Want a Sale? Let Your Prospect Play with a Cool Toy, Like an iPad

When the Apple iPad was launched, McMurry (the company I work for) bought a few for employees to try out. Since we create content for fortune 500 companies, it made sense. But I have to admit the iPad, while cool, didn't blow my mind. Then we took it on a sales call and saw the real power of it. Prospects love to play with a cool toy as much as second graders.

Just take an iPad on a sales call and you will see, too. Prospects' reactions to the iPad weren't much different than that of my kids. They closed in like rug rats on a Disney character. Before I knew it, they were poking, touching, hugging and drooling on it.

Of course, you've made Power Point presentations to prospects. How did that go? Let's give you the benefit of the doubt and say your presentation was fantastic. Even so, your audience was probably somewhere between narcolepsy and silently reviewing their grocery list.   

Convert the Power Point to Keynote, slap it on an iPad and hand it to your prospect. When they get to play with a new toy showing your presentation, they will actually be engaged. And if you are really smart you will fill your presentations full of clever buttons they can push. It won't be death by Power Point. It will be rapture by iPad instead. And no I don't work for Apple and Steve Jobs (but hey, Steve if you ever need any sales help you know where to find me).

At Disney, handlers accompany the characters for a reason. It's because kids can't tear themselves away. Put your presentations on an iPad and your prospects won't want to let go, either.

Comments

[Dave McMinn]

Ahhhh...make it fun for the prospect. Simply brilliant.

[www.aboutsalespeople.com]

A great sales mentor once taught me that sales is about the "little things." He said that you never know what "little thing" is going to close the sale or prevent you from making it.

If the iPad (or for that matter - a notebook PC) creates an environment for success - all the better. I caution all my sales team, however, that when all is said and done, business customers usually make buying decisions because they really believe that your product/service will create the biggest impact for their organization. For you folks in the publishing business, I can't think of a better way to demonstrate this impact! Nice.

[You Sell Like a Second Grader]

you are exactly right. A toy is never going to make the sale. The product or service and TRUST has to be there. No matter how many cool toys you have, if you can't build trust with a good product, game over.