Why We Buy - to Avoid PAIN!

Our innate drive to maintain our “comfort zone” directly affects how and what we purchase. Pain versus pleasure, similarity versus unfamiliarity and comfort versus stress; self inflected or not, are all feelings and emotions that affect most facets of our lives. How we deal with such emotion volatility directly affects our motivations to buy things that make us feel better.

Humans prefer pleasure, avoid pain, seek familiarity and would rather be comfortable than stressed out. Jack LaLane’s famous exercise philosophy of the 1960’s, “No Pain, No Gain” does not apply to most of us.

We all like things to be “just so”, always in line with our expectations. Anything that rattles our comfort zone generally leads to an action response, a reaction, immediate pursuit of problem resolution. Herein lies a fundamental basis for sales professionals to leverage our natural tendency to seek and purchase things that help us avoid pain.

Selling is truly a Painful Process

Most selling situations involve collaborative problem or pain definition between a salesperson and a buying prospect. The sales representative ultimately attempts to educate the potential buyer about how costly it is to them of NOT having his product or service to eliminate their pains.

Many times in a buy/ sell situation the buyer does not know what his pains are, just the symptoms of the pain. Typically he knows he wants to rid himself of the pain but needs more information from the sales person to determine what it will cost him to do that. Cost manifests itself in many forms, time commitment, effort to be made or monetary investment to solve the problem.

Get Answers to These 5 Key Pain Questions

A skilled sales person must systematically qualify, or better, DIS-qualify the buyer early in the discussion to find answers to five basic questions:

1) What are the prospect pains? (They may not know!)

2) Can I, my product or service effectively eliminate the pains defined?

3) Is the buyer truly motivated to eliminate his pains?

4) Does the buyer have the financial resources to proceed?

5) Who ultimately decides to apply the available financial resources to these pains?

It is most logical that a sales representative must secure answers to these five disqualification questions BEFORE they decide to present their pain solutions, products, information or services to the buying prospect.

This decision to delay presentation, to postpone the “sales pitch”, contingent on systematic disqualification of the prospect takes extraordinary discipline on the part of the sales representative. Most average sales people immediately jump into their presentation having no idea what really are the prospect’s pains, if he’s motivated to fix them, can afford the relief or whether he has the authority to make the purchase decision.

Prospect “Pains” are not Unique

With a “pain definition” perspective incorporated in your selling approach you will quickly realize that many of your sales prospects have similar pains. You can categorize these pains, define their most common causes and solutions, then prepare in advance of your sales calls written or visual selling tools specific to each common pain. Each selling tool would be used only for a specific pain.

It is also natural for your prospects to have appreciation for others who had similar problems as they have. Anything you can do to document how you as a sales representative addressed another person’s like pains with your products or services will go a long way to justify their pending purchase. Written case histories of successful application of your product or service with previous customers are excellent selling tools.

Not “Features and Benefits” â€" It’s about PAINS!

So many sales technique training programs emphasize product or service feature and benefit “selling”. As a potential buyer it is nice to know all this, but prospects want the sales person to first listen to and understand their problems; how long they’ve had them, what its cost them and what they’ve done already to try to fix them. A potential buyer needs to do this first before they can fully appreciate any form of potential pain relief. (Again, save your sales pitch and get answers to the five fundamental pain questions defined here.)

Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, once said, “We will do more to avoid pain than to gain pleasure”. This is particularly true if we are fully involved in pain at the time. With this prospect pain definition selling approach increases in your sales results are certain, resulting in significant pain relief for both the buyer AND the seller.

About the Author:

Mark Smock is President of http://www.business-buyer-directory.com, the FIRST international business buyer directory of its kind. Business Buyer Directory provides a non-traditional means for proactive business buyers to locate businesses for sale worldwide that meet their exact registered purchase criteria.

Understanding Why People Buy In Order To Close More Sales

People buy for their reasons - not for yours. People don't want to be sold they want to buy. In every sales conversation there is one major benefit that will cause the person to buy and major objection that would hold them back. Everything you say has to show how this will benefit the customer. If you have 10 benefits in your product 90% of buying decision will hinge on one benefit.

Remember WIIFM What's in it for me i.e. benefits

Dale Carnegie once said, "When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion, creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and vanity." In persuasion, your message has to focus on emotions, all the while maintaining a balance between logic and feelings. Logic and emotion are the two elements that make for perfect persuasion. We can be persuaded using only logic or only emotion, but the effect will be short-term and unbalanced.

