Selling an Experience
What will the world look like after buying your product?
Since departing the world of selling commodities back in 2006, I have had plenty of time to think about ways to generate and maintain interest in my product. When the product is an intangible, like software as a service, or a coffee service, it’s generally a mistake to sell on features. It’s like throwing wet spaghetti against the wall and seeing what sticks. More often than not, the buyer becomes fatigued with you trying to stumble on the real hot buttons. By the time the blind pig actually finds the acorn, meaning you, they have probably already tuned out.
While selling solutions to problems and alleviating pain is where its at, why not take it a step further. Why not create a sense of what the buyers world will be like when the problems are solved. Benefit statements could start with “Imagine”. For instance, can the customer imagine a time when they won’t be locked away preparing tedious manual calculations for several days, only to have next month’s tedious manual calculations to look forward to. Having watched a few of Steve Jobs’ product launches, I was impressed with how attractive the products seemed, in large part, because Steve Jobs excelled at making you think about life with an Apple product. Without many props or technological gadgetry, other than the Apple product itself, Steve Jobs was a master at selling an experience.
In selling a specialty coffee system, I always tried to paint a picture of the most delicious cup of coffee made available without any work, mess or wait, while having it nearby and ready in seconds for seconds…and thirds and fourths.
Like an athlete winning a major championship, its near impossible to know, as you stand on the podium, what being a “World Champion” will be like in the weeks, months and years ahead. The customer needs someone to create the scenario of what life will be like without the nagging problem for which you have provided the solution.
This might seem like a subtle point, but I still think its an important one. Do clients expect you to paint the rosiest of pictures in proposing your solution? Of course. Why not use testimonials, in as visual a form as possible, to create the vision of a better world with your product. Can you invite a current customer to interact personally with a prospect? With all the emphasis on networking these days, your customer might enjoy the opportunity to connect with someone else in their industry, especially if its on your dime.
One benefit of asking prospects to engage their imagination is that it is impossible to imagine the satisfaction of removing a painful problem, while simultaneously thinking about the ongoing pain of other problems. It works with pain on top of pain the same way. If you have a sore foot and you hit you thumb with a hammer, the pain in your foot suddenly goes away.
So remember, getting the product doesn’t deliver the satisfaction. It’s life using your product that has real appeal. Create the vision and win the deal.
By David Phillips
Connect to me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/davidlphillips
