Aches versus pains

Bryan Flanagan works for the Ziglar Corporation. He’s very well-known in the area of sales. Though I’ve never met him in person, I’ve come across his materials, and I could consider them as classics just like those of his mentor Zig Ziglar.

Flanagan gives a lesson on the difference between “ache” and “pain”. Flanagan says, “How much money do you make on the sales you almost close? I mean, when you get real close?  When the prospect is about to sign the agreement, or about to say “yes”, how much do you make when the sale is that close?” 

That’s right, you make the same amount of money as I do on the sales I almost close… Zero! Nada. Zip.

So, do you ever wonder why you don’t win the “close ones”? The answer may be the difference between “ache” and “pain.” Most prospects don’t take action until they are in enough “pain” to change their current situation. They may have some discomfort, they may have some pain, but they’re not hurting enough to discontinue using the product or service of your competitor and switch to your product or your service. Let me illustrate the point with a story.

Two West Texas farmers were talking one afternoon. The visiting rancher noticed his friend’s dog lying on the porch. The dog was moaning. He asked, “Why is your dog moaning?” The friend answered, “Well, he’s lying on a nail. But he’s not in enough pain to move!”

Until your prospect is in “enough pain to move” – to take action – then the prospect will not budge, will not agree to buy your product or service. The challenge for the sales professional is to uncover the prospect’s pain. To achieve this, the sales professional must assist the prospect in becoming aware of existing needs, existing “pains”. He or she does this by asking questions like: “How satisfied are you with your current situation? Are you dissatisfied enough to take action today?”

“If you could change your current situation, what would be the benefit to you?”

“If you could receive greater coverage at lower costs, how would that impact your budget?”

These questions are intended to move the prospect from being in an “ache position” to a “pain position”. Once the prospect is in pain, your chances of winning the business are increased.

While the tips are very handy, let me remind every sales person that techniques like these are not meant to manipulate prospects into buying. The best sales person in the world is still the one who’s concerned with meeting the genuine needs of the clients. Sales guru Jeffrey Gittomer says, “People do not want to be sold to, but people do want to be led to buy. You never hear the husband say, ‘Come on sweetheart, let’s go down to the car shop so we could be sold to.’ But you would hear him say, “Come on sweetheart, let’s go down to the car shop and buy a car.’ ”

I’ve actually turned down clients who wanted to get me as resource speaker when I knew I was not the solution they needed. And I have helped clients get other HR experts and experts in organization development, knowing that these people are what the clients needed no matter how inspiring my talks and trainings could be. And the clients, they always end up giving me business later on because of the trust that has been built during our previous encounter.

Be truthful and be real.

Don’t treat your clients like ATM machines. Treat them as a friend. And guess what? Everybody wins.

(Send “Inspire” to 288 for Smart or Sun subscribers and 2889 for Globe to receive your daily inspirational quotes and thoughts from Francis. Visit facebook.com/franciskong 2 for more details.)