Give and Take

Picture it – you’re walking through your local mall, on your way to your favorite sports memorabilia store or clothier, passing kiosk after kiosk in the central walkway. Then, you hear, "Excuse me!" and as you’re walking, a salesperson calls you over to give you a raffle ticket or hand you a flyer. Perhaps he wants to slap some lotion on you, or buff your nails. How do you react? Your response would most likely be to snub this salesperson, wouldn’t it? You’d say “No, no thank you,” (or perhaps, something a bit less kind), and keep on your way, right? After all, you didn’t need that raffle ticket. Your nails are already buffed and polished. Now, let’s revisit the scenario. You’re walking along, listening to a Muzak version of Dancing Queen, and here comes the salesperson… but instead of handing you something, he takes your wallet from your back pocket! He slips your purse off your arm! What just happened to you when you read that sentence? Did you react internally? Perhaps have a strongly worded thought? Within the first twenty or so seconds of contact with a prospect, as we work to insure additional time with them, we have an opportunity to show that prospect what could be gained by talking to us… or lost by not talking to us. Articulating a possible benefit or the potential for pain- or loss-avoidance quickly is crucial, because either will answer the prospect’s question, “so what?”… and compel the prospect to remain in the conversation. In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed in A Theory of Human Motivation that five categories of human needs structure a pyramid, the base of which is formed by the most elemental of needs. The meeting of all other needs rests upon these most basic needs being met first. Aside from physiological needs – like water, food, or air – the need to maintain safety (which sometimes ties into the supporting survival needs) outweighs all other needs. Consequently, Maslow reasoned that humans are more likely to act to protect their security and safety – and to prevent its loss – than they are to act to satisfy any other desire or to obtain something that would bring them emotional pleasure. (For more on Maslow’s theory, click here .) Translation – PEOPLE ARE MORE LIKELY TO RESPOND TO THE POSSIBILITY OF LOSS THAN THEY ARE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF GAIN. What does all of this say about our sales process and our use of benefit and pain-loss avoidance interest statements? First, we MUST use one or the other. Otherwise, we are not speaking to the prospect’s potential needs(and bottom line, in consultative sales, needs-satisfaction drives the entire process forward. Second, though we should generally use benefit statements at the beginning of our conversation with our prospects, we should know that the possibility of being “given” something may not be enough to compel that prospect to stay involved with us. A more likely scenario is that the prospect will need to realize that something stands to be lost – something needed, like exposure to the right audience, sales, or branding ability – if the conversation is terminated. Prepare a benefit statement and a pain-loss avoidance statement for each prospect you plan to call upon. If the benefit statement in your initial opening is not compelling enough for your prospect to see the potential of speaking with you, you will have something more powerful to utilize in your insurance statement as you show the potential disadvantage waiting for your prospect should he or she decide not to continue the conversation.