How the Salesman Appeals to the Prospect"s Sense of Caution
The element of fear has been instilled in our nature to safeguard us from harm.
It's part of the basic human instinct of self-preservation.
Without caution we would be in constant danger from all sorts of things.
This basic instinct comes into play in everything we do.
Before jumping out of a plane, you would wonder, "what if something goes wrong?" So you make sure everything has been double checked for safety and you go over in your mind what procedures you have to take to stay safe.
Before crossing the street you look in all directions to make sure no traffic is coming.
Before getting a tooth extracted you want to make sure the dentist gives you an anesthetic to kill the pain.
So it's no wonder you will run into some prospects that may be overly cautious.
The salesman meets with the owner of a store to show them a new product just opening up on the market.
From past experience the salesman knows this particular merchant is very cautious when it comes to making a purchase.
The merchant may be leery of anything new.
He may feel that since the product is new; customers will be slow in buying it.
He wonders if his customers will be pleased with the product if they do buy it.
If they buy the new product and don't like it he feels they may never buy anything from him again.
Because of his cautiousness he may only give the salesman a small order, or none at all.
The salesman has his work cut out for him.
He has to remove the fears of the merchant by convincing them of the product's usefulness to the customer.
The salesman has to explain that a lot of people like trying new products.
Some can't wait to be first to own the newest invention.
The salesman has to be as tactful as possible when giving his sales approach to this merchant.
Another merchant may throw caution to the wind and gives the salesman a large order.
In the past the merchant has bought products that he couldn't move off the shelves, so he was overstocked and lost money.
It would be good salesmanship to appeal to the merchant's cautiousness to protect him against possible loss and advise the merchant to take a smaller order.
Let the merchant know he will always be able to order more merchandise any time he wants.
The merchant will appreciate the salesman looking out for his interest.
He will have confidence in dealing with this salesman in the future because the salesman protected him from making the mistake of buying too much merchandise.
A housewife is shopping for a new sofa.
She has her eye on two with the same quality and style.
One costs a little more because it has a more expensive fabric on it.
Since both are made up of the same construction and workmanship she decides to take the cheaper one.
The salesman appeals to the housewife's sense of caution and tells her the cost of the two sofas isn't that different in price.
And the fabric on the cheaper sofa looks as good as the fabric on the more expensive sofa, but it isn't as heavy, so it will not wear as well under daily use.
Since the fabric protects the frame and cushions it's important to get a sofa that is covered in a material that is durable.
The woman considers the salesman's advice.
Caution convinces her it makes more sense to purchase the sofa with the durable material because it just costs a few dollars more and it will protect the furniture better, making it last longer...
saving her an unnecessary expense later on.
It's part of the basic human instinct of self-preservation.
Without caution we would be in constant danger from all sorts of things.
This basic instinct comes into play in everything we do.
Before jumping out of a plane, you would wonder, "what if something goes wrong?" So you make sure everything has been double checked for safety and you go over in your mind what procedures you have to take to stay safe.
Before crossing the street you look in all directions to make sure no traffic is coming.
Before getting a tooth extracted you want to make sure the dentist gives you an anesthetic to kill the pain.
So it's no wonder you will run into some prospects that may be overly cautious.
The salesman meets with the owner of a store to show them a new product just opening up on the market.
From past experience the salesman knows this particular merchant is very cautious when it comes to making a purchase.
The merchant may be leery of anything new.
He may feel that since the product is new; customers will be slow in buying it.
He wonders if his customers will be pleased with the product if they do buy it.
If they buy the new product and don't like it he feels they may never buy anything from him again.
Because of his cautiousness he may only give the salesman a small order, or none at all.
The salesman has his work cut out for him.
He has to remove the fears of the merchant by convincing them of the product's usefulness to the customer.
The salesman has to explain that a lot of people like trying new products.
Some can't wait to be first to own the newest invention.
The salesman has to be as tactful as possible when giving his sales approach to this merchant.
Another merchant may throw caution to the wind and gives the salesman a large order.
In the past the merchant has bought products that he couldn't move off the shelves, so he was overstocked and lost money.
It would be good salesmanship to appeal to the merchant's cautiousness to protect him against possible loss and advise the merchant to take a smaller order.
Let the merchant know he will always be able to order more merchandise any time he wants.
The merchant will appreciate the salesman looking out for his interest.
He will have confidence in dealing with this salesman in the future because the salesman protected him from making the mistake of buying too much merchandise.
A housewife is shopping for a new sofa.
She has her eye on two with the same quality and style.
One costs a little more because it has a more expensive fabric on it.
Since both are made up of the same construction and workmanship she decides to take the cheaper one.
The salesman appeals to the housewife's sense of caution and tells her the cost of the two sofas isn't that different in price.
And the fabric on the cheaper sofa looks as good as the fabric on the more expensive sofa, but it isn't as heavy, so it will not wear as well under daily use.
Since the fabric protects the frame and cushions it's important to get a sofa that is covered in a material that is durable.
The woman considers the salesman's advice.
Caution convinces her it makes more sense to purchase the sofa with the durable material because it just costs a few dollars more and it will protect the furniture better, making it last longer...
saving her an unnecessary expense later on.