Ciamos

Bernadette Doyle

I’ve just been reading a fascinating report detailing psychological profiles of different customer types.

The report is based on a study of 12,000 salespeople conducted over a 20 year period. Not surprisingly, it reveals that the words which appeal to an entrepreneur are very different to the words that appeal to a CEO, so when marketing and selling your solution, it’s important to choose your words carefully. Depending upon who you are selling to, there are words to use, and also, words to ‘avoid-at-all-costs’!

For example, if you approach a typical entrepreneur with a product or service which promises ‘more of the same’ you are unlikely to get their attention. Business owners are known for making radical changes because they are forever struggling with conditions that cause them to lose sleep at night. As a result, ‘more of the same’, or nothing more than a slight change of direction, is rarely satisfying for the typical entrepreneur.

On the other hand, that is about all that a typical Corporate Executive can cope with. If an entrepreneur wastes company resources on an impulse, he or she does not have to fear the displeasure of a superior, because there isn’t one. So buying decisions do not carry the same emotional risk for the entrepreneur.

For Senior Executives, however, making a wrong decision is the equivalent of professional suicide. It is not easy for this character to admit that an error in judgement cost the company money or affected its reputation.

Do you see the challenge involved in selling to someone with this mindset? Radical shifts in direction are simply not a part of this decision maker’s universe. Instead, every new purchase must be justified as a logical step following through on what is already in place, another building block that fits in neatly with everything that is already in place.

Selling to this group is risky because words that you personally find appealing can have the exact opposite effect on your prospects. For example, in the time that I’ve been helping trainers, coaches and consultants to attract their ideal clients, I’ve noticed that there is a certain type of language that they use to describe what they do. They use words like Change, Transformation, Results, Revolutionary, New, Play to Win. Yet, according to this research, these are precisely the words that strike terror into the hearts of the typical corporate executive. Is it any surprise that your pleas for attention are falling on deaf ears? Now do you see why so many of your sales are in permanent limbo? Now do you understand why you keep hearing, ‘not right now.’?

The reason these decision makers can be so chronically and frustratingly inaccessible isn’t so much to do with how busy they are, but more because of their emotional need for insulation. The fact is, they are nervous about letting outsiders in and will do almost anything to avoid it. Every outsider, every provider they bring in is a reflection on themselves.

And that’s why they will frequently reject smaller and less well known companies in favour of the ‘tried and true’ providers with the big names and reputation. The risk of getting it wrong is just too big.

So if you, like most people reading this newsletter, represent a smaller or less well known company, what chance do you stand of breaking through these obstacles and winning corporate contracts? Especially when what you are essentially offering – change – appears to be the last thing that they want?

Well there IS a way, when you know how to play the game. When you get right inside your prospect's head to understand what motivates and what worries him or her you can find the words that soothe their fears and reassure them that they are making a good decision.

You need to demonstrate that what you are offering will help them stay in the mainstream, with sensible responsibilities, as they keep everything on a safe course. Show them that what you are offering supports what they have already accomplished and are in line with the direction they are already taking. They need to feel, beyond any possible doubt, that what you are offering will be acceptable to everyone involved. That means their superiors, their peers and their subordinates.

You need to do more than prove using logic that you are the best choice. You need to respond to their emotional fears and needs too. Do this, and you have a chance. Fail to do this and the doors will be closed to you before you’ve even started.

© 2007 Bernadette Doyle

Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, then get your free tips now at www.clientmagnets.com