Buyers make decisions based on emotions and then rationalize them based on facts. So, they tell you what the facts are, but the emotional side of your brain decides. And then it says, “Oh, this is the reason why we’re doing it.”
They say, “Is this true?” Whether you are selling toothpaste to consumers or you are selling complex financial solutions to banking executives, it makes no difference to the brain. That is how it works, and that will never change.
Stories make a great solution because stories have been found to be the most efficient way of getting your attention and making a lasting impression on your prospects or your clients. So, we are going to play storyteller.
Be a great storyteller. Tell them your story. Let them know who you are, and their trust in you and their belief and conviction in you will rise tremendously. It can make a world of difference if you are effectively connecting with your clients.
Let me show you seven ways to sell to this decision-making brain:
- Be visual. Why? The brain loves, loves, loves visual things. It loves to see things because we make decisions on what we see. And so, our communication is going through visual tools. Presenting them with pictures and props and, of course, things like stories makes a huge difference when you share your plans with your prospects. So, be as visual as possible. It will make your connection and your presentation to them very concrete, and they will remember whatever you show them.
- Identify contrasts. Paint a picture saying, “This is where you are now, and it’s not safe. What we want is over here, where it is safe. And so, we get from this point to this point.” The brain understands that, moving from unsafe to safe. It’s about self-preservation. When it sees moving from here to here as providing safety for you and for your family, it buys into that. It connects with that because you have shown how they can move to safety.
- Use first and last. Make a good impression. When you connect with them, share with them your story. Let them know who you are. Once they trust you, it will make a big difference in their connecting with you emotionally. They have seen you as someone they can trust, someone who is a part of their tribe, part of their family. And they will see you as one of them and one who can make a difference. And then you close by using a story. All the information in between they may forget, but they will remember how you made them feel by connecting with them. Make a lasting impression on them. And how do you do that?
- Use emotions. Forge a relationship. You start by bonding with them. It will make a big difference when you connect with them on an emotional level. Recognize their emotional needs, and when you find out who they are by asking them questions and having them give you answers, then you have your solutions of these emotional connections that they have shared with you. I guarantee that you will not only have a client but a friend for life.
- Keep it super simple. Sometimes we have a tendency to think that the more complex we make it and the more we show that we know complex things, we will impress them. No, we don’t. You will confuse them. You will turn them off. You will make them disconnect from you. Keep it simple. Don’t use regulations and complex numbers. They don’t want that. They want to connect with you. Use things that they want, that they understand. Keep it simple. Use metaphors; use analogies. Paint a picture, put them in the picture, and show them how they will benefit from the recommendations you are making for them. Move them from one place to the next, and they will understand that easily because you made it simple.
- Make it concrete. Make something solid that they can count on too. Don’t use absurd ideas. They won’t understand that. Tell them safety ― school for their children, college for their children. Tell them security, peace of mind. They understand those things ― something concrete. It will have a more profound effect on them and be much more lasting than if you did not.
- Use optimism. Someone once said, “‘Hope’ is a word founded on a confident belief, on a specific vision, goal, desire or promise that will be achieved within a specified time.” They say that researchers show that the human brain is wired to rely on being optimistic. It depends on optimism. And that is why you find that gamblers who have been gambling for years, decades even, and losing every day, still gamble. Why? Because they believe that one day their ship will come in, and they will win big. Most never, ever get there, but they still believe that it works. And so, if you can show them how, by following your recommendation, they can achieve a goal. Show them.
If they are already halfway to retirement, let them know the difference between not investing for retirement and actually investing in retirement even after a period of time, 20 years or 10 years. Show them the big difference. They may not be able to buy a sports car if they started late, but they may be able to change their economy car in five or six years. They might not be able to take a vacation every year, but they may be able to, if they want, every three to five years. Show them what can happen if they start the program now instead of not doing it at all or doing it later. Show them the difference, and they will be hopeful that one day they will get there ― to their dream. Set the expectation that they expect to get to because you helped them make a big difference.
Leroy Anthony Dallas, LUTCF, EMBA, is an 18-year MDRT member with three Court of the Table qualifications and one Top of the Table honor. He has represented Jamaica and the Caribbean as a Chair for MCC from 2006 to 2009 and has spoken throughout the Caribbean on behalf of MDRT. He has twice spoken in the ConneXion Zone at the Annual Meeting and has also spoken several times on the main platform for the Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (CARIFA).