Are You Over Selling or Under Asking?

We live in a time of constant commercial messages.  We are being continually marketed to, whether on the television, the radio, billboards or on our devices.  It never stops and so it is easy to just block it all out and not listen to any of it.

But what if you are in sales or have a message that people need to hear?  Then you may be “under asking”.

What is the Difference?

What is the difference between over selling and under asking?  First ask yourself if you believe in the product or service you are selling.  If you don’t, you are probably selling.  You may wish to look for a new line of business because selling something you don’t believe in is a very hard path to follow.

If you do believe in it, then you need to determine if the people you are speaking to need it.  Sometimes, that is very clear.  In the case of children, if you are a parent and you would like them to eat healthy foods, the need is definitely there, regardless of how many times you may need to ask to achieve it.  In that case you have an obligation as a responsible parent to make sure that your advice is heeded.

Obligation

The best professionals are able to demonstrate that their potential clients need their product or service and they often convey this with very strong emotion.  They do this after doing an extensive discovery with the clients to see if they need the product and if it is a good fit.  Once they have determined that the clients need it, they feel that if the client does not buy, they are not working hard enough to show the client how much they need it and how good it is for them.  They also feel an obligation to their clients to get them to have the best product or service for them and their families.

In this case, they are definitely not selling, they are asking until the client understands the importance of the purchase.  The best professionals understand that people have a variety of reasons and excuses why they “can’t” or won’t buy, but that if they persist, the sale will be made for the benefit of that client.  They also understand that clients lead busy lives and need to be asked and reminded multiple times about the opportunity to ensure that the purchase is eventually made.

Some of the most regretful words are “I meant to,” after something happens, particularly if the clients had discussed something they needed with a professional and did not go ahead with the purchase. 

Zig and the Elderly Woman

One of the best examples of this regret is a story the great sales trainer Zig Ziglar told of something he saw with his son Tom.  They were out one day, and they saw an elderly woman working in an establishment.  Zig turned to Tom and said: “Son, a life insurance agent or a financial planner really let that woman down.”  When asked what he meant, Zig said that if those professionals had done their jobs properly, as they should have known they needed to, that woman would not have to work at her advanced age.  Either she was a widow and her husband did not have enough life insurance to provide for her when he was gone, or she had not saved enough for her retirement. 

Those professionals had an obligation to that woman and had let her down, even if she did not know it.

So, the next time you know that someone needs something for their own good, perhaps you can use more emotion and asking to convey the importance of that decision to them.

Ask yourself if you are over selling or under asking.