Fear-Based Selling
Last week we discussed the idea that fear-based decision making is an unhealthy MO for a leader.
In a LinkedIn post last Friday I lamented the devastatingly negative impact this unhealthy practice has had on our political selection process.
Having laid that groundwork, today I reveal the relative burr under my saddle: the seemingly pervasive presence of fear-based selling.
Here is my dilemma. As conscientious, others-centered leaders who desire to set a healthy example for the world around us…
…if we recognize fear-based decision making to be an unhealthy way to navigate our business, life, and faith experiences…
…is it ethical for us to entertain and/or support sales tactics that prey upon the fears of the potential customer – to intentionally set them up for fear-based decision making?
That may sound harsh. It is a statement that lacks much needed nuance. And maybe it isn’t an issue for you at all.
But as I dive deeper into the marketing and sales arm of my own business, I am seeing this unhealthy theme all around me.
“Limited time only!” “Don’t miss out!” “Buy Now!”
These phrases represent an intent to create a false sense of scarcity and could be interpreted as nothing more than an invitation to a fear-based decision.
And, yes, it is wonderful to be able to provide a solution to another’s problem. This is the essence of trade.
I have something you want/need that will help you with a problem (a product or service). You have something I want/need (e.g. money).
Let’s trade!
Everybody wins.
But much of the sales and marketing tactics promoted these days are encouraging the seller to 1) discover the problem, and 2) amplify said problem to critical, even absurd, “how are you even surviving this way” levels.
Find the pain point and turn the screw.
Make the potential customer feel the pain.
The more pain they feel, the more desire they will have to relieve that pain. And when you offer them a solution to their pain problem, they will be primed and eager to buy.
I get it. The methodology works. The psychology works.
But is it healthy? Is it the right way to treat others?
When I look deeper, particularly into the more aggressive examples of that process, it feels like we’re crossing a line.
And I don’t like that feeling.
So, as I work out the kinks in my own sales and marketing approach, I am looking to lean more toward a process that highlights abundance, not scarcity; opportunity, not crisis; hope, not fear.
And if my potential clients are eager to take action toward abundance, opportunity, and hope, I will be at the ready to follow David Avrin’s advice and help them down that path by being ridiculously easy to do business with.
I just want to make sure that I do it with my head held high. As my lunch buddy this week noted distinctly, I want to be a sales professional, not a salesman.
Don’t forget – every one of us is in sales. Because every one of us is selling something to someone a good portion of the day – to our kids, our partner, our neighbor, our church, our coworkers, our clients and customers...
As we do so, may we become increasingly aware of our tendency to use (even subtle) fear-based selling tactics.
There is a healthier way to do this – a way that honors “the other” in the process
Let’s do this.
Blessings to you, my friends!
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This Week’s Resource Recommendation:
"Fanatical Prospecting"
– Jeb Blount
This was easily one of my favorite reads in my personal transition from “employee” to “entrepreneur”. It opened my eyes to a foreign mindset that I knew I needed to learn and embrace. It may be about time to pull this one back off the shelf!
From Amazon: Fanatical Prospecting gives salespeople, sales leaders, entrepreneurs, and executives a practical, eye-opening guide that clearly explains the why and how behind the most important activity in sales and business development―prospecting.
The brutal fact is the number one reason for failure in sales is an empty pipe and the root cause of an empty pipeline is the failure to consistently prospect. By ignoring the muscle of prospecting, many otherwise competent salespeople and sales organizations consistently underperform.
Step by step, Jeb Blount outlines his innovative approach to prospecting that works for real people, in the real world, with real prospects.
Learn how to keep the pipeline full of qualified opportunities and avoid debilitating sales slumps by leveraging a balanced prospecting methodology across multiple prospecting channels.
MMS 24-14
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Blessings to you, my friend!
