When you encounter a salesperson who seems to have no genuine interest in you or your well being, how many seconds go by before you wish you had someone else to deal with? I know that I'm looking around for someone else, say, within five seconds.
One ability that I believe all of us enjoy (and at a very high level) is the ability to sense when someone is being sincere. And this ability has helped us navigate through many situations in life. When it comes to buying and selling, I know I am much more likely to buy from someone I feel cares at least as much about me as s/he does about their commission. They don't have to overwhelm me with care and sincerity, but I do want to sense they have some of my best interest in mind.
I made some recent online purchases of marketing materials (books, manuals, CDs, that type of thing) and I found myself searching a bit harder for this "magical" quality from the seller. When you're dealing with web sites and web site sales pitches, it's not as easy to detect sincerity on the part of the seller. So I just try to read between the lines. I'll look over the commitment the people (behind the site) are making to me. Is the sales copy geared to making a quick sale and then moving on? Or do they genuinely want some aspect of my life to improve? Insincere, slick sales pitches are easy to spot and stay away from.
Bottom line: sincerity communicates...and has tremendous impact.
Call it the "golden rule" of doing business, but if you prefer the sales effort that considers YOU and how your life can somehow be improved, then feel free to apply that viewpoint to your own sales effort.
What if you're selling a simple commodity, like batteries or bars of soap? How does one impart sincerity with every day items?
That's a really good question. And I've got a really good answer for it:
That wonderful smile I got at the check-out counter...that actually improved my life.
