I recently had the good fortune to be on stage presenting an educational seminar with Simon Drury of Art of Reinvention.
Simon’s presentation was full of invaluable insight and helpful tips, which help us to be more successful during the sales process. I asked him to summarise these points in a guest blog, which he has kindly agreed to do.
Simon Drury
Over to Simon…
Human beings are emotional creatures! Innumerable studies have shown that most, if not all our decisions are driven by our emotions. This is no more true than when we are in ‘buying mode’.
During twenty three years in business, I have worked with hundreds of sales people and sales teams, and, indeed, have been in sales myself and I’ve identified that people buy through emotion not logic. This may sound counter-intuitive when you are discussing products and services such as air conditioning, nuts and bolts or having your windows cleaned but when you dig deeper into the decision-making process, you’ll find this to be so.
However, we very often use logic along the way, ‘Should I buy this company’s product or that? Will this do what I want it to do? How long will this last? Will this purchase fall within my budget? And so on.
Beneath the surface of these and many other logical thoughts you’ll find an emotional driver. The choice and subsequent decision about which company to buy from (the companies may well both be selling exactly the same product or service) will come down to how you feel about them. For example, will one company save you money? If that’s what you are looking for and they do, you’ll feel good. Will one company offer a better after-sales service than the other? If they do, you’ll likely feel more confident about buying from them. Will this product last longer than that one? Your decision will be driven by your need for certainty. These decisions are all emotionally-based. But it’s a nut and bolt! It doesn’t matter.
So, why is this important?
If the assertion that we all buy though emotion is true, we need to ask ourselves if we are taking account of this when we sell, when we are creating a sales proposition. Have you identified the emotions that people will experience when they are considering buying your product, your service…you?
The second observation I’ve made and my subsequent belief is that people are self-driven. By that I mean when faced with a buying decision they will instinctively ask, either consciously or unconsciously, ‘What’s in it for me (often referred to as WII.FM!)? What do I get out of this? How will I benefit?’
Once again, it’s vital to remember that people buy the perceived benefits to themselves, of the product or service, not the features or the functions that that product or service offers. Ignoring this distinction can have a massive impact on your sales ratios! And, of course, it’s the benefits that are inextricably linked to their emotions (or should be).
These critical sales concepts will be built upon along with key marketing insights and strategies at a forthcoming workshop on 22nd May, entitled, ‘The Art of Marketing & the Science of Selling’. I will be working with Nicola Macdonald of Attractive Marketing to deliver an exciting, interactive and practical day.
As a result of this innovative and dynamic day, you will feel more confident about creating marketing and sales strategies that will enable you to steal a march on your competitors!
You can find out more about Simon and Art of Reinvention on his website.
