Why is sales theory so superficial or shallow on the topic of push and pull? Did you ever think about that? I believe a lot of people know there's got to be more to it!
It's not a matter of push and pull only, but rather a deeper understanding of human interaction - I think. While building the eZ Systems sales force I emphasized to colleagues and partners the importance of SPP = SBP. It's always interesting to see when someone suddenly grasps the concept - it's almost as if a light switch is turned on inside; "Ah, NOW I get it", and then their behavior automatically leaps from good to excellent. And I'm not being modest. Even though it's a simple principle, most sales people don't really understand the depth that SBP provides to how we can interact with others.
If you've read the article, you may appreciate the next few paragraphs - if you didn't read it, I'm afraid reading the rest of this blog post could be like skipping dinner and going straight for dessert or "the sweet"...
I have five kids. I love them dearly and my hugging them is an absolute all-time favorite activity! But what happens when I impose my hugging on them? Everyone has experienced this and knows what happens. The tighter you squeeze someone, the harder humans will fight to be freed (...even when "love" is the initial driver!!). Robbing someone of their freedom is an absolute guarantee of antagonism. It seems to be deeply embedded into our system.
Right now I have my youngest daughter sitting on my lap. She came, just now. When she wants a hug, her desire for that cuddling is just as powerful as the antagonism would be if I came to steal a hug. Now, isn't that interesting?! Even my putting her aside to finish this blog post just makes her want that time together with dad even more. My wife takes over... Now my daughter is calling for me; "daddy" - almost in despair. You gotta love it! I'll have to go and pay her that special attention... (before I wrap up here ;-)
OK, back again.
Selling is not deciding for others. People will make their own decisions. Selling is not about coercion. The slightest hint of force or imposing our will on others is detected immediately - and most of all by our subconsciousness - which affects subconscious antagonistic impulses, feelings and decisions. Compulsion is part of those invisible negative communicative energies - it hampers connective powers. That's what happened when I went to buy those shoes, remember? I didn't even understand my own mind and behavior until later. Did you ever experience something similar?
O®O 3E audio blog - listen to this post O®O
If we want to reach others we need to balance energy (sending out signals) and sensitivity (picking up inbound signals). What does this mean and how does it work in real life?
The balance between energy and sensitivity is summed up in two basic concepts:
- Selling Buying Pleasure (SBP)
- Selling Product Pleasure (SPP)
These two need to stay balanced if we are to succeed in any persuasive effort. Here's a story to illustrate the importance of SBP=SPP.
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I once went into the shop to buy shoes. Before I entered I already had a specific pair in mind, or at least the type of shoes I wanted.
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It wasn't until years later that for some reason the incident came back to me - when a dear friend of mine pointed out a simple but important aspect of buying and selling. He said: "You know, people love to buy, but they hate being sold to". Looking back I suddenly realized, that's exactly what happened. The lady in the store was service minded - her intentions, I'm sure, were noble and all - but her eager approach and "too much" attitude simply put me off.
I believe "the perfect sale" at least must have that one element in it - the maintaining of the buyer's desire to buy, not to be sold to.
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