Emotions create movement and action. They generate energy during the presentation and get prospects to act on the proposal being presented. The challenge with relying exclusively on emotion to persuade your prospect is that after she has left the persuasive situation, her emotions fade, leaving her with nothing concrete to fall back on. Logic plays the role of creating a foundation for emotion. This balance between logic and emotion could be called the twin engines of persuasion and influence. Master Persuaders know that each audience and individual has a different balance between logic and emotion. Your analytical type personalities need more logic than emotion. Your amiable personalities require more emotion and less logic. Always remember, you have to have both elements present in your message, regardless of the personality types listening.

Remember if your prospect is scared - try the following:

1. Give reassurance that it is all right to take this step, it is a great product and great company.

2. Overcome their fear. Sometimes fear or a bad experience from the past will cause your prospect to behave in an antagonistic manner. You must keep your cool, be completely ethical and totally believe what you're selling has real value and fairly priced.

3. Remember your prospect is not only buying for himself, but he also is buying with other people in mind. He is concerned what others will think.

Application

List the top 5 reasons people buy your product? (Benefits)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income. Beware of the common mistakes presenters and persuaders commit that cause them to lose the deal. Get your free report 10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands and explode your income today.

Conclusion

Persuasion is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you’ve seen some success, but think of the times you couldn’t get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade.

Kurt Mortensen’s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available!

Kurt Mortensen teaches over a hundred techniques to give you the ability to effectively work with every customer that walks in your door. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others. Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income.

If you are ready to claim your success and learn what only the ultra-prosperous know, begin by going to http://www.PreWealth.com and getting my free report "10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands." After reading my free report, go to http://www.PreWealth.com/IQ and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale!

Sharpen Your Attitude Edge

An edge is all you need to get ahead in the world of selling. You either get the account or you don’t, and sometimes you get the account by a hair compared to your competitors. So just a slight edge is all it takes sometimes to win the competition’s business away from them.

Here is how to get and keep an edge as it relates to your attitude. Remember that in selling the whole decision is made subjectively based on the emotions, not the intellect, of the decision-maker. And one way you can sway them over to your side, assuming you have all the other components in place, is to attract them to you with your insatiably positive attitude.

But the difficulty in doing this is that having a positive attitude all the time is nearly impossible in a profession where the real “work” is staying positive and overcoming all the rejection and seeing the energy and time loss of deals that don’t get closed, sales that get missed, and opportunities that go to someone else. So how does a sales rep create and sustain an attitude so positive that it actually contributes energy back into his or her life?

Part of it has to do with daily affirmations. But that only goes so far. Plus, if you remember to do them, they start sounding rote and boring. So try something much more simple, much more powerful, and much more easier to remember than affirmations.

It is a power phrase. Or call it a mantra. Or call it a short little phrase that gives you a burst of energy and creates the attitude of positive expectation in your life.

Here is what I have used for many years and this little powerful and potent phrase has helped thousands of sales professionals all over the world:

“Today is going to be the most exciting day of my life.”

Say it as you are driving in to work tomorrow. Say it with expectancy. If you do not believe that this will work or make a difference, try it for a week and send me an email telling me I was wrong. But this short pithy phrase of positive power can give you the edge that you need to stay more positive, more focused, more disciplined, and more aggressive in reaching your goals. It will give you enough energy to get the edge and get the business. Remember that an edge, no matter how slight, is still an edge, and sometimes that is all it takes to win the business.

Copyright (c) 2006 Scott Love Scott Love equips sales people and managers with tools that double their performance. To have him speak at your next meeting or convention, contact him at 828-225-7700. Visit his website for free tools and resources, http://www.scottlove.com

