Wikipedia defines Human Nature as the concept that there are a set of characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting, which all “normal” human beings have in common. Most sales processes adhere to that philosophy, gearing sales tactics to capitalize on the commonality of all humans. It makes sense, right? Won’t most “normal” human beings react to any given sales tactic in a similar manner? I believe the answer is yes… and no. There are certain human characteristics that will be consistent across many individuals and situations, but beware of utilizing “one-size-fits-all” sales processes with “scripted” responses to your customers. That approach is as outdated as the typewriter.
Let’s examine a very common example of a classic “human nature” scripted sales tactic. This is a fairly well known tactic for handling objections called “Feel, Felt, Found.” When confronted with an objection such as price, your response would be “I know exactly how you feel, a lot of people felt the same way about the price before they took the time to really learn about this product. Once they had the chance to understand in more detail what this product could do for them, they actually found the price to be quite reasonable.” This is only one example, but I think you get the point. It is a scripted response, designed to accomplish two things. First, it is supposed to show your empathy for the customer. Second, it is designed to tap into the customer’s “human nature,” based on the supposition that your customer wants to feel like everyone else. The last car salesman that used that one on me missed a sale.
The fact is “human nature” has changed. The new human nature drives us to great lengths NOT to be like everyone else. Why would you want to leverage sales tactics and scripts that try to pre-suppose what will be effective based upon how “most people” will react, when more and more of us aren’t anything like “most people?” Burger King was ahead of their time when they came up with the slogan “Have it your way.” I don’t want my Whopper just like everyone else, I want it exactly the way I want it. For years, Dell has allowed their customers to customize their computer to their exact specifications. That business model reflects the new human nature. Each of us is unique. We want to be treated as unique, and we expect the companies we do business with to understand and respond to that fact.
It is time to throw out the old “Feel, Felt, Found” one-size-fits-all canned sales tactic, and adopt a process that allows us to understand exactly what our customers are trying to tell us. We should make sure we are listening carefully to understand how their problems are unique to them and partner with them to create unique solutions that solve their problems exactly the way they are experiencing them.
Take the time to listen carefully, acknowledge your concern and thoroughly explore the situation to verify your understanding before offering solutions. This is how we can meet the challenges of today’s customers. We all want to have it our way, that’s just “human nature.” Learn more by reading “What’s the Real Objection“
Chuck Terry is the Executive Vice President and CSO of Carew International and is regular contributor to Carew’s blog – Executive Insights
Carew International is a leader in sales training and leadership development; specializing in comprehensive, proven training programs for sales, sales management and customer service excellence. For over 30 years, Carew has earned its reputation of delivering increased productivity and profitability to our valued clients world wide.
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