How do you sell apples if the customer wants pears

I have been working for 2 months on a marketing strategy for a car transport business.

They have a very wide range of products. They have been in the market for many years and have decided to make some major changes because they want to reach number 1. The owners of that business know their field and customers very well. They know the ins and outs of online marketing.

They initially contacted us for marketing and design services. They wanted an improvement to the main page on the website and a bigger presence on social media.

Having the first discussion with them I realized very quickly that they lack 2 essential things: clarity and a strategy.

So from a simple web page design and a few posts on Facebook, they convinced themselves (after the discussion) that they needed a full marketing strategy from us. What’s more, they were so pleased that we put a little “order” among their ideas, that they are determined that we will be their entire marketing department.

And look how, from a simple conversation where we asked a few questions and provided a broader perspective on marketing, we ended up selling up to 10 times more.

But you may be wondering “ok Andrei, but what exactly did you tell them? how long was the discussion? how did you get them to make a 180 degree change?”

I used the following 3 things:

1. Clarity

A fuzzy mind will rarely say yes. So, I tried to explain as simply as possible what it means to have a marketing strategy and what it is useful for. And it was an “aha” moment for them. Because they were trying to do everything the other way around. To begin with the end. The most insignificant things that have a tiny impact on the business.

I told them that the important things are done behind the curtain and that Facebook posts and improving the page’s appearance are not really the most important things in their business.

2. Confidence

The client needs confidence in you, in what you offer and in yourself. You have to work on all these aspects during the sales discussion.

Because they contacted us first, we were automatically in a good position. Because the interest came from them, and we just responded to their interest. So the trust in us was half resolved before we had the first talk. All that remained was to make a good first impression.

There would be more to say here, but in short it is about persuasion. I used almost all 47 emotional triggers to lower their reluctance to the bottom of the sea and increase their confidence.

3. Emergency

You need to create a sense of urgency to close the deal as quickly as possible. Otherwise people tend to put it off until the next day. And the next day he faces another, more important issue, and everything you worked to build in that discussion goes down the drain.

The moment he is there with you he has to make the decision. And you are the only person who has all the information he needs. If he tells you he needs time to think, bullshit. It means he has a few objections, and you need to identify and resolve them one at a time.

Related to the urgency, you can tell them various things to make them feel urgent. Here a lot depends on your context. In my context, I got them to say with their mouths that they need something like this as soon as possible. And to reinforce the point, I told them that we have a lot of requests and they have to make a decision now because we can’t take any more new projects.

So that’s about it in a nutshell.

Selling is quite difficult for many, but I think it’s just a misperception caused by a few preconceptions that need to be demolished:

– you don’t have to sell at any price

– it’s not the end of the world if the client says “no”

– you don’t have to be Zig Ziglar (author of “The Art of Selling”) to be able to sell

– you don’t have to help everyone

– you don’t have to have sales experience to be able to sell

In fact, when demand meets supply, magic happens.

When the customer has certain problems/needs/challenges and you have the solutions that match them, the sale goes smoothly. Plus, it helps a lot if you have confidence in yourself and what you’re selling. Because if so, the client will feel the vibe you’re giving off. It helps a lot if you are passionate about what you do and what you offer. Because you start speaking with a different energy. And that helps you tremendously.

Selling is hard when you feel like an impostor. Because you want/don’t want to, you convey through body language and voice that something is wrong. And the client feels that something is rotten in the middle.

That’s why if the client has a need and you can’t 100% “solve” it, it’s better to tell him the truth. Tell him exactly what the limits are. Set the expectations right. Otherwise you risk even saying “YES”. I mean to buy. And guess what? You made the sale, but you chose a burden. And rather than choosing with a burden, better make him say yes, with all your terms and conditions. Then you are more profitable and can deliver accordingly.

As you gain more experience with these kinds of customer interactions, you’ll find that you won’t like working with just any type of customer. You will start having barrage of questions. You will begin to sort through them. You’ll start choosing only those you really enjoy working with. But to do that, first you need stability. Until then, keep in mind what I said and you will see that it will be fine :).

Stay strong!

Andrei Isip