If you are a salesman, I believe you have been told a billion times during your sales and distribution training days; sell benefits not features.
I sat in a Business Administration class in University for 4 years and for each of those years I was told sell benefits of your products to your customers not the features or what beautifies the product.
As students, we took this in hook, line and sinker.
But what if I tell you there is actually a new way you can sell anything without having to do much advertising and spending ridiculous budget on promotion.
Sell with your heart. Yes, you heard me. Sell with your heart. I know you will want to ask me what has a human heart got to do with sales and marketing or business for that matter....
Check out this story....
A man and his wife were cruising around South Central in Los Angeles one afternoon.
They went pass a car dealership shop and the man stopped immediately. The wife asked, honey, why have we stopped?
That's my friend Mark's shop. Imma let us stop for a few minutes just to say hi to him then we go.
But babe, before we step out of the car, we're not buying any of the trucks in the shop. Got it??? Yes I got it. The wife said. Naa, I'm serious about this honey, we're not buying anything, not even as much as to look at a truck. This bloke friend of mine can easily sell you anything. He can sell you a gasoline tank at the Staples Center during a Lakers game. I'm tight on a budget now. So don't make a truck sound once we step out.
Loud and clear lord commander got you. The wife jokingly remarked.
They went and sat by a wooden chair just close to an office and they were told Mark was on a conference call and will be with them shortly.
A few minutes later, Mark Greasley joined them. The wife was shocked he didn't look anything like a professional sales guy. No suit, no tie, just khaki shorts and white t-shirt. That's all.
Heey Tim, nice to see you buddy. It's been a while you know. I must tell you, I love what you guys are doing with autistic children in the hospital, your impact is catching on everywhere. Happy and excited that Mark knew about their autism project, they talked and talked all their plans away on autism.
Then Mark whose son also suffers from autism talked about how his son's struggles with autism led him and his team to design and make a truck to honour his son's bravery. He went on to talk about how his son's favourite colour mauve covers the design of the truck and the interior inspired by his favourite cartoon character Ben 10.
He then switched the conversation on friends and barbecue.
30 minutes later, Tim took his wife outside and told her, Liz, I think we're gonna buy this truck. Jesus! Tim, didn't you tell me at the parking lot we're not buying anything. Why now?? Liz, it will be a good statement for our autism project. Eeerm... yeah I agree too. They bought the truck a few moments after that.
Can I ask you a question here? What do you think Tim's friend Mark did here??
What made the couple buy the truck after they had both agreed not to look at any truck in the shop?
The answer lies in understanding a person's emotions and what appeals to them. Mark Greasley knew this trick so well so instead of telling them about engine capacity of the truck, its mileage and other technical benefits of the truck, he appealed rather to their senses and emotions with what the three of them commonly share together: Autism. And the joy of helping children in LA who suffer from it. Bingo!!!!
If you still don't get what I'm trying to teach you here, perhaps you will not also get why people all over the world always go crazy over iPhones and the latest apple products.
Even though they know it's super expensive.
The late Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Inc. was a master marketing and advertising psychologist. If you can, go on YouTube and watch a video of his first ever presentation of iPod to the world. (About 7 minutes) or his first ever presentation on his company Apple in the 1980's.
Trust me, your selling game will never be the same.
Thank me later when you get this concept haha.
@ Sarpong
Freelance Writer
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