If you’re going to sell something, the first thing you need to do is pay attention.
A 40-year-old woman walked through an airport and was chatted up by a man selling anti-aging beauty products. The following is the gist of this woman’s conversation with the salesman:
Man: “Your skin is so natural looking, you aren’t wearing any make-up, right?”
Woman: “Um, no?”
Man: “Let me guess your age…” (Proceeds to pull out a number 12 years younger than she was.)
Woman: “I look my age and that’s ok, actually.”
Man: (Unsure how to handle the objection.) “Let me show you our face serum, because if you aren’t careful to maintain your skin now, these wrinkles on your face will deepen. By 45, creams won’t help anymore.”
Woman: “What’s wrong with a woman looking 40?” (This woman went on to dominate completely the sales conversation and threw the man totally off script. The man tried his best to double-down on the perception that aging is a bad thing.)
Man: “Well let’s talk about the bags under your eyes, and smile lines, my eye cream could improve those in 15-minutes.”
Woman: “What’s wrong with my eyes? I have a miracle baby at home and haven’t slept in 2 years, so if I have bags I am grateful to have them. My husband and I laugh a lot. He loves how I look. I don’t think I need your cream.”
Man: (Nervously plunging ahead.) “They may be manageable now, but by 50, it’s too late to correct sagging skin and deep wrinkles. Unless you act now, only surgery can correct those.”
Woman: “Again, what’s wrong with a woman aging? You know, my husband and I can’t wait to grow old together. We talk about it all the time, how we’ll be this funny wrinkled old couple. My husband is going to age, too. We all are. It’s kind of how life works.”
Man: (Glancing nervously at other customers in the store who are listening in.) “Wait, if price is an issue, I can offer you our special this week: all 3 creams for $199. Cheaper than Botox!”
Woman: “I look fine now, and when I’m 45 I will look fine. And when I’m 50, I will look fine. Because there is nothing wrong with a woman aging. Old age is a privilege denied to many, and I don’t appreciate you marketing youth instead of your products, and denigrating aging women as a sales tactic. Thank you, but I don’t want or need your cream.” —–
Brava, my wise sister.
People stopped in their tracks to listen to a woman challenge a very entrenched perception that aging is a negative. But there are very powerful marketing messages to gather from this important exchange. Here are two very important considerations for selling anything to your target market:
#1: Ask: When You Sell Anything, Has Your Prospect Changed Her Perceptions About Your Product?
Women are changing their perceptions about aging.
They’re tired of aging being peddled as a problem that needs to be “fixed.”
They’re breaking out of a lot of advertising that has pushed them into thinking aging is the absolutely worst thing that can happen to them.
This has huge ramifications for any business that markets products to women – whether it’s a health & beauty product business or even B2B services.
#2: Observe: Whenever You’re Trying To Sell Anything, Do NOT Double-down On Your Script
Again… whenever you’re trying to sell anything to anyone – and they present their objections – the response is NOT to double-down on your script. Do this and you’ll lose ‘em in a New York second.
Instead, if you’re lucky enough to be face-to-face with your perfect buyer, use that opportunity to the hilt.
Dive deep to get a deeper understanding of your buyer’s concerns. Ask a lot of questions. Listen to the answers and more importantly, pay attention to the emotion your buyer has regarding any of their concerns.
The more anger, frustration, or anxiety they show… the more important it is to address in your persuasion process.
Unfortunately, this man didn’t do that. He stayed on script, which is great if you’re prepared for these types of objections (and planned a response).
But he didn’t know when it was time to take another approach.
As a result, the woman was frustrated and offended.
And she didn’t buy the product.
By the way, this woman’s Facebook update on this exchange has received 42,724 shares to date.
If you’re trying to reach women specifically for your business, you need to be aware of these “sea changes.”
If you’d like to talk more about this topic or what might be your own “sea change” for your target market, schedule a free marketing chat.
I’ll give you more insights on what you need to focus on when it comes to getting women to buy.
Yours for winning ways…
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