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Issue #46 ~ February 23, 2010 Printer friendly PDF file
Selling the Experience
By Scott Gillespie
What is at the core of every memory you have?
Typically it is the feeling or emotion you experienced at the very moment that the memory was created. Happiness. Sadness. Fear. Elation. Camaraderie. Regret. Love. Regardless the memory, it is usually wrapped around a pretty strong emotion.
One of my earliest memories I have is when I was about eight years old.
My Grandpa Bucher, who lived just outside of Pittsburgh, would send me a
mailing tube every week for about a month. Inside each tube were a few
full-page, full-color caricatures of each of the great football players for the
Pittsburgh Steelers that were printed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette while
they were making one of their Super Bowl runs back in the 1970’s.
Not only was it cool getting mail at that age, but it came in a tube! Not an envelope, a tube! How cool is that!? Every week my emotions were anticipation, curiosity and pure excitement!! Every week, as soon as I got my new tube, I’d go straight to my room with a roll of tape and hang each one on my wall. Because of this experience, and memory, 30+ years later you’d be hard pressed to find a bigger Pittsburgh Steelers fan - living anywhere in Michigan anyway!
So what does this have to do with the world of business and sales?
EVERYTHING!! Many of the things we buy, whether they are products or
services, are bought through emotions; quite often triggered by the experience
we have while making the purchase, or experiencing the purchase. Let’s take a
look at a couple examples…
Many guys will go to the same barber for years and years - probably as long
as they live in the same area, if not for life. There may be half a dozen barber shops around town that we could get just as good a haircut, but we have a favorite. Why? It could be the familiarity, the atmosphere, the barbers, or quite often it’s for the stories that get slung back and forth that takes your mind off the stresses of the day. Regardless the reason, we find one we like and stick with it.
Same thing for the ladies. I’ve been told that many times leaving one salon to go to another is such an emotional experience that it’s akin to breaking up with a long-time boyfriend. Salons do a great job of creating an experience that really binds the heartstrings to return time after time. There is also the bond that is created with a particular stylist. At the end of the appointment, when looking their absolute best with their brand new hair-do, they walk out of the salon looking great and feeling great. At that moment, 4-6 weeks until their next appointment - their next experience - may seem like an eternity!
There are countless examples of businesses creating experiences to seal the deal with their customers. Home entertainment systems quite often are sold in a cozy little room tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the store. My friend Sandy will re-create what it could feel like sitting in your own living room, not watching, but experiencing the vivid, flawless picture of the 60” flat-panel HDTV complete with state of the art digital surround sound.
Another great example is the 12, 16 or 20-oz experience we pick up on the way to work or while we relax for a bit on lunch. Why do you think many people religiously stop off at “Fivebucks” every morning for that $5 cup of coffee? They do a great job of creating a total caffeine experience. (Personally, I happen to enjoy a great tasting, $1 bottomless cup of coffee at a great little downtown coffee and sandwich shop where Tim and Elmo always serve up a great morning and take the typical cafe customer experience to a whole new level!)
What we all need to do, regardless the product or service we are providing, is to step back and examine the “moments” we provide to our customers. What kind of emotions do those moments elicit? And ultimately, what kind of experience do they have that they will remember and guarantee they return? Discover that experience, provide that experience and experience sales like you never have before!
Now, Go Get ‘Em!!
By Scott Gillespie
What is at the core of every memory you have?
Typically it is the feeling or emotion you experienced at the very moment that the memory was created. Happiness. Sadness. Fear. Elation. Camaraderie. Regret. Love. Regardless the memory, it is usually wrapped around a pretty strong emotion.
One of my earliest memories I have is when I was about eight years old.
My Grandpa Bucher, who lived just outside of Pittsburgh, would send me a
mailing tube every week for about a month. Inside each tube were a few
full-page, full-color caricatures of each of the great football players for the
Pittsburgh Steelers that were printed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette while
they were making one of their Super Bowl runs back in the 1970’s.
Not only was it cool getting mail at that age, but it came in a tube! Not an envelope, a tube! How cool is that!? Every week my emotions were anticipation, curiosity and pure excitement!! Every week, as soon as I got my new tube, I’d go straight to my room with a roll of tape and hang each one on my wall. Because of this experience, and memory, 30+ years later you’d be hard pressed to find a bigger Pittsburgh Steelers fan - living anywhere in Michigan anyway!
So what does this have to do with the world of business and sales?
EVERYTHING!! Many of the things we buy, whether they are products or
services, are bought through emotions; quite often triggered by the experience
we have while making the purchase, or experiencing the purchase. Let’s take a
look at a couple examples…
Many guys will go to the same barber for years and years - probably as long
as they live in the same area, if not for life. There may be half a dozen barber shops around town that we could get just as good a haircut, but we have a favorite. Why? It could be the familiarity, the atmosphere, the barbers, or quite often it’s for the stories that get slung back and forth that takes your mind off the stresses of the day. Regardless the reason, we find one we like and stick with it.
Same thing for the ladies. I’ve been told that many times leaving one salon to go to another is such an emotional experience that it’s akin to breaking up with a long-time boyfriend. Salons do a great job of creating an experience that really binds the heartstrings to return time after time. There is also the bond that is created with a particular stylist. At the end of the appointment, when looking their absolute best with their brand new hair-do, they walk out of the salon looking great and feeling great. At that moment, 4-6 weeks until their next appointment - their next experience - may seem like an eternity!
There are countless examples of businesses creating experiences to seal the deal with their customers. Home entertainment systems quite often are sold in a cozy little room tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the store. My friend Sandy will re-create what it could feel like sitting in your own living room, not watching, but experiencing the vivid, flawless picture of the 60” flat-panel HDTV complete with state of the art digital surround sound.
Another great example is the 12, 16 or 20-oz experience we pick up on the way to work or while we relax for a bit on lunch. Why do you think many people religiously stop off at “Fivebucks” every morning for that $5 cup of coffee? They do a great job of creating a total caffeine experience. (Personally, I happen to enjoy a great tasting, $1 bottomless cup of coffee at a great little downtown coffee and sandwich shop where Tim and Elmo always serve up a great morning and take the typical cafe customer experience to a whole new level!)
What we all need to do, regardless the product or service we are providing, is to step back and examine the “moments” we provide to our customers. What kind of emotions do those moments elicit? And ultimately, what kind of experience do they have that they will remember and guarantee they return? Discover that experience, provide that experience and experience sales like you never have before!
Now, Go Get ‘Em!!
