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The Tool that Moves People Forward Faster

Guest post by: Harlan Goerger

Article Overview: Salespeople, managers and negotiators that know this secret, get more sales and more wins more easily than others.

The Tool that Moves People Forward Faster

The promise of gain or hope is not always the strongest motivation In sales we are told to provide "benefits", what's in it for the customer so the customer becomes motivated to buy because of a potential gain. Yes this works quite well most of the time.

Yet how many of us in sales or leadership become frustrated because the customer/employee is not moving forward on a "no brainer" offer that fits them just right. The offer is logical, cost effective, with in their budget and makes perfect sense, yet no action.

Perhaps there is a different motivation to act that is more powerful than gain or hope.

We'll explore it today..

In basic terms psychologist inform us there are two types of motivation. The motivation to gain something or the motivation to avoid the loss of something. Which is stronger?

Here is a scenario to test it out.

You have an opportunity to increase your income by 20% in the next year. This can completely change your life style and exceed many of your goals. You will have to work 60 hours a week for 6 months and collect the money at the end of that time period. This is all but guaranteed. How do you feel about the gain in income and life style? Do you feel excited about the gain or are you focused on the 60 hours and what that means you will have to give up short term?

Another scenario gives you $10 million to do with as you wish. Can you see what this will do for your family and you? It's a WOW picture isn't it. To accomplish this you will have to abandon your current life style, possibly leave your family for a year or more and do things you have never done before. There is no guarantee, but it you follow the plan and execute the steps you have a 95% chance of total success! Once more, what are you focused on, their reward or what you have to give up and do in order to get the reward?

For many of us we focus on the loss we will experience in gaining the reward rather than the reward and what it brings. As humans we like the familiar and the comfortable. Often times I'll use the expression, "They are comfortable in their misery!".

This simply means the motivation to maintain what one has, is use to and comfortable with; is harder to let go of (lose) and is more powerful than the motivation to gain something we have not yet experienced.

There are thousands of examples of this in daily life. The manager that accommodates counter productive performance because they avoid confrontation, the salesperson that does not make new calls, the abused spouse that stays in the relationship. All because the current situation is "comfortable, familiar and known". It is more comfortable to be miserable than to change!

But you need to help these people make a better choice. The proposal can save your client big dollars, the employee can get a raise and promotion or the child can develop the right kind of habits. What do you do, pile on more benefits? They shrug their shoulders and continue on as before. Frustrating isn't it.

The key is to provide the "motivation of loss" in some way and thus have a stronger motivator and action.

Here is one way to do so:

1. You have discovered what the person would really like to have or the outcomes they really desire. The question is, have they taken ownership of this outcome? By having them describe in detail what this outcome looks like and feels like they begin to take ownership. It is important that they describe it, not you. With their words it becomes real to them, your job is to keep them adding detail and talking about the outcome so it becomes as real to them as possible. Yes this is different than benefit selling.

2. When you see they are connected to this outcome through body language and the feelings being expressed, ask a question similar to this: "Obviously to have your outcome occur, there will have to be some actions taken on your part. What will happen to your outcome if these actions do not take place?" This takes away the outcome they have just created, taken ownership of and want. In other words they have now just "lost" the new outcome.

3. Allow them to address this and yes they should be uncomfortable. The more uncomfortable they are the greater the feeling of loss and greater motivation to take action. Gently question them as to how they feel about losing the outcome and what that loss means to them and others.

4. Now ask them what barriers or hurdles they need to deal with in order to move ahead and regain the outcome? Help them clarify and stratagize as to how to overcome or deal with these barriers. Provide them help and hope that they can accomplish the outcome with your product/help/solution.

You now have a motivated person that is driven by avoiding loss of a new outcome and has a clear picture of the actions required to make it happen. They are less likely to be held back by avoiding the loss of today because they now have ownership of tomorrows outcome.

If this seems challenging to you or question it's effectiveness, I use this regularly in my own sales and in my coaching practice. It takes some practice to accomplish.

Consider this, how much frustration would leave your life if you had far more "yes" from others and they actually followed through? What does that look and feel like to you?

If you do the same as you are today, will the frustrations and the "No's" go away?

What are you willing to do to gain the new outcome of more "Yes" and less frustration?

Did you feel it, the loss feeling? It works.

Give it a try and let me know your results, glad to help coach you through it.

Should you want more influencing tips that work, get the book Bypassing No in Business, this is from chapter 15.

HG :)

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Article Tags: fear, future gain, gain, influence, loss, motivation, sales



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