Buying partners

When we sell, we’re usually on the other side.

Our clients perceive us this way.

Like two teams playing against each other – client vs. seller.

To sell – we need shares of thought…

… and trust, is the foundation for acquiring shares of thought.

Psychologically, we need to become buying partners with our clients.

To sell, we need to think and act like partners.

Positive statements and arguments, make us opposite players again.

Selling equals playing for the same team.

We show our clients the shadows of our products, as well as the bright parts.

Completely unaltered.

If it’s not the right product for that certain client, than we’re direct about it.

Always: the right product, to the right client.

Invisible transactions

Our doubts and objections are often based on unanswered questions in our minds…

…and unanswered questions are good reasons for not buying.

As possible clients, we don’t have the will and time to ask 100 questions.

We want to ask ourselves – and get fast answers from outward without any vocal effort.

Smart marketers supply us with all the answers we individually need, without overloading us with information we don’t need.

Examples:

Scenario 1: I see a store, it’s dark and I can’t tell what’s inside. What does it sell? I’m not going in – I don’t have time.

Scenario 2: I’m on the phone in a bakery. What does this croissant cost? There’s no price tag –- it’s not that important.

Scenario 3: I see an ad saying: “3.99*…” – There’s small lettering at the bottom. The offer seems cloudy… I’ll ignore this.

As marketers – we know what people want to know before they want to buy. We know every possible mental-objection and every important answer.

Time is potential money, and when we react before others act, we save a pace.

We respect the potential money of others because we adapt to a situation without letting the situation happen physically.

We lengthen the life of our customers by doing this – We save lifetime.

About patient undivided individual attention

Your will to listen, is the subtle testimony that you leave in the subconscious layers of her mind.

You don’t have to say much – you just have to ask questions that she’d love to answer.

You’re not a listening rock – you’re a listening lake: your whole body is responding, by syncing your nonverbal reactions, to the statements of your counterpart.

You’re saying everything, without saying things vocally.

She can feel that you love to listen – that’s why you’d always get your point across when your time has come.

You’d never give unwanted advice/indirect criticism or direct criticism.

Instead: would you leave ideas in the mind of your counterpart by phrasing them as indirect questions?

Incomparable – you don’t seem interested in yourself, your ideas and your interests.

Are you interested in people?

Expanding the results

I believe thankfulness is a key-quality for growth and success.

Too much is thought of as given, whereas receiving – is always linked to the decision of someone else.

We win through and with others.

Winning in a modern world means broadening and expanding the results, so others can benefit from their contribution to the process, that lead us to our goals.

It’s about sharing the prize.

Fresh and forthcoming thankfulness comes in different shapes and frames.

It’s not just the handwritten thanks-note, the phone call, the statement… it’s the way you make people notice that it’s also their achievement.

It’s the stage you create to give thankful thoughts a clear mental picture in the mind of others.

Remember: high trees have deep roots that need to grow facedown…

…so grow facedown after growing face up.

Give away the award and the attention to the people that helped.

It’s the best thing you could do.

The way you where before you became successful, is the best way to become successful.

Just start to win

We often get caught up in the planning process.

We think of the tools, the requirements, the qualifications, the tenth step, what people will think… etc.

We often try to aim at the 100 – while taking the first 20-30 steps. I believe this leads us to fear of criticism and procrastination. It makes us wait till everything is perfect… even though anything is improvable.

Start taking the steps – even if they are wrong.

When you see, that your thoughts are becoming a reality, it makes you feel energized and motivated – it’s exactly what you need to keep going in the beginning (before the action becomes habit).

Remember: when you start – it’s halfway done.

Gifts

As customers, we love to get caught off guard by sudden and personalized gifts.

Surprising gifts are strong and bright symbols, and they are a great tool to build trust and fascination.

They stand for some of the most important things we want and need in life:

- Friendship
- Love
- Attention
- Interest
- Something for nothing
- Possessions

As marketers we use gifts to:

- Build habits
- Generate trust
- Put the counterpart into action
- Indirectly demonstrate another asset
- Engage people
- Viralize the experience through mouth-to-mouth
- Puzzle and leave people guessing, thinking and remembering
- Construct a standard
- Influence

Gifts generate an emotional memory of whatever you’re putting the subtle spotlight on.

