What Motivates People?
All animal life (including human life) revolves around two powerful motivators:
- Pain
- Pleasure
Every minute of every day, you and I are either trying to avoid pain (problems, frustrations and dissatisfactions) and/or seek pleasure (dreams, desires, goals and aspirations).
Of the two motivators, pain is by far the greater. People will do almost anything to get out of pain. (Think of the desperate people who travel to Mexico to purchase highly questionable drugs that are illegal in their country to treat their illnesses. Think of the Cubans who risk their lives on flimsy rafts to get to America in search of a better life.)
If you know the specific pain your prospects are concerned about and the pleasures they’d like to experience, and if your products and services and/or your business products can help meet those needs, the odds of them being attracted to you and your business are extremely high. (This is, of course, conditional upon your presentation not being the pushy or aggressive type.)
What Motivates People To Take Immediate Action?
All significant buying decisions are based on emotion. It doesn’t matter whether someone buys a toy for a child or a multi-million-dollar office building, emotion plays the major role when making buying decisions.
Now, think about this: The more emotional a person becomes about particular issues, the more likely he or she will take an action to address those needs.
Emotion plays such a major role in buying decisions, it often leads to actions and decisions not previously considered. For example, a person who would normally not consider your services becomes worried about layoffs or downsizing and then your offer is considered. Insecurity sets in. All of a sudden you become more attractive.
When approaching potential prospects, your first goal should always be to uncover specific problems they may have. Once you do that, you can (through a dialogue exchange) elevate those problems to such an emotional level that your prospects are ready to look for solutions. Then, and only then, do you show them how your products, services and your business program are the solutions they need.
This is the sales strategy of the most successful salespeople, business people, and corporations on earth. we call it, “Total Quality Selling.”
So, how do you get people to talk about their problems? That’s easy.
We start the emotional ball rolling by getting our prospects to reveal their dissatisfactions, needs and desires. Asking the right questions does this.
We then elevate those emotions by asking even more questions (reverses) that cause them to elaborate on the pain and / or pleasures they are concerned about. As they begin to discuss and think about their situation, they begin to see the emotional impact of not having solutions to their present and future needs.
Note: Keep in mind that you’re not creating pain for your prospects, the pain is already there. You’re simply helping them to see and “own” the pain for what it really is. You’re helping them see the impact on their lives and their families.
Isn’t that what a good doctor, attorney, coach or therapist is trained to do? Why should it be any different for a professional, consultative salesperson?
Good selling,
Dave Rothfeld