11 Powerful Methods of Sales Lead Generation

Are you searching for new and innovative ways of sales lead generation? Are you lacking in sources of good quality leads? Are you tired and bored using the same methods for generating sales leads? If you answered No to these questions you're either satisfied with the income you're earning - or you're not interested in earning a 6-figure income in sales. Please stop reading this article. If you answered Yes, then you're going to be very excited to read not only this article but the rest of the series I've written on sales lead generation. Here are the 11 most profitable methods I've found for sales lead generation that have turned hundreds of sales people into 6-figure sales people. Sphere of Influence Create a list of at least 100 people you know. Send out an introductory letter telling them about your product or service. Talk with each person at least every three months. Send them information of interest at planned intervals throughout the year. Consistently ask for and receive quality referrals. Remember, if each person you know also knows 100 people, well you get the idea. Cold calling Using cold calling effectively for sales lead generation requires five key ingredients. Target the market you are going to call. Know your objective (get an appointment, get a name). Have a memorized script. Smile. Be prepared for rejection. Have fun! Knocking on doors This method is much the same as cold calling. I used this very effectively in real estate. I used to knock on doors year round. Do you think people would remember someone who knocked on their door in the middle of winter? Farming This is another technique that is used effectively in real estate and can be adapted to any product or service. Pick a market of 200 homes or businesses and become the only person they think of in regards to your product or service. Seminars Seminars are great for sales lead generation. People who attend your seminar have an interest in the information you are presenting and a need for your product or service. Mass mailing Also known as direct marketing. Successful used of this method requires mailing a well written sales letter to a targeted mailing list. Newspapers Pay attention to the local news, business and announcements sections. Look for the people who get promoted, have babies, buy and sell homes and start up new businesses. There may be leads here for your product or service. Email publications Getting email addresses of past and current clients, your sphere of influence and any one else you come in contact with is a great way to keep in touch. Hairstylist Most everyone has a barber or hairstylist they use on a regular basis. When ever I'm in the chair the conversation covers a variety of topics. Offer them a $1 for every card they pass out or motivate them even more by offering a percentage of the sale that result from their referral. I've even picked up business myself while getting my haircut. Keep your ears and eyes open at all times. Daily Contacts Every day when you leave the house take twenty business cards with you and make it a point to give them away. That's twenty cards times five work days. If you're really ambitious, do it on Saturday and Sunday also. When you're looking to generate lots of quality sales leads the more lines you have in the water the more fish you're apt to catch. These are all effective methods of sales lead generation and should be used regularly. The title says 11 methods of sales lead generation, however, if you count there are only ten. That's because I gave the best and most effective lead generation method its own page. If you effectively work this method you will soon find you have more business than you can handle.

Size Does Matter

Recently, I did a ton of traveling for business, and the theme "Size Matters" kept hitting me in the face, wherever I went. The verbal slapping began something like this...

At the airport car rental booth, "Mr. Raito, would you like to upgrade your mid size rental to a 'full size'?" Was my initial choice inadequate in some way?

Grabbing a quick, unhealthy lunch at McDonalds, "Would you like to super size your drink and fries?" Did the teenage cashier think I was too thin and needed a little extra help to pack on some extra weight?

Finally, checking into the hotel, " Mr. Raito, would you like to upgrade your room to a king size bed, with free Internet and complimentary breakfast buffet?" At 5'11", 175lbs, do I really look like I need a king size bed?

Size apparently does matter when it comes to the classic 'UP SELL' from almost every company we deal with.

Do we ever really need the larger than life portion of food, the king size bed so you can sleep sideways in comfort or even the gas guzzling car that could double for a tank? Odds are slim to none, yet people agree (sometimes even me) to the "Size Does Matter Up Sell" every day. Otherwise, companies wouldn't be wasting their precious time or energy.

Companies large and small 'Up Sell' because first and foremost 'it works', and secondly it doesn't cost them a dime to make an attempt to increase their profit from a sale they have already made. If you say no, oh well there goes three seconds and some oxygen from speaking. If you agree.... they just guaranteed themselves more money because they asked for the Up Sell.

If You Don't Ask You Don't Get!

I bet you can think of a few things you are doing right now in your profession or business that you could use this technique to try and 'get a little' or ' squeeze a little more'. Why wouldn't you? Example, you own a video store and you rent each new release video for $3.99. When the customer comes up to the counter with only one movie, why not indicate that for only .99 cents more the person could rent and additional regular video, which normally is $1.99. The sale was already made, so there was nothing to lose. Not a bad way too bring in 25% more money, just for asking a simple question.

So here is your 'Size Matters" Task to complete. Take note as a consumer from now on when, where and how companies are trying to 'Up Sell' you on a product or service? You may just be surprised. Do more than just take note, why not find your own creative way to use the 'Up Sell Technique' to positively impact your business or career?

by Lee Raito, CFP, FMA

Business and financial expert Lee Raito is a Certified Financial Planner and Financial Management Advisor. Lee has teamed up with Internet marketing expert Sam Heyer to provide you with information that will take your business success to a place it has definetly never been before. Their controversial book, Business Sexcess, is the much talked about book that will transform how you look at business. http://www.BusinessSexcess.com

Top Salespeople Know When To Walk Away

You probed, elicited needs, and you tried to advance the buyer to the next stage of the process.

