DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE SELLING?
Perhaps you think you’re selling a product?
Maybe you think you’re selling a service?
Or do you believe you are selling “a complete solution”?
In fact, you’re selling something entirely different and much more critical.
You’re selling visions
Once you understand the customer’s needs and challenges, you must ensure that the customer realises what happens when the need is met and the problem is solved. In other words, you’re selling a vision. You get the customer to see a desired state that is far better than the customer’s current state: “Imagine if” … “when you implement this, then” … “it goes faster, it’s easier, you save, you earn, you solve…“.
Without a vision for the future, your customer will not be motivated to take on the extra tasks, challenges, costs, and risks that a change can entail. The more precise the customer can see how the future will be with your solution, the more willing they are to accept the solution.
The customer should have such a clear vision of a new future that the changes, efforts, and costs are worth it. You’re selling an imagined future, a story of improving things. You’re selling a VISION!
YOU’RE SELLING IDEAS
You need to turn the vision into reality. To do this, you must communicate your ideas. You must share your assessments and thoughts on how the customer achieves the desired results.
Communicate your ideas and assessments as a diagnosis that can form the basis for your solution, your product, or service.
You’re selling your ideas about the changes the customer needs for their vision to become a reality. So, you’re selling IDEAS!
You’re selling performance and value
Your customers aren’t buying your product, service, or solution. They’re buying the result or value your product, service, or solution creates for them!
We don’t buy a tool for the sake of the device itself. We buy a tool because it will solve a task that is important to us.
We don’t buy tickets for cruises in Europe because we want to sit on a boat, but because we can fulfil a dream and have a great experience.
You’re selling the outcome of making your and your customer’s shared vision a reality. You’re selling PERFORMANCE AND VALUE.
You’re selling yourself as a person
Yes, primarily yourself. You won’t get the customer on board with your vision, ideas, or outcome if the customer doesn’t like you, accept you, and trust you. It doesn’t matter to the customer what your product or service is if you act in a way that doesn’t create acceptance and trust.
A salesperson who can’t create trust, security, and acceptance can’t convince the customer.
Of course, you know everything about your product’s features and qualities, as well as its significance and advantages compared to competing products. But can you meet your customer in a way that generates the necessary sympathy and acceptance?
Of course, you can. But only if you know what it’s all about – and practice it. You succeed in your sales if you’ve made it clear to yourself what it takes to create a good connection with your customers so that they follow your ideas and visions.
Good luck with your sales!
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