Selling With a Higher Purpose in Mind – PI Sales Academy Blog/Quiz #8
Oh no, it was bound to happen. The “musically higher purpose attitude” was bound to be espoused given the writer of this course, yet I really must go here. I believe that when we place more music in people’s lives, we serve a greater good. We serve mankind. Music is sanity. This message should be woven into your interactions not only because I believe it to be real, but because it is good salesmanship (no gender intended).
During all of the 5 Steps to Selling Success steps, we can infer and invoke a higher purpose diplomatically. Not knowing the spiritual sensitivity or lack thereof of your client, you don’t want to be creepy or act like you are preaching but to ignore and never mention the higher good you are leaving some strong strategic arrows in your quiver unshot.
Let’s examine some statements that can be interspersed into your 5 steps and their value.
They are meant to be presented as evidence to the prospect that you are not simply “materially motivated” to sell but ethically motivated as well. Let me state this before we examine how references to a higher good help us look like the good guys: I am not, in this writing, (although I do have a belief system) aiming this toward any specific religious or non-religious group. The higher good I speak of, in sales terminology, means something that is selflessly motivated and enriches the person’s life we are selling to.
This sales writing submission is intended in the spirit of musical evangelism regardless of world views. I’ll elaborate: it matters not if you are a bluesman, a down and outer with a cigarette hanging from your mouth creating a wreath of smoke above your head whose life is emotional fodder for your art, if you are the next Billy Joel or John Legend, if you sing and play to your God’s glory from a loft or in front a congregation, or are a strict classical lover who only wants to listen to and play dead people’s music. Music is your vehicle for expression, enjoyment and sanity. That is a universal truth beating in the hearts and souls of real music lovers and the truth that we serve when we help folks express themselves by musically enriching their lives with a new musical instrument. That is the higher good. Agree or stop reading because if we don’t have a meeting of the minds on this, then whomever you are, you are doomed to be all about money and that would be a sad reality. Money is a by-product and a necessary one, but if it is your only goal and you focus solely on units and dollars and cents, then you lose out on the satisfaction of making someone’s world a better place.
That all said, here is a step one statement that supports credibility… different versions of which can be employed: “We have to sell pianos to make a living but I think of us as more of a “matchmaking” service. We pride ourselves in helping people find the perfect new family member, the piano that will live with them and place more quality music in their lives for years to come.” The higher good referenced in this sentence positions you as a person who loves what they do for people and NOT as the typical pushy sales professional.
In support of step two, rapport/making a friend, we could consider a statement of this favor: “I love working here because I get to meet and work with people of all walks of life. Learning their musical needs gives me an extremely fun and interesting way to make a living.” This statement is constructed with the purpose of deepening the relationship by referencing something other than money as a source of fulfillment to you. This “higher good” reference is a “good guy” (once more, no gender intended) attitude which will endear you to prospects in a very sincere way.
Here is a step three “Fact Finding” statement/question which can be woven in:
“If I may have permission to ask you a few questions they would be intended to help us find the perfect pianos for you to consider. Does that sound like a good plan of action?” This is a tie-down question tied to the higher good of discovering their needs most accurately.
Only a jerk would NOT answer affirmatively.
Step four is the recommendations or demo step and can be served with a statement of this flavor:
“Since your musical preference is __________, I believe that this is a great piano for you to consider. It gives you the ability to express ________ very well!” … and then if you are using “question based selling” your tie down question such as: ”would you like to hear it?“ or “play it” would follow.
The step five, closing statement, could be something to this effect:
“Knowing that __________ is important to you and we have stayed in your price range, it looks like this piano would be a good choice.” and then a tie-down/closing question after you’ve worked up to this point is in order.
The purpose of the above samples is to get you to think about ways to script the higher good into your dialogue until it becomes muscle memory and flows naturally. As mentioned in an earlier installment, scripts can be very helpful in disciplining yourself to employ fundamentals that might otherwise be overlooked unless you apply some thought to what you say, when and why.
Demeanor is important while espousing the higher good because you want to be believable, unlike the greeting you often get at Walgreens,”Welcome to Walgreens” delivered in an apathetic tone. If you truly believe you are serving a higher musical good, which in essence makes people’s lives a better place, it should make you a happier person, along with the person you just served, along with whomever in your belief system is the author of said higher good.
“Approach each customer with the idea of helping him or her solve a problem or achieve a goal, not selling a product or service” – Brian Tracy
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Jack is a thirty year marketing and sales veteran with an insatiable appetite for contributing to the sales success of others. After leaving Cox communications in the late eighties Jack has serviced clients such as: Goodyear, Allstate, Verizon Wireless, Steinway & Sons, and numerous independent businesses. His knack for creating targeted strategies has endeared him to clients who he has been privileged to service in many instances for over two decades.
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