And all of a sudden, you’re getting nowhere, fast.

When you call, the secretary says he’s always in a meeting. He doesn’t respond to your voice mails.

What do you do?

Keep him in your teaser file and continue to bombard him with calls? Send him a barrage of emails? Hope that there is still life in the deal?

I don’ think so. You’ve done the best you can do. It’s time to walk away.

But this is hard, because we feel invested and we want to get some payback. Also, we know how difficult it is to simply get people to any stage in the buying pipeline, and we’re reluctant to start again at the beginning.

But these reasons aren’t valid enough to justify throwing good money after bad.

You should still walk away.

I am one consultant and coach who believes that salespeople can be way too persistent with the wrong prospects, people who have already signaled hostility or hopeless indifference to our offers.

Hostility means they’ve taken a hardcore negotiating position that says take it or leave it.

Hopelessly indifferent people become unreachable, hiding behind the electronic fence of voice mail and secretaries who suddenly sound completely uninformed about anything.

Today, sadly, we have lead tracking software that keeps us hunting long after the scent of our quarry has left the forest. We never quite flush these losers from our systems.

Today, on a visit to a company in Las Vegas, I interviewed a salesman and asked him about the six prospects he currently had in an advanced position in the pipeline, ready to close at any time.

“Do you remember when you first called them?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Could you tell then that these prospects were special, that they were probably going to go the distance with you?”

A slight pause followed. He lit up.

“Yeah, I DID know they were solid!” he replied, realizing perhaps for the first time that really good prospects stand up and shout, “”I’m worth your continuing effort!”

The rest are, for lack of a better term, losers.

Look through your database, and be ruthlessly objective. Purge all names that haven’t shown very recent and substantial interest. Focus only on those who have, and on fresh leads.

You’ll do yourself a big favor!

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. A frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide, Gary’s programs are offered by UCLA Extension and by numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. Gary is headquartered in Glendale, California. He can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.

How to Sell in Tough Times

Do I have any specific thoughts about selling when times are tough? Well, if you are to achieve high levels of success in selling, you must be able to get positive results even while circumstances are negative. In just about every area of selling the field will over populate in boom times and thin out in tough times. The Real Estate industry is a classic example of this. Yet some people stay in the industry year after year, regardless of 'booms'. The consistently high performer will get results no matter what the circumstances. I find it's down to attitude. Some people look for circumstances in a victimized kind of way, to justify their poor results. They celebrate their good days, but in the down times, they have their 'safety net' of excuses ready. What they are doing, is giving negative thinking a lot of power simply by spending precious energy and time dreaming up and focusing on their 'reasons why it won't or didn't work' etc. Any time you offer your subconscious a choice between two goals, one negative and one positive, you risk it taking on the negative one. Which one do you give the most focus to? The exceptional achiever deliberately ignores talk about recessions, wars, the miserable state of affairs in the world or in their own lives, doom and gloom and any other subjects that he or she feels detract from their ultimate success. These individuals steer clear of the melodramas of life and concentrate their efforts instead, on matters far more worthy of their precious time and energy. Their 'batting average' matters more and it's here where their focus lies. I believe the biggest obstacle to successful selling occurs in your own mind. This brings us back to our perception of a refusal to buy being a personal 'rejection'. Quite simply, in selling, if you constantly feel rejected you cannot achieve exceptional results. It is also my belief that the number one reason for mediocrity in selling, is that three letter word - EGO! A falsely inflated ego is a vulnerable, fragile thing. If you are the type of person who takes "No" as a personal affront to your very worth, selling will be an exquisitely painful process to you and most people, sensitive or not, will avoid pain at all costs. You will become a master avoider and procrastinator. If you cannot confront and take steps to resolve the emotional issues that keep you prisoner and sabotage your success, then no amount of sales training will change your results for the better. Many people have wonderful people skills and are natural persuaders, but as long as they continue to equate their self worth with whether or not everybody wants to buy their products, they will set themselves up for a fall. When someone does not accept an offer I make them, I know it has nothing to do with me as a person. I therefore don't become emotional about it.