Mystery is killing your Sales

Fantasy Suites are in the books and has left Peter in a situation with Madison. It appears he’s regretting his decisions with Victoria and Hannah and is visibly disheartened by Madison’s choice to walk away. As I’m watching all these emotions (often dramatic) unfold I caught myself wondering why would Peter be surprised? If Madison were as important to him, why would he risk the relationship by doing the one thing Madison said she wouldn’t tolerate? What is Peter thinking? Is Peter that dull? 

It was at the point where Peter shared his perspective on Madison that I started to see what Peter was thinking. At the point of Fantasy Suites, Peter hadn’t heard from Madison on where she was with him. Victoria and Hannah both had declared they were falling in love with him, while Madison hasn’t shown that certainty. Hannah even went to the point during fantasy weeks to suggest she would be there for him regardless of his decision because she believed in them. Hannah made a huge statement about where she stands with Peter and her commitment to him. For Peter, who is looking for someone that will say yes to a proposal, and that he can build an amazing life with, that statement means everything. Strong move by Hannah for sure. Madison on the other hand has Peter uncertain, and that’s the problem. 

Aside from leaving Peter in mystery, Madison also asks that Peter not be intimate with the two other relationships he’s considering. While that request is more than fair, it’s asking a lot from Peter when he doesn’t even know where you stand with him. How can Peter intentionally slow down his potential with two other relationships while not being confident with Madison? 

Our objection and intolerance to mystery isn’t unique to the dating world. It’s as prevalent in the business world, although it’s a lot quieter, less dramatic, and silently kills your sales conversion. I continuously see organizations design marketing and sales weapons that fail to resonate with the prospects. I see weapons like trade show displays, brochures, sales sheets, customer gifts, emails, voicemails, social posts, postcards, and websites all focused on the seller and lacking any clear benefit the prospect receives by entering conversations with a business. 

I actively accept meetings with salespeople to see how they approach presenting their solutions, and they are almost all the same. As they are talking about their product/service, and business history I’m simply wondering how I can benefit from this information. What problem are they solving, do I have that problem, how can I easily implement the solution, what are my risks, what are the potential benefits. 

Almost 100% of the time, the salesperson never asks me about my perceived risks, benefits, or what’s holding me back from implementation? These data points are critical for the salesperson to understanding how to frame the benefits, next steps and help me improve my situation. Unfortunately, the conversation passes without ever touching these points leaving me with questions such as: what are the risks of me investing in this platform, how long will it take to implement, how many people will I need buy in from, how soon can I expect benefits from the program, etc.? Because I don’t have these answers, I have to leave the salesperson and begin researching these types of questions which now introduce me to competition, other approaches to solving my problem, more technical confusing data, and longer delays for me to take action, if I even take action at all. 

Mystery adds time to deciding, opens doors for competitors, and weakens your win rate. Don’t ask the customer to make decisions without that decision being a no-brainer. If you cannot easily explain to a 3rd grader the benefits of moving forward with your solution, chances are your prospect isn’t moving forward. 

Said differently, mystery is not good, and as an organization it’s critical to communicate the risks, benefits of your solutions, how long it takes to realize the benefits, who else in the organization will be required, and how quickly one can achieve their vision. One tip I share with my salespeople, if you can explain the problem, solution, and life after like a 60 second movie trailer to a 3rd grader you most likely understand the buyer’s context strong enough to close a deal. 

After you build out your 60 second movie trailer, or power statement immediately adjust apply this information in your marketing and sales weapons like trade show displays, brochures, sales sheets, customer gifts, emails, voicemails, social posts, postcards, and websites. Like most movies, you’ll enjoy a happier ending of more leads, conversions, customer retention! 

What do you think happens next for Peter and Madison?