All For HIM Marketing Solutions Inc.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Let Customers Experience Gain

Many sales gurus will speak of two major truths that will entice people to buy - fear of loss and hope of gain.  These talking heads will encourage sales people to speak highly of the gains and benefits of their product or service to promote the hopeful gain of doing business with them.  Or, they will reverse that effect by telling horror stories or making up worse case scenarios to create a fear of loss by not buying what they have to offer.

Sales Reps - please hear this... That doesn't work!  We've all had too many of you vomiting that crap at us for too many years!  Nobody believes your rehearsed success stories and nobody is buying your outrageous fear tactics.  I don't care if your lawn spray kills the most poisonous spiders in South America.  I live in Oklahoma, I don't believe that story you told me about the shipment of bananas being spilled on a neighborhood street Germany releasing spiders from their crates and killing all the people and pets within a 10mile radius.  I don't believe it happened and doubt it will happen in my neighborhood.  You tell me that story and I'm likely to not even buy your basic lawn treatment.

That is just one silly made-up example but organizations and entire industries use tactics like this to increase the movement of their products.  

However, I've met one individual who is doing it right.  Her name is Sherri Booth and she sells EcoQuest air purifiers (you can visit her website here).  She simply tells you about the machine, how it works, and what it's supposed to do.  Next, she allows you to place a machine in your home for 10 days.  If you feel it works.  Your allergies are relieved, you can't smell your pets when you walk in the door and such like that, then you can buy the machine after the 10 day trial.  If you don't think it does, she picks up her machine and no money changes hands.  That's right.  She doesn't ask you to pay and say you can return it in 10 days.  Instead, she lets you try it first.  If you experience the gain from the use of her product you know it (not from some story she made up) and if you feel you'll loose the benefits you've gained, you've created your own fear of loss (because you must return the machine at the end of 10 days).

I'd like to see more companies taking this approach.  Let me decide what my gain is from your product and let me decide what my loss would be if I decide not to keep your product or service.  How's this working for Sherri?  Her customers purchase about 70% of the machines that she places.  Much better than most closing rates for sales.

JC

1 comment:

Unknown said...

If you suffer from allergies or sinus problems, or work in an office full of potential sick people, one of the best ways to prevent the spread of illness and combat airborne allergens is the use of an air purifier. Human beings spend 90% of their lives indoors, and the EPA has estimated that indoor air quality can be up to 50% worse than outdoors. Air Purifiers pull a number of pollutants out of the air, reducing the levels of allergens and airborne organisms that transmit disease or affect allergy and asthma sufferers while helping to promote healthy living.