Gifts generate the strong need to give something back to the source. Whereas the value or size of the thing we give in return is irrelevant.

Gifts should always fit into context and never leave your counterpart guessing for criptical reasons to your actions.

Base your gifts on friendship, honesty and the will to plant an improvement into someone’s vista.

The timing should be either ripples of staccato freebies – or waves of larger impact.

Smile

When it comes to interaction, the subtle layers of our communication make the impact.

It doesn’t matter if you’re interacting face-to-face or if you’re calling someone by phone.

Customize the subtle information you send out, to have the desired impact.

Here’s some examples for you:

1. Gestures
2. Your looks (your eyes)
3. Your posture
4. Vocal melody (Voice)
5. Accentuation (Voice)
6. Nonverbal communications (Smiling, breathing, facial expression, etc.)
7. Dress style (Adapted, matched to your counterpart, common, uncommon, underlining something, etc.)
8. Colors
9. Background sounds (Music containing certain contents, relaxing spheres, etc.)
10. Surroundings (visual surroundings, emotional surroundings, associative environments, etc.)

Remember: Target-oriented communication is always subtle and indirect.

Selling a service

When you’re selling services, you’re selling a desired future state.

You’re offering something that people can’t touch or see.

You’re offering a story… a potential reality.

To succeed – you need to bring your potential reality to life…

…Make it feel like a real, touchable – and bright example of your benefits.

Put your services into a physical and exemplified form in your presentation.

Sharpen your presentation with:

1. Symbols, sketches & drafts
2. Photos, graphics, 3d-models & physical-prototypes
3. Interactive videos, slideshows & powerpoint presentations

Simplify the process behind the buy.

Show your client exactly what definite results you’re going to deliver (step-by-step).

Make a promise – generate trust – and keep the promise.

Injecting feelings into brand relationships

Most brands I know, feel cold and neutral.

The whole process of buying or getting the service feels planned, automated and scripted.

Nothing is personal about the whole condition of being a customer (in most cases).

First, it all starts with flowers of speech, and then develops into mechanical, specified processes (it often becomes worse after the buy).

Both sequences are unauthentic and transparent states – which customers see through quickly and acknowledge that the brand doesn’t care about the perspective of the client.

Small flourishing stores around the corner, with one employee and 45 customers give great examples on how personal, varied and honest things can get. Think of the possibilities and the opportunities…

As a customer. I want surprising actions – with real feelings behind them – actions that make me feel like I’m experiencing something unique that only a unique client like me is going to live through with this provider.

As a customer, I want to be treated like a special somebody.

I don’t want to receive automated templates of confirmation E-mails or talk to 10 different unconcerned people when I interact with a company.

I don’t want to pay the service hotline extra money for asking questions about my broken DSL – and I definitely don’t want to receive any letters implicating that I should show up in the branch office of my bank to receive a ready-scripted salestalk from somebody that doesn’t have the “I-care” expression on their face.

The time I give to the brand – I want it to be worth something – for me.

I want to remember myself uniquely interacting with that certain brand in 15 years.

Plus I want to have a personal history with that certain brand.

How can you fill the brand-experience with feelings, personalized interaction and surprising bafflement through free and extra need satisfaction?

There are plenty of ways.

Hitting the behavioral gaps

We all know that people are the foundation for a long-term success in business.

But some of us are completely stuck to standard models of behavior, related to our own standardized behavioral methods in business.

For example: forgetting to answer that email within 3 days makes the other person feel ignored and completely irrelevant. I know this isn’t on purpose – but that’s what people think when you keep them on hold. They think you consciously forgot about them – plus they think you aren’t organized.

Behavioral gaps are positive behavioral patterns – that the critical mass often lacks. Hit these gaps to positively stick-out.

Here’s how you can hit certain behavioral gaps in business:

1. Letting others win (without anticipating anything in return).

2. Laying the focus on others.

3. Actively listening to others.

4. Transfering new opportunities or potential customers to others.

5. Giving away potential power to others.

I believe a key-factor in coming forward is not prioritizing the value of people through irregular action. Treating everyone with the same tenor is a good way to win.

When you flawlessly execute the stuff – your competitors don’t even have on their agenda – you’ll come up fast. Trust me on this.