What are you selling?
A couple of years ago, the Ilocana and I bought an old house that needed a lot of repairs. The paint job, electrical rewiring, retiling, and other stuff. Fixing the house, doing the repairs, and all those maintenance works is not my area of competence. They’re the favorite pastime activities of my wife, the Ilocana. The two of us are so compatible because she enjoys fixing the house while I enjoy shopping. She loves electric drills, while I love garments and fashion.
And one day, while some people in the place were drilling and fixing the newly installed doors, a thought just hit me. When the Ilocana was shopping around for door locks, she cruised through the aisles of our local hardware shops; she was not satisfied she even visited Home Depot the last time we visited California. Was she buying a door lock, or was she purchasing something else? Maybe she wasn’t buying a door lock. She was buying security for the family and our valuables. It’s not just a door lock she was looking for. She was looking for a solution to a problem; she wanted a product that would fill a need.
How do we sell a product or a service, and why do customers buy? Sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer says, “People do not want to be ‘sold to’ but people love to be ‘led to’ buy.” And so, customers buy for only two reasons: To feel good or to solve a problem.
Going out to dinner, spending time in a spa, buying an expensive timepiece, or getting a new puppy falls into the “feel good” category. Getting a door lock, office furniture, and a safe to keep valuables would fall into the “solving a problem” area. And then, of course, there is the “spur of the moment” buying decisions. When the customer’s emotions are stirred like those big red letters and numbers that spell out the words “SALE-UP TO 70% OFF.”
Business companies should know that the customer’s prevailing purchase motivation is to solve a problem. The solution to the problem can always be expressed in financial terms where the peso sign is always involved. If a company invests P1 million in advertising, they expect that advertising to generate a few more millions in sales.
Progressive companies sell money. They sell reduced downtime, fewer repairs, better gas mileage, higher deposit interest, increased output, decreased energy usage, more yield per hectare, and more yardage per swing. They help their customers see the money and convert benefits into cash. They are selling solutions and not just products and services. The lock salesperson doesn’t sell locks; he sells security for valuables. The pool salesman doesn’t just sell recreation; he sells an increase in home value. The electric saw you are selling may cut five times faster than a cheaper saw, saving the customer a lot of money in reduced labor costs.
So do not let your people go out to sell a product or a service. Let them sell a solution or provide something that would make people feel good.
Whenever I talk to agents selling real estate, I ask them this question: “So what are you selling?” The usual answers I get are: “I’m selling condos.” (But that’s brick and mortar) “I’m selling townhouses.” (But that’s glass and steel) “I’m selling an investment.” (Tell this to businessmen who know the condition of the economy)
But most people do not just buy a property; they buy what the property does for their needs and wants. Perhaps it is the fulfillment of their aspiration? It could be the gathering of every loved member of the family so they can spend quality time together. Maybe it is to live as far away as possible from the people they do not want to associate with. These are all needs and problems, aren’t they?
In the training and speaking industry, I still see a lot of “gurus” who teach and train. Yet, they do more the selling of themselves and their “persona,” which they would conveniently label “personal branding,” rather than offering solutions to the needs of their clients.
The challenge today is that clients or customers today are smart and intelligent. And they do not want to waste money on buying the “speaker,” but they want to invest in solutions that can help them with their needs and challenges. Solve a problem, meet a need, or make the customers feel good. And refuse the temptation to sell the self.
(Francis Kong’s podcast “Inspiring Excellence” is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or other podcast streaming platforms.)