The Illogic of Selling Logically.

We are enamored with “making sense”.

There is nothing more frightful for the sales newbie than feeling like they don’t know all the rhymes and reasons for the product they are selling.

Right?

Even experienced sales executives have a semi-”freak-out”when they can’t seem to visualize the exact path for taking a prospect from zero to hero.

It’s based in years of sales training.

We’ve been taught that it’s sales suicide to walk into a meeting without having all 16-steps to the presentation carefully memorized and ready for “client deployment”.

And while that sounds wonderfully productive, it might not be as battle-ready, bulletproof as you might imagine.

In fact, it’s rather the opposite.

It’s book-smart sales tactics that doesn’t work in the real world of day-to-day business development.

Logic isn’t all that awesome.

And here’s why:

1. Your logic isn’t really logical anyway.

Just because it makes sense to you doesn’t mean it amounts to a hill-of-beans for anyone else. In fact, the odds are that your perspective is quite a bit different than that of your prospect. It looks a whole lot different from the other side of the table.

What you think is “a good deal” sounds like a whole heck of a lot like skeevy hard close tactics.

Yes. If you repeat back the exact 47 words you said, there is probably nothing criminal with your presentation. You listed all the facts and figures in the semi-right order and even got your closing line inserted after the appropriately timed pause, but what you think is so brilliant comes out a healthy grade of “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah” to anyone within earshot.

You aren’t talking about things that buyers care about.

2. Your logic actually makes you lose credibility.

You know that guy with all the answers that cuts you off mid-sentence so he can impress you with the facts and figures that he knows? Clients hate that guy.

Answering questions doesn’t mean you know how to solve problems. It means you are good at taking tests. It means you know enough about your industry to talk-the-talk.

Guess what? So do your competitors.

Buyers want you to answer the questions they are too afraid to ask. Buyers want to know how their world changes by adopting your solution. And you lose credibility when you just talk about your silly solution – 17 steps and all.

3. Your logic stops buyers from making a decision.

Too much information is worse than no information at all. At least when you are ignorant you can feel good that you are making the right decision. When you know too much, no decision feels right – even when you happen to be incredibly brilliant.

When you spin out too much information in front of your customer, it slows down the process and cripples your buying cycle.

Instead of showing off how much you know, take a moment to see what they buyer really cares about and then only take about that jazz. You’ll save everyone a headache.

4. Your logic is boring and uninspiring.

Let’s be frank — sitting in a sales pitch is about the worst way to spend 45 minutes of your life. The presentation is 124 slides too long. The font is way too small. And the dude doing the talking is way too excited about something that obviously no one else cares about.

People want to feel inspired after listening to you – not emotionally taxed. Talk about what moves people in their soul. Reach deep and share the gritty drama that moves your buyer to want to be a better person.

It’s not about what buyers buy. It’s about what buyers want to buy. Deliver passion. Speak love. Demand respect.

Instead of being a threat to your buyer’s sanity, you’ll be the wind in their sails. And there’s not too many more motivating things in life than a “pick-me-up”.

Be that guy.

Logic is for professors.

In the game of business, knowing more doesn’t mean better grades or faster closing deals. A lot of the time it’s just a big fat waste of your time.

Be something different.  Be fantastically illogical.