| Understanding the 7 core motivators behind | | | | or existing clients. Here's how it works: |
| all human behavior | | | | |
| | | | M = Money: As Zig Ziglar once said, "Money |
| By COLLEEN FRANCIS | | | | isn't everything, but it ranks right up there |
| | | | with oxygen." |
| Legendary sales guru Zig Ziglar once said | | | | |
| that the most popular radio station in the | | | | T = Time: Despite all of our so-called |
| world is WII FM, which stands for "what's in | | | | labor-saving devices, it's staggering how |
| it for me?" | | | | many people are still utterly time |
| | | | impoverished. E-mail, anyone? |
| As sales professionals, the single biggest | | | | |
| change we can make in our behavior to improve | | | | S = Security: People have a natural tendency |
| our success is to simply get over ourselves | | | | to avoid risk in favor of security, whether |
| and start focusing on our customers and | | | | it's risk in buying a product or the security |
| prospects. | | | | that comes from having a "safe" job. |
| | | | |
| I never cease to be amazed at how many sales | | | | A = Achievement: All of us enjoy producing |
| people focus on themselves rather than on | | | | results. If your solution will help a |
| what their customer actually wants to buy. | | | | prospect accomplish something or achieve |
| The fact of the matter is, our customers | | | | their sales targets, then you will be much |
| aren't interested in what we have to say | | | | more likely to grab their attention. |
| unless they feel it is in their best | | | | |
| interests. We can't be persuasive if our | | | | M = Making a difference: Look at what's |
| focus is on us. | | | | happening all over the world today. People |
| | | | will often help out if they feel like what |
| Reframe the question | | | | they are being asked to do will really make a |
| | | | difference. |
| To reframe your approach so that your | | | | |
| customers' interests are always at the | | | | I = Image and reputation: Whether we admit it |
| forefront, start by asking yourself three key | | | | or not, we're all concerned with what other |
| questions: | | | | people think about us. In fact, it is the |
| | | | power of image and reputation that leads so |
| • Who cares? In other words - whom are | | | | many of us to have a hard time saying "no." |
| you selling to? Be as specific as possible. | | | | If your solution affects someone's image or |
| Are you selling to Marketing VPs in the | | | | reputation, then believe me - you'll get |
| textile industry, or Chief Technology | | | | their attention. |
| Officers in the aerospace industry? | | | | |
| | | | E = Enjoyment: People go to great lengths to |
| • Why us? The answer to this question | | | | increase enjoyment in their lives. If you're |
| defines your product, whether it's a | | | | not enjoying the situation you're in with a |
| tradeshow booth, retirement-planning system, | | | | customer or colleague, odds are, they're not |
| clothing line or human resource staffing | | | | too thrilled about it either. Discovering and |
| service. | | | | communicating "what's in it for them" can go |
| | | | a long way towards making the experience less |
| • So what? This is where you answer | | | | stressful and more enjoyable - and help you |
| your client's all-important question, "what's | | | | make a great impression. |
| in it for me?" | | | | |
| | | | Sure, this advice isn't exactly rocket |
| Put your answers to these questions together | | | | science. In my experience, however, common |
| and you'll get a statement that sounds | | | | sense doesn't always translate into common |
| something like this: | | | | practice. |
| | | | |
| "You mentioned that you're working with a | | | | Just ask yourself: when was the last time a |
| very restricted budget. The VPs of Marketing | | | | customer asked you for information, and |
| at banks across Canada and the U.S. are | | | | instead of letting them buy what they really |
| buying our tradeshow equipment because it can | | | | wanted, you proceeded to try to sell them on |
| cut their labor and shipping costs by up to | | | | what you thought the best product features |
| 40 percent while still maintaining | | | | were? |
| durability. Knowing that, does it make sense | | | | |
| to look at our product line?" | | | | When in doubt, go back to MT. SAMIE, and ask |
| | | | yourself if your solution is truly addressing |
| Take it to the mountain | | | | one of your prospect's core motivators. Or to |
| | | | keep things even simpler, just remember the |
| Next, you need to make sure you're presenting | | | | words of the immortal Yogi Berra: "The |
| the features of your product or service that | | | | fastest way to get what you want is first to |
| directly address your customers' best | | | | help others get what they want." |
| interests. How? The answer to this lies with | | | | |
| the seven most important letters you may ever | | | | Copyright MMVII, Engage Selling: All Rights |
| come across in your career: "MT. SAMIE." | | | | Reserved. All trademarks used or referred to |
| | | | on this site are the property of their |
| There are seven core motivators that drive | | | | respective owners. No materials on this site |
| all human behavior. "MT. SAMIE" is a simple | | | | may be reproduced, altered or further |
| acronym designed to help you remember those | | | | distributed without Engage's prior written |
| motivators whenever you're dealing with new | | | | permission. |