Politics and Small Business Sales, Not So Different After All

Why Customers Aren’t Concerned with What You Think

I am not here to say that either presidential candidate is better or worse, nor do I profess to know politics better then anyone else, but I am amazed at the way a large majority of people make these types of decisions.

For example, years ago in Florida there was an amendment that would, if passed, allow one particular industry to decrease taxes for their industry only. They subsequently ran a local ad campaign that said, “If we pass this amendment, we will have lower taxes.” Yet the only people receiving tax benefits were them. However, the public bought it and the amendment passed!

True story.

Now let’s look at selling and why this relevant to your small business.

Since most small businesses typically sell to the average American, it is important to understand that people make decisions on different factors than what you may think.

If you believe your “platform” (features and benefits) is the hook, line, and sinker you will share it when prospects inquire how you are different. Often this conversation may include you telling a potential customer one or two things in particular that you believe are most important — to you.

But keep in mind, no one really cares what you think. What matters to a customer is what they themselves think. Therefore, uncovering what “they” think is really all that matters.

Often times, we get so caught up in telling customers, the media and prospects the “important things” about our product or service that we forget to check and see if it is important to the potential buyer.

You know what they say about assumptions …

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Photo Credit: Blanco

Greta Schulz is president of Schulz Business SELLutions in West Palm Beach, Florida. She is the best-selling author of “To Sell is Not to Sell”. Greta does corporate training for fortune 1000 companies and she has an online training course for entrepreneurs.