The selling of “Things” between people isn’t as straightforward as most of us are led to believe. In a fast paced world without a lot of rational human thinking, purchasing is formulaic. Picture it like having a new smart fridge with cameras and a few sensors connected to the internet. This smart fridge can tell you what to buy, when to buy, and even where to buy stuff. These events are programmed to happen from a set of conditions that are True or False. There is no luck, just laws of math.
But when you throw people into the mix, selling to one another isn’t as straightforward. Here’s why..
New experiences become new inputs continuously reshaping our perception of reality.
With 1000’s of apps, beeps and notifications bombarding us, our viewpoint of the world, and our lives are evolving faster than ever. So too are our buying preferences and those of our target audience.
In essence, we have a moving target audience.
Two days ago I was talking to a good friend about how doing business back in the late 80s and 90s was much simpler. Most businesses could sell the same thing “over and over” and if what they offered was reasonably good, they’d make a very good living, without having to sift through the intense noise of today. The landscape is very different now. And in the not too distant future, AI is going to completely change the world and our lives even more.
So how do we tackle this rapid evolution? We adapt, we change and we innovate our Thing, right?
Sort of, because that’s only part of the game – there’s a deeper level to it.
Instead of aiming at a moving target audience, focus on what hasn’t changed. Before anyone buys anything, there are three things human beings need to feel, think of and believe. BTW, these beliefs haven’t changed since I started out in business 20+ years ago, and there’s plenty of evidence to show they were around way before my time.
Here they are – the three beliefs swirling around in you and your target audience’s heads:
Talk to these things. Match your beliefs to those of your ideal prospects. And, they’ll quickly develop confidence in you and feel you’re someone who understands them.
This sounds simple I know, because it is 🙂
This is one way I do it. By embedding the beliefs I want to convey into my communication, I place myself in a position of strength. See, if I make an offer, I have to believe my Thing can truly do something positive for my clients. I don’t spam my offer to everyone with a pulse. They might not be the right fit for me. Meaning, I can’t help everyone in all circumstances. So I have to validate what they want first. And if I decide to make them an offer, then I’m confident it’s going to be a WIN-WIN situation. Otherwise, I’ll be wasting everyone’s time and letting them down.
So how… how do you embed the beliefs you want to convey in your communication?
All you have to do is teach people what to want.
John Hayden Fry (born February 28, 1929) provides very insightful and actionable clues in this quote…
Here’s a simple way to do that. You take the three beliefs (Belief: in You, in Your Thing, in Themselves) and approach it like a framework for a deeper and more meaningful level of communication:
This framework for communicating works whether you are speaking one-on-one to your prospect or speaking in a one-to-many environment. It doesn’t need to be polished or scripted. You just need to be your natural self, share truths – because it’s the right thing to do.
Some respected religious leader once said something like… having Trust in something is to believe what you cannot see; the prize for this trust is to see what you believe.
So believe in yourself and practice more, and you’ll be amazed to see what you believe.
Here’s to blue skies ahead 🙂
Wes
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