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ARTICLE
In sales, it’s vital to get to the emotion. People buy with emotion and justify with logic. You need to tug at their heartstrings to appeal to their emotions. How do you do that?
You must have heart.
HEART is an acronym that I recently developed whilst preparing to present at a conference on a cruise ship. HEART stands for Hugs, Emotion, Attitude, Reality and Thoughts. Let’s explore each of these a bit deeper.
In his ‘Getting What You’re Worth’ seminar, Mark Ferrell shocked the DJ community when he stated that he hugs his clients. Now, you may be saying to yourself, “well that’s fine but that’s after the meeting.” That might be correct for you, but probably not for Mark.
A hug is an embrace, it doesn’t need to be a physical one. How else can you provide a warm fuzzy feeling (the hug) to your clients prior to their event or your first meeting? Here are three easy suggestions:
1. Send a quick note or article relating to something they mentioned in your first contact with them.
2. Send a meeting confirmation email reminding them of the meeting and add a funny saying at the end to draw a smile.
3. Do you have an office? Write their names on a small chalkboard sign to greet them as they arrive. Meeting at a venue or coffee shop instead? Arrive early and be sure to have their favourite drink waiting for them (ask ahead of time so you can prep).
It’s the little things that often make a BIG impression.
Let’s look at a typical sales scenario. Most event professionals ask, “So, how do you want your event to be remembered?” Most couples respond to that question by saying “fun, memorable.”
(Isn’t the latter just a derivative of the word remembered?) The answers are just too generic to uncover the HEART of the emotion and make a strong and deep connection.
Here’s a better way to ask that question:
“If you could be a fly on the wall as your guests are driving home from your event, what do you want them to say?”
This question is miles better because it’s more specific. It draws a more personal response and encourages your client to consider the feelings of their friends and family and the words they hope they will use to describe their experiences.
Drilling down to the heart of emotion will help you connect with your clients on a deeper level and put you closer to the sale.
Your attitude can make or break a sale. It’s important that you approach each client the same way – even-keeled. Think like a successful sports person. The very best quickly forget their latest triumph, because even the biggest wins no longer matter. For them, all that matters is the here and now.
It’s the same with your client. You shouldn’t be thinking about the fact that you haven’t booked anything in a while. Equally, you shouldn’t be over-confident because you’ve just taken four bookings. Have an attitude of gratitude. In the worst case, you get a chance to practise connecting with someone new and hopefully they’ll better understand what’s available. In the best case, you get a sale and your client can remove one more item off their to-do list. Of course, you also get to wow their friends and family at the event – always a plus.
The country music superstar Kenny Chesney said it best: “Reality, yeah, sometimes life ain’t all that it’s cracked up to be / So let’s take a chance and live this fantasy / ‘Cause everybody needs to break free from reality.”
OK, so maybe I’m in a bit of the island spirit here right now. But this is a truth in everyday life as well.
Reality can sometimes sap creativity. Creativity is at the heart of the ‘E’ (Emotion) in the HEART acronym. You should approach every sales situation with a little creativity and try not to let reality get you down. However, sometimes you need to bring clients back down to earth (champagne taste and beer budget), so it’s important to know how to do this effectively.
The best way is by getting to the HEART of what they need. Do they need the latest photo booth or the over-the-top décor lighting? Or is reality that the HEART of the party is the emotion of their friends celebrating with them? Taking guests back to a moment in time by playing a song at just the right time, with your client’s friends and family sweating up a storm on the dance floor, is likely to create some especially cherished memories.
Maybe their reality is they need to be guided through the journey they’re about to embark on. This is where you come in as a salesperson. Not only do you need to walk them through each moment and how you’ll handle it, but remind them how they will feel in each moment; how together you can create an experience that they and their guests will remember forever. And finally, you need to illustrate what their memories will be like after the event.
Show clients the difference between you and someone else and more often than not you will earn the sale.
To read the rest of this article, you'll need to subscribe to the magazine where you'll gain access in the printed version delivered to your door 6 times a year as well as the digital app for both apple and android platforms.
