I just saw a teaser for a seminar on a 15-second pitch to get buyer interest. I have had enough of the sales gurus who tout their miracle approach to prospecting. Once again, there is no such thing as a 1- or 2-minute elevator speech nor a 15-second pitch, unless you say ”will you marry me” to a well-qualified prospect. That worked for me 54 years ago. Therein lies the problem. The “buyer” must be qualified before you can make any kind of pitch and that can take a heck of a lot longer.
Those who have been at my live presentations know that I refer to my “professional sales associates” as industrial psychologists. Why? Because we are in the business of causation. We cause actions and reactions. We appreciate, recognize, motivate, educate, and reinforce. We do this for our clients in actions with their customers, employees, prospects, etc. So, we are, in fact, using psychology to gain results. The same psychology is the foundation for the selling process. It is not a glib tongue, although that helps. It is not a slick line or two, it is building a relationship between you and the buyer built on your understanding and to a degree, manipulating the mind of the buyer.
With over 1600 books published annually on the art of selling and tens of thousands of articles published, who do you listen to? What makes them the expert? Beyond their own success, where is the proof of concept that their approach will get you sales? Do these gurus dig in? Do they promote a proven process? I grant that some are outstanding and are dead on.
Everything in life has a foundation in psychology. Any interaction between two parties has a psychological foundation. Every purchasing decision made has psychological roots. As an example, risk tolerance is purely personal and based upon a person’s psychological influences. So, the buying decision to sign on for an employee loyalty program at a cost of $50,000 a year calls up many innate “feelings” from the prospective buyer. While we are one species, we are not of the same inner being. What is good for Jack, may not be good for Jill.
Innate in us all is behavioral programming. Behaviors and responses we were taught by parents, teachers, mentors, and other early influencers. So, too, a buyer and seller have learned behavior that they apply during a sales interaction. These more or less predictable actions can conflict with other psychological influences. If a buyer failed in a prior program, that experience is an influencer. Hence, learning of past history, the success and failures of prior purchases, allows the seller to adapt to the behavior or attitude of the buyer. You have got to get into the mind of the buyer.
We are all schooled by the gurus to identify a need. However, that schooling talks about a material need for a business. It does not talk about the psychological needs of the buyer. We are all schooled by the gurus to offer a solution and that will turn into a sale. However, getting a buy in for your solution means YOU NEED to satisfy the inner needs of the buyer. Confused? Don’t be. You need to do a little psychology with the buyer. In previous columns, I have identified the six universal needs that every customer has:
Freedom
Power
Connection
Self Esteem
Creativity
Meaning
So now I will leave Psychology 101 and turn to Covid-19. As we come out of this pandemic (lord willing), thousands of businesses will chart new courses and bid to recover. In approaching a prospect, think about their mind set. Work to satisfy their universal needs. For example…
Jack, I am sure you have thought of many ideas to help bring back customers. What are some of your favorites?
Jill, what kind of latitude do you have in specing out a program to accomplish the recovery goals the company is looking for?
Jack, a lot of my clients have trepidation about doing too much too early in regard to the pandemic, have you any concerns?
Jill, I think the two of us can scope out a great solution. I am here to put in the time and my company resources for the proposal you make to your leadership. We would love to help you compose it all.
Jack, if I make a few product and program proposals to you by next Friday, can you come back to me with your comments and thoughts that can give us the direction? It is critical that you set the course.
All of these go behind the forehead and into the mind. Consider Covid-19 a tragedy and consider needing to adapt your approach over the next few months to help people navigate any effort.
Joel D. Schaffer, MAS is CEO and Founder of Soundline, LLC, the pioneering supplier to the promotional products industry of audio products. Joel has 48 years of promotional product industry experience and proudly heralds “I was a distributor.” He has been on the advisory panel of the business and marketing department of St. John’s University in New York and is a frequent speaker at Rutgers Graduate School of Business. He is an industry Advocate and has appeared before the American Bankers Association, American Marketing Association, National Premium Sales Executives, American Booksellers Association and several other major groups. He has been a management consultant to organizations such as The College Board and helped many suppliers enter this industry. He is a frequent contributor to PPB and Counselor magazines. He has facilitated over 200 classes sharing his industry knowledge nationwide. He is known for his cutting humor and enthusiasm in presenting provocative and motivating programs. He is the only person to have received both the Marvin Spike Industry Lifetime Achievement Award (2002) and PPAI’s Distinguished Service Award (2011). He is a past director of PPAI and has chaired several PPAI committees and task forces. He is a past Chair of the SAAGNY Foundation, Past President of SAAGNY and a SAAGNY Hall of Fame member. He was cited by ASI as one of the 50 most influential people in the industry.