Free Breakfast

Find a need – then fill it

Day 10 of our 2020 Coast-to-Coast Tour of America: West Branson, MO. We stopped at a booking agency to get help in finding some available shows for the evening and the next day. Because of Covid, only about half of the town is open and those shows are limited to 50% capacity. Some of the shows we were interested in sold out and others hadn’t reopened yet.

The gentleman who helped was great. After we located a couple of shows we would enjoy, he asks, “What are you doing Friday morning?” I could see something was coming. I and said, “We’re probably having breakfast with you!” Then he went on to ask us if we were familiar with Art Linkletter. Our answer, a positive, “Yes, of course!” (Leadership Principle #14 – Begin With A Yes, Yes, Yes) He said, “Well, my agency is part of his retirement properties, and if you’ll come and take a tour with us, it’ll only take about an hour and a half. There’s no pressure. I’ll give you the tickets for this show free and another $150 in $20 bills.

I knew Donna Lee’s answer would be, “No. We are not interested in doing this and No and No and No.” Now he upped the ante, “What if I give you these tickets free? I’ll give you a discount book for everything around town, a mini-golf pass, and $200 cash in $20 bills?” I would’ve been happy to do it, but her answer was an emphatic, “No!”

I was reminded, once again, that money isn’t everything and that people have to be motivated to do what we want them to do. No matter what you offer them, they’ll not take you up on it, unless you are helping them get something they want! So, the first step in all selling is to find a need, then fill it: Find out what your prospect wants and why they want it. In this case, I can honestly tell you that if he told us about how we would be helping some orphans, or wonderful veterans, or other similar charity, there would’ve been a greater likelihood of motivating Donna Lee to say yes.

You will never sell anyone, anything until you understand what motivates them. What motivates them to action? There are four over-arching motivators: Desire for recognition, Desire to be loved, Desire for gain, and Desire for self-preservation. You must discover your prospect’s over-arching motivation: what do they most desire? Then form your message so they can see how your offering will satisfy their heart’s desire. When you do this, you both get what you want.

“Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” – Albert Einstein

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