You must have heart.
HEART is an acronym that I recently developed whilst preparing to present at a conference on a cruise ship. HEART stands for Hugs, Emotion, Attitude, Reality and Thoughts. Let’s explore each of these a bit deeper.
Hugs
In his ‘Getting What You’re Worth’ seminar, Mark Ferrell shocked the DJ community when he stated that he hugs his clients. Now, you may be saying to yourself, “well that’s fine but that’s after the meeting.” That might be correct for you, but probably not for Mark.
A hug is an embrace, it doesn’t need to be a physical one. How else can you provide a warm fuzzy feeling (the hug) to your clients prior to their event or your first meeting? Here are three easy suggestions:
1. Send a quick note or article relating to something they mentioned in your first contact with them.
2. Send a meeting confirmation email reminding them of the meeting and add a funny saying at the end to draw a smile.
3. Do you have an office? Write their names on a small chalkboard sign to greet them as they arrive. Meeting at a venue or coffee shop instead? Arrive early and be sure to have their favourite drink waiting for them (ask ahead of time so you can prep).
It’s the little things that often make a BIG impression.
Emotion
Let’s look at a typical sales scenario. Most event professionals ask, “So, how do you want your event to be remembered?” Most couples respond to that question by saying “fun, memorable.”
(Isn’t the latter just a derivative of the word remembered?) The answers are just too generic to uncover the HEART of the emotion and make a strong and deep connection.
Here’s a better way to ask that question:
“If you could be a fly on the wall as your guests are driving home from your event, what do you want them to say?”
This question is miles better because it’s more specific. It draws a more personal response and encourages your client to consider the feelings of their friends and family and the words they hope they will use to describe their experiences.
Drilling down to the heart of emotion will help you connect with your clients on a deeper level and put you closer to the sale.
Attitude
Your attitude can make or break a sale. It’s important that you approach each client the same way – even-keeled. Think like a successful sports person. The very best quickly forget their latest triumph, because even the biggest wins no longer matter. For them, all that matters is the here and now.
It’s the same with your client. You shouldn’t be thinking about the fact that you haven’t booked anything in a while. Equally, you shouldn’t be over-confident because you’ve just taken four bookings. Have an attitude of gratitude. In the worst case, you get a chance to practise connecting with someone new and hopefully they’ll better understand what’s available. In the best case, you get a sale and your client can remove one more item off their to-do list. Of course, you also get to wow their friends and family at the event – always a plus.
Reality
The country music superstar Kenny Chesney said it best: “Reality, yeah, sometimes life ain’t all that it’s cracked up to be / So let’s take a chance and live this fantasy / ‘Cause everybody needs to break free from reality.”
OK, so maybe I’m in a bit of the island spirit here right now. But this is a truth in everyday life as well.
Reality can sometimes sap creativity. Creativity is at the heart of the ‘E’ (Emotion) in the HEART acronym. You should approach every sales situation with a little creativity and try not to let reality get you down. However, sometimes you need to bring clients back down to earth (champagne taste and beer budget), so it’s important to know how to do this effectively.
The best way is by getting to the HEART of what they need. Do they need the latest photo booth or the over-the-top décor lighting? Or is reality that the HEART of the party is the emotion of their friends celebrating with them? Taking guests back to a moment in time by playing a song at just the right time, with your client’s friends and family sweating up a storm on the dance floor, is likely to create some especially cherished memories.
Maybe their reality is they need to be guided through the journey they’re about to embark on. This is where you come in as a salesperson. Not only do you need to walk them through each moment and how you’ll handle it, but remind them how they will feel in each moment; how together you can create an experience that they and their guests will remember forever. And finally, you need to illustrate what their memories will be like after the event.
Show clients the difference between you and someone else and more often than not you will earn the sale.
To read the rest of this article, you'll need to subscribe to the magazine where you'll gain access in the printed version delivered to your door 6 times a year as well as the digital app for both apple and android platforms.
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 114, Pages 22-25.
