Seth Godin Post Game Show for April 17, 2005: The Great One throws out a thoughtful question today. Should you market and sell like a king? Or, should you approach marketing and selling like a peasant?
Here's the difference: Selling like a king means waiting for the audience to come to you...telling the audience how much they're going to pay...treating your audience like the supplicants you think they are...basically, you sit on your lofty perch and take those who make it possible for you to have a lofty perch in the first place for granted.
Peasant selling is the exact opposite...
...you are grateful for each and every person who will listen to your message. You approach them creatively, and with passion. Peasant salespeople put time and energy into keeping you a happy customer.
In today's selling environment, I ask myself, "Which marketing approach gets my attention?" There's no question that "peasant marketing" wins my attention time after time: The enthusiastic couple selling cookware by fixing a delicious dinner in my home earned my business. The "peasants" won my business. I compare that to the dozens of times I've walked past kitchen displays in big retail stores...the ones with the non-existent salespeople with no real knowledge of the product. Sure, their stores are nicer...they have beautiful displays...but we've never purchased as much cookware as we did a few nights ago.
Other examples of peasant selling? The enthusiastic individual selling home security systems that knocked on our door one afternoon. We bought what he was selling, this despite seeing lots and lots of expensive ads from their competitors like ADT (didn't they spend a few million dollars sponsoring a college football bowl game?). That didn't get my attention...the sincere "peasant" that knocked on our door did get our attention.
Once again, a great post by Seth to kick off the week. Thank you, Great One.
I prefer adult-adult selling. A mutually beneficial relationship based on adult decisions of what is best for both of us.
I don't believe you have to be a peasant, or a glute kisser, to be a great provider of services and/or products. The confusion, in both selling and buying, comes from the fact that too many people think they need tricks or personas to put up a front.
If you are WHO you are, you can openly discuss your product or service like an adult. Playing marketing and selling games only confuses prospects.
"Whatever games are played with us, we must play no games with ourselves."
---Ralph Waldo Emerson
Posted by: Sean Woodruff | April 18, 2006 8:03 AM | Permalink to Comment