Have you ever heard of the iSociety? You live in it, after all. And the iSociety kills your
sales. What is it? Read on!
It all boils down to that powerful one letter word “I”—the center of a second grader’s world--whether stated or implied, that permeates sales. If you are in sales, you should start looking at “I” as a four-letter word. A filthy habit. You started it in second grade and you still do it now. “I” is the thief who steals your plasma screen TV, sports car, kids' college fun, or that sweet ass pair of Manolo Blaniks. “I” is the worst habit learned in second grade. It’s the dead weight that pulls you down and sets you back.
I was hoping I could schedule a
demo with
you. I wanted a few minutes of your time. I’d like to
talk to you. I’m
hoping to hear from you. I hope you
will have the opportunity to attend…I welcome the opportunity to meet
with you
and to discuss my qualification and how I can be a valued addition.
Ahh, the second grade
school of
sales where “I” comes before “you.
It's no wonder salespeople talk about themselves! You have
the pressures of paying the mortgage, putting food on the table, buying
your
kid the latest video console or your wife that Hope Diamond sized
anniversary
ring. Sheesh! It can make a salesperson turn to…well, selling like a
second
grader.
Face it; even you are guilty of putting your needs before all
others in
a sales situation. Otherwise, why would you say something silly like: “I wanted a few minutes of your time?”
The iSociety is the “me
first”
self-centered society in which we live. According to www.wordspy.com the
definition of iSociety is:
I society noun.
A society in which people emphasize independence and individuality.
That’s not a bad
thing. After all, the United States was conceived on those principals.
Life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness has made us the richest, greatest
nation on Earth. But there should be a second definition, too: a society in which
personal needs come before all others.
Has everyone been
out for their own interests first? Absolutely.
Society has always been this way
to some extent. But technology has caused it to spiral out of control.
Apple
didn’t start it all with their revolutionary iPod but it’s hard to
argue that
Apple didn’t capitalize on the iSociety and put it into warp drive.
Those are a
bunch of brilliant dudes in Cupertino, California because they
caught
the “I” wave at the perfect time and have stayed on the crest.
American Idol,
get rich quick, Secondlife.com, entitlement, and mass customization are
all
part of the iSociety. Individual ring tones, “Myspace,” “Youtube,”
“Twitter,”
“Facebook”, blogs (oh crap!), working from home, flex time, Tivo,
iReport; instant polls
and satellite radio are all part of the iSociety too. The list goes on
and on.
It’s
just the world we live in, where people ask for and expect what they
want right
now.
Yes, we love to make ourselves happy, don’t we? We want it now and
we want
to fulfill our needs first. It’s cool, almost expected to let everyone
know it. Which is fine as long as your profession
isn’t sales.
Sure you can have
all the “I” crap you want, too. What’s bad is when this attitude seeps
into
your sales technique.
Your customers live in the iSociety too and
they could
give a crap what you want.
Let the iSociety dominate you like a second grader on too much sugar and prospects are going to show you the door. Stop talking about "I" and start talking about "you."
Comments