Sales Secrets From An Elephant (A True Story!)

I have a true story for you today. It’s from 1903 and still an important lesson that’s relevant today.

Back in 1903, the Dallas Circus bought an elephant from the world-famous animal trainer, Karl Heganback. He claimed that this elephant was the smartest animal that he’s EVER worked with.

A high compliment from someone with his history.

So the circus receives the elephant, and the ringmaster can’t get her to do anything. I mean anything. “Come on, old girl,” the men pleaded, but she wouldn’t leave her cage, she wouldn’t perform any tricks, she wouldn’t respond to them.

The ringmaster was growing more frustrated by the minute. This was supposed to be the smartest elephant in the world, but she couldn’t even follow simple commands?

The baffled circus owner called upon Karl and demanded answers, “You claimed this elephant could do everything we wanted and more, but she won’t leave her cage. She must be deaf!”

“Nein, Nein!” Shouted Karl. “She IS the smartest elephant I’ve ever worked with, I swear to you! Every morning I say to her, ‘Wie geht’s Mama!’ (How are you, Mama!) and she greets me excitedly like a child!”

And suddenly, it hit the ringmaster.

He ran outside to her and shouted “Wie geht’s Mama!”

The elephant bowed to her knees trumpeting happily. She stood up and shimmied her body in a bubbly excitement before wrapping her trunk affectionately around the circus owner. In a distant land filled with unfamiliar people, she finally heard something she recognized.

The circus owner chuckled, ashamed at his ignorance. She wasn’t deaf or dumb at all, she was a German elephant that didn’t understand English!

One of the biggest mistakes that salespeople make, is they give an “English” presentation to a German-speaking audience. If you want to get your message across to your prospect clearly, in a way that compels them to take action, you have to speak THEIR language.

And I’m not just talking about their actual language, that’s a given. I mean, what are they struggling with? What is it they really want? What do they really need from you?

It’s not a long list of features. It’s not any accolades or awards the company has won. It’s not even your personal opinion on what you’re selling. If you want to connect with your audience, you have to go a level deeper. You have to know exactly how they’re thinking, and the only way to do that is to be sure you’re speaking their language. The best way to ensure you do this properly is to build your Audience Profile.

Here’s the 10 Fundamentals That Should ALWAYS Be Included In Your Audience Profile:

1.    The Purpose For The Meeting – Being clear on why you’re getting together will help you create a well-designed, focused sales presentation that hits on your audience’s objectives.

2.    Decision Makers – Who will be calling the final shots? You must know this before stepping into the room...and make sure your message addresses their “unspoken” objections.

3.    Target Audience – Whom will you be presenting to? You’ll want to make sure your message is tailored to their objectives so that you connect with them.

4.    Presentation Name – Be clear and specific on what you intend to discuss. 

5.    Meeting Location/Date/Time – Where is the best place to meet to get the outcome you’re hoping for (spoiler alert: it’s not always YOUR office or a time that’s convenient for YOU!)

6.    Number of Expected Attendees – Keep it limited to who’s necessary. Remember, more people, more opinions, questions, and concerns to consider.

7.    Technical Content Needed – Choose what’s necessary and cut the rest. Practice discipline here.

8.    Expected Outcome – When your presentation is over, what do you want them to think? What do you want them to say? Most importantly, what do you want them to do? Think about these things BEFORE designing your sales message so these desired outcomes are threaded into your entire presentation.

9.    Allies – Who in the room is most likely to agree with what you say? How can you leverage that?

10. Objectors – Who in the room is most likely to resist you, your ideas or your solution? How can you be prepared to address those concerns head-on?

These 10 factors must be considered BEFORE ever writing a word of your presentation. Trust me, those that take the time to build out their audience profiles and speak their prospect’s language, see better results than those that don’t.

Want the step-by-step audience profile walkthrough? Grab your spot in Sales Messaging University and get everything you need to create a presentation that connects, compels and sells by clicking here.