The Power of Transformation: Selling the Feeling, Not Just the How.

Today I wanted to share an analogy about a sales concept that has made it so easy for me to sell over the years.

I posted it on LinkedIn this morning but if you missed it, I thought you might find value in it so I'm sharing it here as well.

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩 & 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 98% 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚:

Let's use the example of a cycling nerd.

Cycling nerds are PASSIONATE about professional cycling, the guys that ride 2000 miles in the Tour De France for 21 straight days, tearing each other apart in the heat of July up some of the steepest mountains in France.

A true cycling nerd will spend ridiculous amounts of money on bikes, shoes, carbon wheels, trainers, GPS and tech devices & nutrition.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 every cycling nerd 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙨 is to be faster.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 do they want to be faster? Because they want to look cool and be like their heroes in the Tour De France.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 do they become faster? Well, the reality is you need to train more and eat less calories so that you become stronger and lighter to get up the climbs.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗼: Spend more money on bikes & gear.

A $12,000 bike will not make you any faster than a $2000 bike.

So why do people invest in more expensive bikes & equipment than training plans?

Because an expensive bike will give the cycling nerd the instant 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 of being faster like the pro's, even though they aren't actually any faster.

Training takes a lot of time and energy so people avoid it.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡:

The difference between the average and elite in sales & marketing is their understanding of how to help the client FEEL the transformation they want to have.

Most people are trying to sell the how (the painful training plan).

Or they are trying to sell the bells & whistles (the gears, the carbon fiber, the tech, the aero parts, the light weight bike).

If you really understand the WHAT and the WHY, then you can sell the 𝙁𝙀𝙀𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙂 of transformation.

What I'd be selling a cycling nerd if I wanted to get them results:

Images of their heroes riding in the Tour De France.
The feeling of being lean and slicing through the wind.
The feeling of being light and nimble so they can float up the climbs.
The wind through their hair as the ride on the Pacific Coast Highway.
Pulling up to a local club ride and having all their buddies gawking it their ripped legs.

Then I'd give them the training plan to train more and eat less calories.

Always ask your clients WHAT they want and WHY they want it, instead of just pitching them the HOW.

Hope you enjoyed this and can use this in your sales and marketing!