By Paul Reilly
“I look for whoever is the most peeved… and I start with them.”
That’s what a participant shared in my recent training session. Our discussion focused on the challenging nature of inspiring change. Most customers are satisfied with the status quo and see no reason to switch. Even if your solution is better (higher quality, better service, stronger support, etc.), the potential gain doesn’t outweigh the pain of change.
Jim Collins claimed that good is the enemy of great in his groundbreaking book, Good to Great. He points out that there are so few great companies because there are so many good companies, and most people are content with being good. Similarly, most customers are satisfied with an option that meets their basic needs.
In Value-Added Selling, I highlight the compounding effect of continuous improvement and enhancement. There’s also a compounding effect in sticking with a “good enough” mindset. The former leads to maximizing outcomes, while the latter leads to mediocrity. The distance between mediocrity and maximizing is your window of opportunity. The greater the distance, the stronger the buyer’s motive to change. Use these suggestions to maximize the distance.
Focus on the vocal advocates for change. These disruptors of the status quo often sell change more effectively than you can. You’ll find an advocate by identifying those most affected by the problem or process. Use these questions to help you identify this individual:
- Who must stay late or come in early to fix it?
- Who is responsible for the successful completion of the project?
- Who is the most at-risk upon failure?
In Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow, he introduced the concept of loss aversion to describe what people need to gain in order to risk a potential loss. He created a wagering scenario in which people could lose $10. He discovered that the gain had to be significantly higher than what they risk losing. In many cases, people needed a chance to win $15–$25 to take on the risk of losing $10. This benchmark can help us highlight the gain. For example, if your solution costs $1,000, the customer needs to gain 1.5–2.5 times the upfront sacrifice in long-term value. Highlighting this gain helps you capture that window of opportunity.
Disrupting the status quo requires casting a brighter vision. Shift the customer’s attention toward the future, where they are more focused on outcomes and impact. This future must be compelling enough to catalyze change and overshadow the risk. Top-performing sellers inspire change, not just suggest it. Do this by detailing a brighter future where their pain is alleviated and problems are solved.
Buyers will change when the distance between their mediocre present and a maximized future becomes real. Use these techniques to widen that distance so it becomes too painful to stick with the status quo. As a final measure, look for whoever is the most peeved… and start with them.