Technical sales success secret revealed in Top Gun Maverick

I admit - I went to Top Gun Maverick twice already! It's an excellent movie, and it's very satisfying for fans of the original.

The plot of the movie is centered on Captain Pete Mitchell (Maverick) training young pilots for a critical mission. After my second view, I realized that Maverick is performing technical sales in order to get buy-in from his pilots and teach them how to be successful through an extremely dangerous mission.

Maverick trains them on the different aspects of the mission plan, which involve nail biting canyon flying and "thread the needle" precision on a bombing run.

All while facing threats from missiles and enemy fighter planes.

Yes, Maverick explains and pushes them to perform all the technical demands of the mission. But, he stresses an even more important point to the mission.

Maverick sells the pilots on the benefits of his mission plan.

Of course the pilots want the mission to be successful and they understand the risks. but they also want to come back from the mission, land on the carrier, and be heroes.

These pilots (besides Maverick) are all young and have their lives ahead of them. They want to come back. Maverick treats them like his "clients."

Maverick plans the mission with their benefits in mind - achieving mission success AND getting them home.

This benefit becomes very clear when Maverick's "client-centric" approach is contrasted with the mission-only approach of Vice Admiral Beau "Cyclone" Simpson later in the movie.

Here is the direct application to technical sales:

1. For each feature of your products and services, stress and repeat the customer benefits that abound from these features

2. Anticipate benefits-focused questions from your customers and have answers at the ready or in your literature:

(a) How do support and service your products?

(b) How does this make my job easier?

(c) What is the return-on-investment (ROI) if I use your products and services?

(d) How do I sell this to my boss and her bosses?

(e) Why should we make the switch to you?

3. Call out the following key benefits if you have them: improved safety, cost savings, and increased sales

Maverick prioritized the benefits for his "clients," the young pilots, to get their buy-in: mission success AND getting home safely. The technical details then followed.

Working on customer benefits first is a way to get mission success in technical sales!