot different ways and what you believe is important is not necessarily important to your prospect. This is the same in professional services. If you are a doctor, would you suggest Botox to a patient if they don't need it, just because it's discounted this month? Of course not. Just because you offer professional services doesn't mean you shouldn't try to understand exactly what your clients need and how they make decisions in order to serve them on the highest level. As a professional, you serve as your own salesperson, so it's important for you to learn how to sell better - just like it's important for you to take continuing education classes to learn how to do your job better.

In order to correct your sales weaknesses as someone in the professional services industry, it's important to understand the common problems that typical salespeople encounter. Here is an example:

I recently met with folks at a Web design company. They were wondering why they do so many proposals and aren't closing much of the business they are proposing. I asked them a little bit about their sales process.

"We show them the Web sites that we do and tell them we can do whatever they want. If they like what they see and want a proposal, we detail what we found about their competitors sites, what they should do and lay each of these recommendations out in detail in their proposal," they said.

So, I asked to see a typical proposal that they use, and they brought me what looked like the newest version of the dictionary.

"Why are you giving so much information away?" I asked. "How many people actually read this thing?"

"People love our proposals," Jerry said. "They tell us that they are better and more detailed then our competitors. You have to show all of this detail to let them know exactly what you are doing and how you are going to do it."

"If your proposal is so good, and that is what people need to have to buy from you, why aren't they?" I asked.

Jerry kind of chuckled and said: "Well, I guess you are going to tell us."

"The way you personally make purchases is getting in the way of how you are selling," I said. "Because you need to have lots of detailed information before you make a purchase yourself, you have decided that this is how others make decisions, as well. That's a big problem."

It is so important not to assume we know why people buy from you. And those "features and benefits" you've been pitching are features and benefits someone in your marketing department told you were important, not what this particular prospect cares about. That also carries over into the industry of the doctor, lawyer, engineer and architect. Just because you make decisions a certain way or want certain things does not mean that your prospect is the same.

Please remember: Reciting what your great benefit is and selling the way you want to be sold to is not the way to do it.

Greta Schulz is owner of ProActive Training, a West Palm Beach-based consulting firm. To receive her free e-newsletter, please e-mail greta@proactivetraining.biz.