Don’t Paint Seagulls in your Prospect’s Picture

In class we discussed the lawsuit involving a little girl, her father, and the girl’s art teacher.  The little girl came home one day, and showed her father a painting she had made in art class.  The father was very impressed, and said he especially liked the seagulls painted in the sky.  The girl left crying.  She later shared with her father that her art teacher drew the seagulls in the painting, without her permission.  The father confronted the art teacher, the school, and the issue eventually ended up in court.  When asked in court why the seagulls made the little girl sad, she replied that she never envisioned them there in her picture.  The court ruled in the little girl and her father’s favor.

The takeaway from this lesson can be directly translated into a sales setting.  When discussing the possibility of a business relationship, you cannot force a prospect to see it from your perspective.  Sales is a process of discovery, leading to a mutually agreed upon set of truths.  If you find yourself saying, “Picture this,” or, “I can see it now, if you purchase a, b, and c, your life will change by x, y, and z…” or something to that effect, you are attempting to put a vision into their head of which they may have no conceptualization.  This may cause them to retreat, and feel pressured, similar to the way the little girl did.  When you come to a point where you think a “seagull should be painted in their picture,” so to speak, instead of selling them on your own perspective, ask a series of questions that allow them to arrive to that conclusion on their own.

This tactic is far less intimidating.  It shows that you are ultimately still looking out for their best interest, and shows you are not trying to force something on them.  It may take a great deal of restraint to resist blurting out something that you may see, clear as day, which you genuinely think would be perfect for them.  But helping them come to the conclusion on their own may lead to a much more positive sales experience, and a healthier business relationship in the future.