I’ve often heard people complain about their situation in life and remarking that they don’t really have a choice about it because of this and that.
I totally disagree! Everyone has a choice. People are in their situation because they choose to be. It’s a decision based on their set of values, standards, and desires, mired in the reality of what they are really capable of at the moment out of restrictions on time, money, and resources.
No one will accept something unprofitable for themselves. Everyone has the same goal of being happy no matter how differently each one deems their state of “happiness”.
Every salesman, then, to be successful, must never believe that an individual would willingly accept something unprofitable for themselves. This is a basic misconception at the root of all mistakes made in analyzing human nature. You should never believe that an individual is not doing what exactly what they want to do, exactly when they want to do it, whether consciously or unconsciously. Your idea of what’s good for someone may not be shared by them in the slightest!
This means that, for example, Customer A, may find smoking a pack of cigarettes a day unavoidable because it makes him happy even though he knows he risks his health because it keeps him away from his worries ‘for the moment’.
Meanwhile, this may play out differently for Customer B, who finds smoking a pack of cigarettes ludicrous because it will keep him from saving daily for travel goals he has for the long-term, which is his method of relaxation from his worries.
Both Customer A and Customer B have the same goal of experiencing a sense of well-being. But both have entirely different views of what happiness is based on their differing values, and what they will do to get it. In both situations, both customers have the choice to choose how they spend their money and how they achieve their desired state of well-being.
It’s not for the salesman, then, to decide which is good or bad or that Customer A will make a better buying decision than customer B. It’s finding the right angle to use when offering your product so that it ends up profitable in either situation.
The main thing is to not restrain yourself within a certain mindset but to be open to many possibilities—which you can only do if you take the time to really listen to the customer and provide what they need.