You like the movie Inception? I’m all about it. I think it hits at a very profound aspect of human nature. Convincing others of ideas is very difficult, but convincing ourselves of ideas is very easy. Instead of trying to convince somebody of something, why not let someone have the idea himself or herself? When I think about the sales process, I consider one of the biggest pitfalls: talking and talking about products and features ad nauseam ad infinitum. Really, what we need to do is ask really strong leading questions that bring others to realizing and digesting their pain. Sometimes, we have pain that we don’t even know is there. The simple act of speaking brings emotions and feelings that seem cerebral and fleeting into reality. We feel them more deeply. And, if we as salespeople have the opportunity to meet that need with our product or service, then we can much more easily make the sale. It’s not so much about selling the client on our product or service. It’s about helping the client sell himself on the pain he has and the need for a solution. Just like the idea planters in Inception, our job is to help other people come to a conclusion from their own mind. I can’t wait for opportunities to help other people realize their pains and offer solutions from a posture of service and helpfulness.
By lavallaza17
BoweryJE22 3 thoughts on “The Clients are the Salespeople, Too”
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I love this real world connection to Inception and the truth behind it. The focus on leading questions to help guide a potential customer to their own pain is exactly how to effectively sell.
I think you are so right. Not enough sales people focus on really trying to dig for pain and most sales people never ask enough questions. People get turned off when someone just starts rambling product qualities instead of genuinely figuring out if the product is even right for them.
Great parallel between the movie and how sales aught to be carried out. I think it’s difficult for a lot of salespeople to let others have the idea themselves and not be convinced. Maybe it’s an ego thing? I hope a lot more salespeople implement that technique to their selling strategy.