Mindshare Marketing

A colleague of mine once sent me a fantastic article comparing company sales processes to bad marriages (the original article can be found here).  Using sex as a sales model teaches the same thing.

When men (or women) are trying to meet members of the opposite sex, they often put on a facade.  They dress a bit nicer, talk about things they think their potential partner will be interested in (rather than things they are interested in), and they act just a little more politely around their potential partner’s friends.  

After they “seal the deal,” though, they revert back to their everyday selves.  Slacks and a nice shirt change to blue jeans and a beer-stained hoodie.  Personal interests evolve from “making a mark on history” to “finding a way to keep ‘you’ happy so I don’t have to talk as much.”  Polite behavior transforms to hung up phone calls, no shows at dinner, and rude gossip behind people’s backs.

In sales, we see the same behavior.  From the article referenced above, we see a great example of the difference before and after a sale - in marketing collateral.  Advertisements and product brochures are glossy, well put together, easy to understand, and fun to read.  User manuals and other post-sale collateral, on the other hand, is boring.  Black and white print on flat paper with painfully few images.

If this kind of bait-and-switch behavior is frustrating and difficult in a sexual relationship, why do we put up with it in a sales relationship?  If using a facade to get laid is upsetting and disrespectful, what does that say about using a facade to close the sale?

The only way to defeat this problem is to remove the facade.  Take off the mask and figure out what your real personality assets are.  If you dress like a slob, make a conscious effort to rebuild your wardrobe.  If you’re real interests lie not in world peace but weekend keg stands, take some time to figure out why and discover other (more meaningful?) things you might develop a passion for.  If you’re a sarcastic jerk around other people … then this book might not be for you.

Figure out who you are, then you can see the gaps preventing you from becoming who you want to be.  It takes work to move from point A to point B, but if you can manage it you’ll eliminate much of the risk in dating AND in making stellar sales.  It’s all about being someone attractive without having to don a mask.