Weekly Sales Tips: Do Salespeople Really Matter?
In this virtual world, do salespeople really matter?
Think about the things you can do today by sitting behind a computer that previously required a specialist, an expert salesperson. You can book an entire European vacation without once talking to a single human being. You can redo your landscape using nothing more than YouTube videos and an Amazon account. You can buy a custom-made suit, a car, or even a house entirely online.
This begs the question, does the salesperson still matter when a customer can do all of this on their own?
I would argue that it depends on what you want the salesperson to do. If the task is only to give out information, a salesperson is no more helpful than the internet and probably less so. If the task is to fill out paperwork, you could find someone else to help you with that for substantially less than the typical salesperson makes. If the task is to point out features and benefits, there are digital solutions for this too. So why do salespeople matter?
They matter because customers don’t buy based on features, benefits, and information and paperwork. They buy on emotion. Up to this point in our virtual evolution, we’ve not been able to replicate the ability to get to the core of that emotion.
Your Buyer’s Mission
If you’re a salesperson, that means you must be absolutely committed to understanding the importance of emotion and crafting your sales presentation, to help the customer to buy the way that they want to buy. The problem is, is that so many salespeople are trying to sell technically or logically without truly connecting to the mission and the emotion of the customer.
Suppose for a moment that you are selling Harley Davidson’s. Not motorcycles, Harley Davidson’s. The question is why does somebody want to buy a Harley Davidson? What emotions does that stir? Now you might be looking at it and saying, “Well, why does it have to stir an emotion?” I’ll tell you why. Because for the same spec level between two different motorcycles, a Harley Davidson will sell for twice the amount of a comparable motorcycle on the market. Why? How is that even possible? Because you’re not buying a motorcycle, you’re buying a Harley Davidson. And when you buy a Harley Davidson, you’re buying everything the brand represents.
At the core, you are making an emotion-based decision. Now that could be based on any number of things, how you feel on the ride is an emotion. What your Harley Davidson says about you is your emotion. The fact that you want to treat yourself to a high-end optional purchase, that’s an emotion. So I’ve got to ask you a question. Do you know your customer’s emotional impetus?
No, I don’t mean sappy or syrupy. I mean emotion-based, connecting to the core of why the customer’s shopping in the first place. Too many salespeople don’t want anything to do with the emotional aspect of the sale. That’s a big mistake. Those are the salespeople whose future is in jeopardy.
Future-Proof Your Sales Career
My friends, it’s time to sell the way the buyer wants to buy. And the buyer wants to buy on their emotions. If we neglect this, the virtual world will put us out of business. But if we accept this and build upon it, we will be employed forever.
Are you looking to future-proof your sales career even further? Sales365 is a healthy social media community just for salespeople. Go to your app store and download it today and join the community.
Until next time my friends learn more, to earn more!
