Make something that people want to have.
Here in the province of Ontario where I live, if you want to buy a Ferrari 812 S, the wait list is at least 3 years long, and you would be lucky to have to wait only that long.
Usually, the very best stuff sells itself. In fact, the transaction isn’t when the customer committed, it’s when she took ownership. The salesperson at a Ferrari dealership is probably the most successful, while simultaneously being the most pointless salesperson working.
Nobody has ever been sold a Ferrari.
There was a time when people were sold everything, from slippers to luxury cars, but all of this changed when the Internet blew into town. The Internet is the ultimate frictionless marketplace. All the information that the customer needs and previously never had access to is now available to them 24/7/365.
But we have that information now …
In 1995, when you wanted to buy a car, you went to the dealership. Now you go online. In 2021 when a person walks into any business – cars, the bank, a clothing or hardware store – for the most part, they have as much or possibly more information than the salesperson, including what price every other similar item is selling for across the city, region, province or state.
Which is why everything is so affordable. Everything is a commodity now in that it competes on price. From shoes to cars to professional services, absolutely everything is for sale, and on sale always. You don’t even have to buy a car now, you can lease them, or share them or summon them.
How important are sales skills in our world then?
Salesmanship is overrated. What matters more is investing your resources into creating the right solution for a very narrow market, not hyping whatever it is you have sold yourself on.
Somebody who sells mini vans will disagree.
The difference is that nobody wants a minivan, they just need one. Needs and wants are very different. Things that people need sell on price. Things that people want …
So are you offering something everyone needs, or something that only a few people will want because they get it?
Comments