Ever been to a college football game where the public address announcer announces a player from the other team & the fans scream at the top of their lungs, W H O C A R E S ? It’s very well-orchestrated & impressive!
At times the PA announcer will announce an opponent who made a tackle or catch & the fans come together for a booming round of, S O W H A T ! That is pure College Football. Gotta love it.
If you think about it, those fans & your prospects on sales calls have exactly the same sentiment. Especially if you are talking about yourself . . . & certain things about your company. Who cares? So what!
Question: What are prospects thinking about? What are they really interested in?
Answer: What can you do for me? Their favorite radio station? WIFM: What’s In it For Me?
Why then, do so many salespeople feel the need to talk about themselves? Why do they prattle on about their companies? Good chance they don’t know what else to do. Very good possibility they think, If I can get this person to like me, she’ll buy from me. We’ll become friends. Can I get a booming N O ?
Let’s be clear about one thing: When your prospect buys from you . . . when your product or service is performing well & they are happy . . . you can develop a friendship & they can like you as much they want. But it does not start that way. It starts with what can you do for me? And that does not make them bad people. That makes them normal.
Things prospects don’t care about (early on):
• They don’t care how long the company has been in business
• They sure as hell don’t care about the picture of the building you put on page 2 of your PowerPoint Presentation
• They don’t care how many employees you have
• They don’t care that your CEO came from (insert large, well-known company)
• They don’t care how long you have been with the company
• They couldn’t give a rip about how many years you have been in the industry
• They don’t care how much you invested in development
• They don’t care about much of anything (that doesn’t have to do with them or their problem)
Things prospects do care about (early on):
• Do you completely understand my problem (do you “get me?”)
• Do you have a solution that will solve this problem?
• Can I get this solution by (insert date)?
• Can I afford this solution? (this is why you need to quantify their problem, so money is not an issue – in other words, how much is it costing them to NOT have you as a solution-provider?)
• Will I be able to contact someone with questions (& get a quick response)
• Will your company be around in the future to help, service, repair, etc.
We’re not telling you that prospects & customers will never care about you & you will never develop a relationship with them, not at all. The relationship is the ultimate goal. The lesson here is that you will grow into that relationship. That friendship. In time.
My mentor used to tell me that if you’re looking to make friends on sales calls you will make friends. And a better salesperson will make the sale. After all, it’s a lot easier to make a friend than it is to make a sale.
Remember that the next time you are meeting with a prospect for the first or second time. Ther radio is on & the station is tuned to WIFM.
