Many of you are anticipating some time on the golf course with spring just around the corner. This could be the year you hit a hole-in-one; not only with your golf game, but also with sales!

You've spent time building rapport with your prospect and you've uncovered their hot buttons. Now you have to figure out how your product/service can connect with those hot buttons and offering solution to them. If you're not selling solutions in today's challenging economy, you'll never hit that hole-in-one.

Studies show that buyers at all levels spend less time with sales reps, so do some homework to stand out in the crowd. Some ideas to differentiate yourself:

• Understand what you're selling. Invest time in identifying how to connect it with a variety of customer needs and update your knowledge constantly!
  
• Believe passionately in what you're selling! Passion naturally makes a customer want to be involved with you. If you're bored, they will be too.
  
• Don't be afraid to get creative in offering a package tailor-made to their needs. Push those hot buttons!
  
• Speak their language. Relate your product or service in terms of their interests - not your own perspective.
  
• Educate the customer about your value continually. What do you offer that's unique?
• Review your work from the prospect perspective after every single call. What do you need to improve upon? Follow-up on?