by Terri Hawkins
Educational Moment
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Larry Osborne continued his series about obstacles to selling as part of PBL’s Educational Moments, sharing about how truly helping our clients is vital. His inspiration for this series is from Larry Wilson (1930-2013), author, speaker, and founder of Wilson Learning Center, sales and business consultant.
We love our products. And we know what products and services will work best for our clients’ needs when we do our homework. But do we focus on nuts and bolts too much? Do we really understand their needs? Are we listening? Sometimes the feeling our customers will gain will make the difference in whether they buy from us.
Larry Osborne shared Larry Wilson’s story of military troops getting the full specs on some new, military-issue whistles, which none seemed to jump in line to obtain… until their smart sargeant explained: When you’re in the trenches and the enemy is about to attack you, these whistles would enable you to call for help when attacked. So when you’re saved from attack, one day you’ll make it home safe and sound, and you’ll be able to tell your grandchildren about your experiences.
So what happened? Done deal–they all wanted one. But they didn’t buy a whistle. No. They bought a ticket home. Plain and simple.
Remember, whether you’re selling a product or a service, you’re selling the feeling the customer gets when they have your product or service–you’re selling the end result.
What are your clients buying? Listen and understand what will really help them, emotionally.
Quote: “The ‘Wonderful Paradox’: I have more fun and enjoy more financial success when I stop trying to get what I want and start helping others get what they want.” –Spencer Johnson and Larry Wilson, The One Minute Salesperson
