"Sales and buying are woven into the imperfect fabric of human emotions. No matter what you sell, your sales cycle, or the complexity of the sales and buying process, emotions play a crucial role in the outcomes of your sales conversations, interactions, and deals.
Most salespeople begin the sales process from a position of logic and over the course of the sales process shift towards emotion. On the other hand, buyers tend to begin the buying process at the emotional level and over time shift towards logic.
At the beginning of the sales process the buyer is asking a basic question about the salesperson: Do I like you?"
I have written a number of times on this website about the concept of rapport and establishing a connection with your prospective client.
It's crucial.
But it's not just about having a connection with the person you are selling to.
Because ... if you try to sell to them in a way that they do not want to buy you'll be breaking that connection you have established and forcing them to reevaluate whether they like you or NOT.
When you are fishing what do you put on the end of a hook?
Lasagna?
Chicken Curry?
A nice piece of Steak?
No !
YOU may like all those things.
If you want to catch fish it's likely you will bait your hook with a prawn (shrimp for you Americans) or a worm or a fly because that is what the fish wants.
And if you know fishing you know the best bait for the fish you want to catch ... they don't all like the same food. They may even like a different food on a different day.
So when you are fishing for an order you not only need to understand and present to what your prospect wants. You need to present it in a way that is tailored to them and designed to motivate them to act.
The other day I ran across this article by Jeb Blount.
I suggest you have a read ...(just click on the title below)
"To Buy is Human – Approaching Buyers the Way They Buy"