Remember, money is a mental issue, not a shortage issue.
CHAPTER SEVEN QUESTIONS
If others have a difficult time getting money from you, what will happen to you?
Write down some of the strange things you have done when it came time to part with your money.
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What is the easiest money there is to get and why?
Why would someone feel better spending more rather than less?
Why would money be a mental issue, not a real shortage issue?
CHAPTER EIGHT
YOU ARE IN THE PEOPLE BUSINESS
THE PEOPLE BUSINESS, NOT THE “X” BUSINESS
Manufacturers are constantly pushing product awareness and product knowledge because they believe this is the weakness of their sales force. They think if the salespeople just understood how the product worked and the benefits of it, they’d sell more. While it’s true that salespeople must have a great understanding of their products, one must not forget that it’s people who buy those products. That’s why it’s vital that salespeople know about people first and products second. I’ve known salespeople who understood the ins and outs of the product and every detail, but were unable to close the deal because they had inferior understanding of people. Being superior in product knowledge but inferior regarding people knowledge equals minimal results.
If you understand the product before you understand people, you’re putting the cart in front of the horse. Realize that you’re in the people business first and the product business second. Certainly, you need product knowledge. You have to know the benefits of the product and how it compares to others, but first and foremost you need to understand people and what they want before you can sell the product or show someone the benefits of it.
Most salespeople I meet spend too much time selling the product and forget that selling is 80 percent people and 20 percent product. This is illustrated by people buying inferior products every minute of every day. Why is this? Because people buy for reasons other than just the product benefits.
A person stops in at a convenience store after work and buys a carton of milk. Is that brand of milk the very best they can possibly drink? Is it the best price in town? That person doesn’t know and doesn’t care because it’s not the carton of milk that he’s buying. It’s the convenience he’s buying that will get him home to his family as quickly as possible.
The shoeshine guy at the airport does not understand that it’s not the price or the quality of the shoeshine that keeps people from stopping at his booth. He doesn’t realize this because he thinks he’s shining shoes. The reason the businessman doesn’t stop for a shoeshine is because he doesn’t need a shine; it’s not because of the cost. The businessman is concerned about missing his connecting flight. If the shoeshine guy advertised SIXTY-SECOND SHINES, he would have to expand his booth to handle all the business. To hit the right button to close the sale, you have to realize that you are in the people business, not the shoeshine business. Learn to think like customers think. Products do not think, feel, or react. People do.
I live in Los Angeles, and my wife and I buy gas from a station on Sunset Boulevard where the owner comes out, greets us by name, fills up the gas tank, cleans our windshields, and gives us a bottle of water for free! Am I buying the gas or the service? Is this about people or the grade and quality of the fuel that is being put into my car? Is the owner selling people or gas? Where do you think we fill up? If you understand people, then you’ll get the right answer. The owner of the station understands that he is not in the gas business, he is in the people business—which is why we continue to buy from him.
It has been said that people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care. I believe this is true, and I can validate it with commission checks. I never consider that I am selling a product, but I do consider that I am helping a person make the right decision. I have sold fish, cars, clothes, real estate, videos, jewelry, investments, and even ideas. I found that I did best when I was interested in the individual—the “human being” who wants to enjoy life and solve a problem by buying my product.
More often than not, salespeople launch into their pitch without knowing anything about the customer, which is a surefire way to miss the sale. What is important to the buyers? What do they need? What is the ideal scene for them? What is it they are actually trying to accomplish with a purchase? What is it that really makes them feel good? If they could get everything they wanted, what would that be? These are the questions that will let you know how to sell them.
Take interest in the client instead of interest in selling him something. When a buyer goes out looking for a product, he doesn’t care how much you know about the product, he only cares about himself: His time, his money, and doing the best thing for himself. He cares most about himself at this time; you and your product are way down on his list of concerns.