Want more sales?
- by Homer Smith
Do You Want More Sales? Remove Imaginary Barriers!
A behavioral scientist conducted an experiment some years ago that provides an object lesson for any salesperson concerned about customer resistance or his or her own competence.
The scientist had a large glass tank in his laboratory in which a fish swam contentedly back and forth. For his experiment in behaviorism, the scientist placed a vertical glass barrier midway in the tank so that the fish was confined to only half of his usual swimming area.
For a while, the fish would try to swim the full length as he had always done, only to be halted midway by bumping his nose against the glass. After a time, the scientist noted that the fish no longer ran into the barrier. He would swim close, but just before bumping his nose, he would gracefully turn around and swim in the opposite direction.
Now it was time for the rest of the experiment. The scientist removed the confining glass barrier so the fish could swim the entire length of the tank again. But instead, the fish swam up to the midpoint where the glass had been, turned around as before and went back. Never again did he try to pass the point where the glass had once resisted him. As far as he was concerned, he could swim no further. So why even try?
It’s easy for humans to be fooled by non-existent barriers, too.
When a prospect turns some salespeople down, they tend to think it means forever. Not so! It is estimated that for some types of selling, 80 percent of new orders go to prospects who previously had rejected the idea. Professional salespeople think of a turndown as only a postponement, not forever.
An office supply salesperson assumed that because he had no training in computer technology, he couldn’t sell computer word processing supplies. Then he learned that he didn’t have to be a computer expert to sell disks or paper any more than a filling station attendant needs to be an automotive engineer to sell gas and oil. Now he simply asks what model of equipment the prospect uses, refers to his specification charts and says, “Your equipment uses our 367Y Diskette. How many do you use in a month?”
If something has kept you from making a sale in the past, try again. The barrier has been removed, so try going all the way again!
By Homer Smith
(Don: Most barriers in sales and even in life are the ones we either build ourselves or allow others to create for us. If they can be built, they can also come down.)
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