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Whitepaper on Customer Messaging Must have Adobe Reader 8.0
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Fear as Friend, not Foe
by Tom Reilly, the guy who wrote the book on Value-Added
Selling
In his first inaugural address, FDR said: “The only thing we have to fear
is fear itself.”
Even though he directed his words to the citizens of the U.S. in 1933, they have
special meaning for salespeople today. Fear is the most misunderstood and
maligned emotion in business. For most people, fear is a negative thing. When
used in the context of sales, it is often viewed as a way to manipulate buyers
into purchasing something they may not want or need. My view is different.
Fear is a very human reaction to threat or insecurity. It’s part of our survival
instinct. Sometimes, it materializes in prudent decisions and rational behavior,
and other times it manifests in knee-jerk reactions and irrational behavior.
Fear causes feeding frenzies, Wall Street sell-offs, paying more for something,
indecision and hoarding. Manipulators wield fear to con people.
For value-added salespeople, fear need not be a negative. Fear can be the
catalyst for an open dialog with customers on irrational buying decisions. It
can provide context for a conversation on the customer’s missing a buying
opportunity. After all, who wants to miss a great opportunity? In today’s
economy, fear is at the core of many buying decisions. It gives you the
opportunity to reassure buyers they are making prudent buying decisions when
choosing your solution. Your job is to assuage that fear.
Fear is a powerful and relentless source of energy. Some people process this
energy as anxiety which can result in negative or self-defeating behavior.
Others use the extra energy that fear provides as fuel for their afterburners.
It helps get them where they want to be quicker. It encourages some salespeople
to get an earlier start in the morning and make one more call in the afternoon.
Fear-induced energy can also encourage extra preparation for an important
meeting with a customer. Fear-of-loss makes some salespeople painfully aware of
how tenuous some customer relationships can be. This results in higher service
levels.
There is plenty of fear to go around these days. It’s inevitable and very human
to feel it. How you use it is a choice you get to make. Will you fear fear or
embrace it as a special energy and opportunity?
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