In This Lesson: Starting a sales conversation from the customers perspective.
If you complete this this lesson you’ll grab your customers attention because you’re starting a sales conversation in a way that really resonates with how they are feeling. Customers will feel draw towards your solution. And you’ll avoid sounding like you’re “pushing” an unwanted solution on them, which nobody really wants.
The Challenge: Having customers want our solution, not having to push it on them.
We all love to buy things that make our life better. But we hate being sold to. But what is it that makes those two so different? One gives us a feeling that we’re moving towards a solution. But the other makes us feel like we’re having the wrong solution forced upon us. What most websites fail to do is put in the critical ground work that comes before trying to offer our solutions to people.
The Goal: A good sales conversation starts by listening to our customers problems.
If our website is a sales conversation with our customers, we really need to listen to their problems first, before we start presenting solutions. We want them to feel heard. We want them to feel understood. We want them to feel like our solution fits their problem like a glove.
The Obstacle: Don’t start with how you would like the world to be.
Many of the challenges I see in marketing come from the same misunderstanding. We confuse how the world actually is, with all the cultural teachings we’re given from birth. Cultural teaching, whether from our parents, schooling, religions or even TV and movies, often deals with “how we would LIKE the world to be”. There’s good reason for this. It’s what helps us behave in a more “civilised” manner. We follow cultural rules which are often more restrictive than our natural inclinations. But selling isn’t preaching. Or teaching. There’s a reason school put most people off education for life. You can’t run your business in the same way.
Reversal Of Perspective: Start with how the world is.
In this case, the common cultural rule we follow is trying to be overly positive. We dive right into talking about how great our product or solution is. We don’t want to talk about the problem. We feel bad going down a “negative” route. But for human beings, most change, and most stories of change start with a challenge. They start with a problem. They start with something negative entering our life. It’s this negative aspect, this grit in the oyster that actually prompts us to take action and buy anything. So we must become comfortable including and often starting our sales pitch by identifying what the problem is that our customer is suffering.
The Strategy: Know what makes people buy anything.
People buy products and services that make their lives better. They buy things that solve a problem.
If you don’t make your customers lives better, they won’t value what you’ve got. So it pays to know in great detail the problems and challenges in their lives. The more you understand, the more you can make a solution that fits.
Selling is about perception
It isn’t just about having the best solution. You also have to communicate in a way that shapes your customers perception first. It’s important to remember that sales, more often than not, are made on perception not reality. If you believe that your product will “speak for itself” you’ll be destroyed by the competitor who understands how to craft a better story.
Show that you understand
It pays to let your customer know how much you understand their troubles. Don’t presume that the problem is obvious. The more effectively you can describe a problem back to your customers, the more likely they will perceive you as having the perfect solution.
Examples of Problems…
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iPod: You love music and want to carry your collection around, but CD’s are bulky and have limited storage capacity.
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iPhone: You want a mobile phone with full access to the Internet.
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McDonalds: You want to pick up a burger quickly, or somewhere to take the kids for a treat.
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Netflix: You like to watch movies, but can’t be bothered driving to Blockbuster.
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Starbucks: You want somewhere to hang out or meet up with friends that isn’t a bar.
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Prius: You want to be green (but not enough to ride a bike).
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Tesla: You want to drive a sports car that your green friends won’t disapprove of.
Putting It Into Action: Define the problem you solve.
Make a list of all the problems your customers are suffering in relation to your product. If you can have them tell you directly about their problems, all the better. Do not be afraid to be completely negative. Go as deep as you can into how the challenges make them feel. (Remember the previous lesson about the basic human needs that drive us all). Cover as many challenges as you can think of, however strong or weak.
Do It Now! Estimated time: 45 minutes.
When you’ve noted every problem you can think of, list the top 3 in order of importance. Is there enough pain to get your customers to ACT? Copy your answers to the comments. (If you’re not sure, write what you think it might be and ask for feedback, there are no wrong answers here, only opportunities to learn.)