This term is normally used when someone is trying to fool you by giving you the wrong picture about something. So before we begin, I want to state clearly that that’s exactly the opposite of what we are trying to do here.
Today, we’ll be drifting from Technology Sales to ‘Sales’ in general. No, this isn’t a philosophy class or a cheesy salesman technique that we are going to discuss, but a very important lesson on how sales happen. Ever come across the term ‘Sell them the dream’. If you haven’t, don’t worry, we’ll dive right into it.
Selling a dream is a sales concept where you paint a picture to the prospect on how life will be post the usage of your product. The precursor to this is ‘Sell the hole, not the drill’. I have explained this in a previous blog, but it’s an important concept, so it’s best to discuss the same briefly here.
You see, as a sales person, you are in charge of selling a product. In such a circumstance, most sales people learn in depth about the product features, different versions, price points etc. Which is all good, but keep in mind that the customer is viewing this from a very different perspective. Take for example a drill (as quoted in the example above). Of course there are various drills in the market, each with a specific look, power, price point. But when you see it from the point of view of the customer, they are in your shop to buy not the drill itself but to use the drill to create a hole in the wall. So, when a prospect walks into your shop/showroom, you start not by demonstrating how great your product is but by asking questions to understand the reason behind why the customer is buying it in the first place. Going back to the drill example, once you know if the wall the hole is being made on, is hard or soft, made of brick, stone or wood, the dimensions of the hole, you as a salesperson are in a much better position to recommend the perfect product to your prospect. This in turn builds trust and the prospect is more likely to buy from you.
Getting to the original theme of this blog. How do we turn this into a dream for a customer. For that we’ll use the example of a car salesperson. I know what you are thinking, are we going to take lessons from a car salesman? I understand that there are a lot of negative connotations a ‘car salesman’ or a ‘used-car salesman’ brings to mind. But that shouldn’t be taken as a broad brush to paint the entire industry with. There are quite a few good car salesmen out there and let’s use their example to understand what we are trying to convey here.
I remember, walking into a Lexus showroom trying to figure out if I made the right choice by walking into one. This was a while back and I didn’t have too much money set aside to splurge on a luxury car brand. I was starting my career in sales and the salesperson who was showing me around, did his part by asking the right questions (as I now know). After a few minutes of discussion when he noticed my reluctance to commit to buying the car, he gave me a few scenarios. “Mr Zoheb, just imagine the impression your customers will have when you visit them in your Lexus”. He didn’t know what kind of a company I was working for and what kind of tech solutions I was selling. But I did. At that point, I could easily conjecture up an exact image of how this meeting with my would be prospect look like. Of how I representing a multinational company would be best driving a luxury car brand. And then a sale was made.
The best part about dreams is that the protagonist doesn’t need all the information to visualize it. Give him/her a few props or scenarios, and they will very easily fill in the details themselves. How you use this in your industry is something you need to consciously think about. Everything being sold in the market is supposed to be solving some problem in life, and each of these solved problems makes someone’s life a little better. So, what problem does your product/solution solve for the customer? That could be your dream. Consider telling your prospect how it’ll be when the solution you have for them is completed and the accolades they’ll receive from their executives or how instead of putting time in solving issues, they’ll have more time to spend time with their loved ones. The same concept remains true here. You don’t need to know their executives or family members for them to imagine their dream. They can easily fill it up by visualizing what it would mean when their boss is pleased to see higher revenues with better turnaround times. Or how their family and kids are happy to receive them when they head back home earlier than usual.
CONCLUSION
There are few skills in a sales professional’s life that can make them immensely successful. Selling a dream is one such thing. Like mentioned right on top of the blog, this shouldn’t be taken as a negative sales activity, but in fact should present to the prospect (the user of the product) the ability to imagine themselves in a scenario where their life turns out to be better from what it is currently. Sharing a few scenarios from your own experience or experiences of past customers can provide them valuable insights into what your solution will do not only to their business but their life in general. Remember, while the prospect considers data and information for justifying their purchase, a sale is more emotional than rational. While the facts and figures from your product implementation will satisfy the rational bit, the dream is what will make the sale.
