QuotaCrush

When I was in my first job out of college, I worked for a containerized shipping company and wrote code for automating the shipping port.  On the successful launch of our software, the CEO of the company came to the port to see the operation. While reviewing the smooth motion of the trucks thru the port, he saw a trucker changing a tire and he was struggling with a lug nut.  He made an off-hand comment, “you know… someone should fix that… there should be an easier way,” and then he continued on his tour.

Some managers heard this comment, and proceeded on a six month engineering study of lug nuts, and eventually came back to the CEO with an entire plan on new and improved lug nuts, and what the implementation plan and costs would be to equip the entire fleet of chassis with new lug nuts.  These new lug nuts would reduce the amount of stress on drivers needing to change tires.  Needless to say, these managers were quite proud of the work they had done.

One of the most important, yet difficult, lessons that a salesperson needs to learn is that nobody really cares about the product you sell.

Prospects care about their own problems, their own issues, their own pain.  They don’t care about your product.

The only reason they are interested in your product at all is because it solves a particular problem of theirs, or makes their job easier, or saves them money, keeps their boss off their back, or some other selfish reason.  You can think your product is as cool as hell, but people don’t buy something cool as hell, unless they understand how it helps them.  Yes… your prospect will be thinking about his/her own issues while you talk about your product.  If they can’t make a match… they will not buy no matter how cool your product is.

Think about your own purchases.   Especially when you are spending large sums of money, you will always think about how if affect you, whether it be status, comfort, simplification of your life, etc.  Your prospects will be thinking this way too.