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Many people use the terms marketing and sales interchangeably, resulting in a lack of clarity of focus between the activities. Both of these activities are essential to closing a deal, but there are many people who are unsuccessful at both because they do not distinguish between them.
Marketing is primarily the activity focused on attracting people to your product, service or idea through an explanation or experience that shows the subjective value of your offering. Sales includes the very specific activities of asking a person to trade with you something objective such as money, closing the deal, and accepting payment. Within a sales call or an intellectual discussion, you must market first and sell last. Understanding the difference between marketing and sales is important.
When you market a product you must first focus on building an intellectual case based on facts that are relevant to the situation of the person. In this process you must build and impress images in the mind of your audience that trigger an emotional response toward your product. This could include thoughts that trigger the expectation of positive emotions caused by experiencing your product or triggering doubt, uncertainty, fear or lack if they do not buy your product.
The greatest marketers use the “law of relativity” to make their product more attractive. They move through a process of factual statements of the cost of an alternative which include the price, time, and inconvenience associated with the consumption of that alternative. Then these experts move to an emotional appeal where they use testimonials or images that show the impact of their product.
This intellectual-emotional engagement usually continues through three or four cycles as the marketer progressively defeats the value of the alternative products with intellectual facts in a declining order—starting with the highest priced alternative and moving toward their product at the lowest price. At the same time the emotional testimonials of their product increase in intensity.
This combination of declining facts and increasing emotions causes the calculating side of the brain and the emotional side of the brain to come together at the pinnacle where the expert salesperson asks to trade. The case is built so skillfully that most people are impelled to buy. It is the ask, the close, and the receipt of payment that is the sales process.
The current economic situation requires that you clearly define and market the value of the product you are offering compared with the alternatives. You must also complete the sale by asking , closing, and receiving the payment. If you miss any step of this process, you are likely to be mediocre or poor in your marketing or sales efforts.
Teaching children these concepts is essential. This life lesson will make the difference between a life of success and one of mediocrity. Young children often demand new toys, experiences, candy or similar pleasures. Teach them to explain to you how their experience will be valuable to you so you are willing to spend the money on their desire.
You may think this is short-sighted or impossible, but consider how often your child will be in situations where marketing and sales is required. I recall having to convince many teachers that my test answers were correct and asking for better grades. I had to write letters to colleges for acceptance, which is essentially a marketing and sales process. Seeking a job is also a marketing and sales process.
The earlier you can teach a child to see value from another’s perspective and then to ask for what she wants, the sooner she will build the confidence to ask calmly rather than assume you can read her mind and grow frustrated when you do not see things from her perspective.
As a Father of the Board, marketing and sales are critical skills for you in your career and your family life. Practice these skills and teach these skills to your child.
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About Tony Bodoh
Tony Bodoh is the CEO of Tony Bodoh International. His firm coaches executives to create organizational alignment. With a focus on aligning the thinking, relationships, and processes of an organization, Bodoh has a track record of creating extreme value for customers.
Bodoh also uses his expertise to help professionals build successful and significant relationships with their families. As President of Daddy Daughter DaysTM, Bodoh produces live or recorded teleseminars and workshops.
You can contact Tony Bodoh at tony.bodoh at gmail.com or 877-826-2521.
If you are interested in improving your family’s relationships, please visit http://www.podclass.com/tonybodoh to learn more about Bodoh’s workshops.
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