The Pain and Pleasure of Sales When I speak with salespeople, I sometimes ask them what it is that they really sell. Some tell me that they sell “widgets”, others tell me that they sell service, and inevitably some tell me that they sell themselves. (I think this is illegal in most states.) Although all these answers are correct, a slight change in perception will skyrocket your sales and explode your income. One Monday morning, I woke up and decided that I would go out that day and just watch the pharmaceutical reps in action. So I went to the busiest primary care physician office in my area. I walked into the office dressed in jeans and a polo shirt and sat down in the waiting room. Five minutes later, the first rep came through the door. He walked up to the window and asked for the doctor. The doctor invited him back into the office, the rep pulled out a visual aid and started to detail (vomit on) the doctor, and I sat there and watched the doctor mentally shutdown. After a 90-second detail, the close: “Doctor, can I count on you to write my drug for your patients with this condition?” The doctor agreed, signed for samples, and went back to seeing patients. This was the format for six out of the seven calls that I watched that morning. The seventh rep didn’t even ask to see the doctor. Nothing set one rep apart from another. Selling is a slight-edge activity. In other words, you only have to be just a little better than the competition to make the sale. What gives you this edge? Understanding why people do what they do. Everything human beings do, they do for one of two reasons: either out of their need to avoid pain or their desire to gain pleasure. Selling is the process of getting your client to clearly associate their most desired feelings, states, or sensations to you and your product. What you really sell are emotional states. Maybe this sounds too simple, but think about it; Why do you buy the things that you do? You either buy something because it makes you feel good or you buy something to avoid feeling bad. For example, Coke doesn’t run a commercial of a soda rep standing in front of the camera giving a 30-second detail on the features and benefits of Coke. Coke shows 28 seconds of someone famous, something that makes you feel good, or something that makes you laugh, and then shows two seconds of the Coke logo. Why? Because Coke understands the importance of the pain/pleasure principle. Coke links their product to that same emotional state by flashing their product on the screen when the viewer is at the peak of that feeling. The same pain/pleasure principle is in action when you’re standing in front of a client. Most people have linked pain to salespeople, because they know it means more time that they’ll have to listen to a sales pitch. People mentally go on vacation when a salesperson walks through their door. You should never talk about you, your company, or your product until the doctor is in a peak positive emotional state. Help your client reach that peak state, and then show him your product. So, am I saying never to “sell” if your client is in a bad mood? That’s exactly what I’m saying. Let your competition come in and try to “sell” him that day so he links up all his bad feelings with their product. Timing is everything. Here are some examples of how to make the pain/pleasure principle work for you. In all of these examples, not only are the peak emotions linked to your product, but they are also linked to you. Soon, your client will be inviting you out to lunch, because it makes him feel good just to have you around.
• Comedy Clubs. Take your client to a comedy club. When he’s laughing so hard that he can hardly breathe, slide in a key point of your product. Again, that peak emotional feeling is linked to you and your product. • Magic. Don’t just do another learn. Do a magic hour. Take a magician to lunch with you. I’ve had several people cancel out on other sales reps just to have the magician and me for lunch. Every illusion that’s performed ends with a plug for my product. • Music Concerts. Find out what kind of music your clients like. Take them to a concert. When they’re singing and dancing around, tell them something about your product. • On the golf course. The moment the client has a great drive, his best putt ever, or a phenomenal round of golf, that’s when you detail your drug. The doctor is in a peak emotional state, and you show your product. So what happens when he misses a two-foot putt and throws his putter in the water? Immediately say something about your competition. The client will begin to link that negative experience up with your competitor. • Fun and Games. In the summer, take in Frisbees, balls and bats, and kites. During lunch, take your client and staff outside and have a picnic. Play softball, throw Frisbees around, and fly the kites. During the hour, subtly drop key phrases about your product.
These are just a few of the many ways to get your clients to link pleasure to you and your product. What makes sales fun is trying out new things in the field. Take a chance, and your career will skyrocket. A client isn’t influenced to buy what you’re selling during a 30-second, 90-second, or even a 20-minute meeting. People are influenced in the instant that they link more pleasure than pain to your product.
Bill Gladwell, Hypnotist www.bill-nikki.com