A Critical Element for Your Sales Strategy
Posted by: Cheryl Clausen in sales coaching, tags: sales marketing coaching, sales strategyMost business owners, entrepreneurs, and SOHO’s focus on selling their stuff. You talk about the features your stuff has, what your stuff can do, perhaps how your stuff compares to your competitors stuff. Legitimate points for consideration yet not what gets people to actually buy your stuff.
The key to successfully selling your stuff isn’t the stuff. The key to selling your stuff is what your stuff can do. A critical element required for a successful sales strategy is effectively helping your potential buyers focus on:
- the ideas your stuff lead to
- the experience of owning your stuff
- the future your stuff can help them create
Fear can be tremendously motivating when the thing feared is imminent and highly likely. However, when it isn’t imminent or perceived as inevitable potential buyers are more likely to do nothing than something. That’s why it’s so hard to sell the concept of prevention. If the undesired fear can be prevented it can be delayed. It may never happen so why act?
However, you can transform fear into a motivation for action when you help the potential buyer focus on a highly desirable future outcome, a desirable experience, or a captivating idea that could become a reality.
No one wants to focus on what you don’t want so you need to help them see the path to what they do want. This empowers the potential buyer and helps them move from the state of fear they don’t want to a state they do want. The more real the more experience seems to them, the more potentially rewarding, the greater the motivation for immediate action.
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September 15th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Cheryl,
This one was one that I did not understand too well. I get turned off by fear motivation. I can smell it a mile away. Can you give me some examples where this would work.
BTW, I just entered into a new sales venture and I look forward to reading your blogs. Thanks for all the great input!
September 17th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Ah, yes. I can see how this came off a little confusing Mary. Sorry about that.
I wanted to point out that it’s very difficult to sell prevention. Thus why people don’t break there necks to set a check up appointment with the dentist or insurance agent.
In contrast it’s very easy to sell to remove a fear. So for example, I’m driving along and notice the needle on my gas gauge is on “E”. I’m immediately ready to buy gas at the nearest gas station.
In your communications you never want to focus on the fear instead focus on the desired result, outcome, or solution. So rather than focusing on running out of cash in retirement… the fear. You might focus on the security and self-confidence that comes from knowing you can take care of yourself and enjoy the things you’ve been putting off when you reach retirement.
Big difference. Fear evokes moving away. Focusing on the desired end focuses on moving toward.
September 17th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
HI Cheryl,
I guess there is a fine line between fear motivation and prevention sales techniques. Because I have been in sales for a long time, I can tell when fear sales tactics are being disguised as prevention sales tactics.
Just yesterday I had the upper management call me to give me a pep talk on my new business venture. Because I opted not to spend thousands of dollars on inventory, she went on and on and on, what seemed like forever, as to why I should spend money on inventory instead of going the “order as I go along” route. She was nice about it but I could just see how she was painting a picture of failure if I didn’t go with the inventory option. Ugh…that just so bothers me. he he…sorry, but it does, no matter how sweet that bitter pills is disguised.
Anyway, in the end, she understood my point but it made me reconsider this business, to be honest.
Thank you again for your response. I appreciate all your input.
Mary
September 18th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Hi Mary,
Ah. Yes, I would hate what you describe too. The problem is she was trying to manipulate you into doing something YOU did not want to do by “talking” you into “her” way of thinking.
That’s just insulting.
I mean actually having a conversation with the other person where you ask questions, really listen to what they tell you, and help them come to their own conclusion about what’s best for them. If that aligns with what you do GREAT and if it doesn’t GREAT because you never want to try to force a buyer to buy something they don’t want to buy. Even if they do buy it will backfire on you big time at some point.
Honesty and integrity are critical. I can tell this comes naturally to you. I can also tell you’ve been on the wrong end of typical sales training that’s anything but. Typical sales training only works for people selling relatively inexpensive products focused on one-time sales.
Anyone in a service industry should stay as far away from “typical” sales training as possible. In a serviced business you can’t survive on one-time sales. It’s ALL about relationships!
September 18th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Thank you Cheryl….at least I know that somebody understands me. I appreciate your comments.
November 9th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
I think we overlook the importance og goals and vision. They are by far the strongrest motivating factor.