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How To Master Creative Selling


 

FIVE : Why the Prospect Buys

SEVERAL WEEKS prior to July 4th, 1776, a tall, powerfully built man in his early thirties took up his residence in Philadelphia. He obtained a room on the second floor of a lodging house at Seventh and Market Streets. All day and late into the night he worked and planned. Almost every day, two very distinguished visitors came to call upon him. They were acting as consultants. These three men fully realized that they had a tremendous job on their hands. On July 4, 1776, they had to sell the idea of independence to the dele- gates of the thirteen colonies who were convened at a Continental Congress in Independence Hall. This young man was wise, prudent, and sagacious. He had a great vision, and he was incorporating that vision into a Sales Plan that would give the delegates to the Convention a new thought, a new idea, a new slant, a new conception, a new reason, and a new meaning of government. On July 4th, 1776, this Sales Plan was presented to the delegates assembled at the Continental Congress. Its power, its force, and its impact were heard around the world; even today, its reverberations are still felt. That Sales Plan, as you know, was the Declaration of Independence, one of the greatest documents of all times. The author who created that great Sales Plan was Thomas Jefferson, and his two consultants were Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. In my  opinion, the one great idea that sold independence to the delegates at the Convention is found in the second paragraph of that great Sales Plan: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." In those two sentences, Thomas Jefferson scientifically, skillfully, and feelingly persuaded and convinced the delegates to act. They understood his vision and comprehended his meaning in the light of their own intelligence. They felt and believed what he said, and they were convinced. Thomas Jefferson gave us a great lesson on how to apply the power of creative selling. He reasoned out in advance what the delegates desired, he interpreted their wants, and he made his appeal conform to this line of reasoning. He knew and felt that they wanted to enjoy the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness endowed to them by God. They also wanted to have the right to set up a government of their own that would guarantee these rights. In heeding and adopting his plan, the delegates felt that they would be able to enjoy a new freedom that would enable them to think, act, and worship according to the dictates of their own conscience, and to enjoy the fruits of their own efforts with peace of mind. Thomas Jefferson had sold and persuaded them to adopt the idea of independence! 

Anticipate Your Prospect's Questions

The man who sells must study the thing he wants to sell. A complete and comprehensive survey must be made of industry. A careful analysis of the product and what it means to the prospect must be conducted. Ask yourself: Where does this thing fit in? How can the prospect make use of it? What need will it satisfy? What chief reason will convince the prospect to own it? You must anticipate these questions in creating a Sales Plan that will convince the prospect that this particular thing will satisfy a particular want or desire. After all, what makes people do anything? They have persuaded themselves, or they have been persuaded by someone else. In selling, you want to know the particular reason that persuades the prospect to buy. The prospect buys for many reasons, but the major reason is that he is sold. A sale is made because the salesman is able to put his finger on a particular reason that a particular thing will satisfy a particular need for a particular prospect at a particular time. In this chapter we will discuss five scientific reasons why the prospect buys. However, you must understand that the prospect is like yourself. You exercise your reason for buying—so does he. This must be so, or the prospect would find himself buying the same thing most of the time. He does not buy a tube of tooth paste for the same reason that he buys a ton of coal, and neither does he buy a house for the same reason that buys a life insurance policy. He has a reason for what he buys, and this reason varies according to the product and according to the satisfaction he derives from owning it. When you realize this, you sense the reason that the prospect exercises in buying any particular thing. You know the particular appeal to make in order to get him to act. You conserve his time and increase your sales efficiency. You do not grope around in the dark. It is not necessary to spend half an hour with the prospect before he discovers what you are trying to do for him. 

The Five Scientific Reasons Why a Prospect Buys

As I have said before, the only reason the prospect buys anything is because he would rather have the thing that he buys than the money he pays for it. He must have a reason, and his reason varies according to the product, Your business as salesman is to uncover the reason why the prospect buys a particular product. When you make this discovery, you can create a Sales Plan around the product based on the reason. A little reasoning and planning in advance makes the advance toward a sale easier and quicker. In developing the five scientific reasons why the prospect buys, I will first enumerate these reasons and pick out a particular thing that illustrates each one. I will then create a Sales Plan built around it, to demonstrate the efficacy of knowing your sales approach. Here are the five scientific reasons: 
1. The prospect buys it because he needs it. 
2. The prospect buys it because he can use it. 
3. The prospect buys it because it adds to his wealth by owning it. 
4. The prospect buys it because it will satisfy his pride. 
5. The prospect buys it because it will satisfy his caution. 
At this point let us discuss each reason and illustrate it with a Sales Plan. 

How to Use These Motives to Make Sales

Thus I have revealed to you the psychological attributes of the prospect and have offered five scientific reasons why he buys. These reasons apply to all prospects. With a change of words, you can create a Sales Plan to sell any number of products. With this knowledge you can gain his attention and impel him to listen to your sales story. You can create and build a Sales Plan around your product that will arrest his attention, arouse his imagination, wake up his slumbering want, stir up his latent desire, incite his feeling, and move him to action. Your ability to sell the prospect lies in you. Use it, and sales will follow as night follows day.

To be Continued...