I’ve been saying for some time that sales is turning into a more of a ”conversation” than a “sales pitch”. The days of the old “sales pitch” that captured someone’s attention and compeled them to buy has gone by. In it’s place, we’re being forced to carry on a “conversation” about our products over time (and multiple mediums).
Think about it. If someone sees your ad and they’re interested in knowing more, they go to the Internet and check you out. They read reviews (both from consumers and consumer publications). They compare prices. And then, finally, they come in to “try and buy”.
That ties into this interesting article written by Sean Silverthorne in the blog “The View From Harvard Business” (courtesy of BNET).
“When I walk into an Apple retail store, I get the feeling that I am on my own to explore, touch, lift, try and compare. Sure, I can get help if I want it. But what the store is designed to do is get people engaged with the product directly.
MIT’s Michael Schrage calls this a “selling themselves” strategy, opposed to the “sell to” approach we get when we listen to a sales pitch.
“I’d argue that the future of salesmanship and innovation alike will increasingly depend on giving people easier ways of selling themselves on whatever it is you’re selling,” Schrage writes. “It’s not enough to be persuasive; you’ve got to make it easier for people to persuade themselves.”
Even professional service firms should adopt this approach, Schrage argues on his HBR.org post, Let Your Customers Persuade Themselves. A PSF would be well advised to ask the question, “What can we give away to entice prospects into a serious conversation about becoming a client?”
It’s all a matter of degree, I think. Some people are uncomfortable trying on a new technology or law firm without some guidance and context, which comes in the form of a quick sales pitch.
Schrage admits he doesn’t like being sold to. I don’t mind it at all, as long as the sales person is listening to what I want, a point sales guru Tom Hopkins makes in this nice interview with my BNET colleague Geoffrey James.
So at the end of the day, your best bet is to understand how your own customers want to be approached, and be ready to mix and match tactics to help them make a decision.
From your experience, what company really gets it in terms of a compelling sales experience? Who gets the balance right?”
Interesting post. Many sales people miss this point. I was one of them for a long time. Reading Harry Browne’s book “The Secret of Selling Anything” really changed my thinking on this subject.
I would say that some sales people have understood this principle for decades. Just as one example, John E Kennedy’s book, “Reason-Why Advertising” (written over 100 years ago) makes much of addressing the readers of advertisments in a “resonant voice.” Just another way of saying, talk to people the way they themselves talk.
Anyway, good stuff. Thanks for sharing!