If you want to attract high-paying clients, going with the tide means giving people what they want. Trying to swim against the tide is trying to sell them what they need.
Let me paraphrase Wallace Wattles, the author of the 1909 classic book, The Science of Getting Rich. There is an abundance of opportunity for the person who will go with the tide, instead of trying to swim against it.
To swim with the tide, first learn what your target audience wants, and then invest to supply that want. “Do that and success is almost certain,” says Wattles. It was true in 1909 and it is true today.
However, this can be a big challenge for professionals and consultants who sell a service that people need, but don’t necessarily want.
Here is something Americans want: After a year that witnessed Americans miss travel for summer vacations and holidays, the summer of 2021 has been highlighted by plenty of travel.
The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s largest business travel association, released in May 2021 the findings from a poll measuring the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and how their members are navigating the return to travel. The survey said that nine out of ten Americans had plans to travel by the end of the year.
That travel want, of course, has become a priority for those who missed out on making memories during the height of travel restrictions and shutdowns caused by Covid-19.
That want, of course, will cost money. Those dreams of the road will not come cheap.
“Travel and memories are what we as a society want; yet, health is what we need,” says author and speaker Kevin Henry. “And not just health in terms of keeping safe from a virus, but keeping up with our everyday needs as well.”
Henry is a thought leader in the dental world, and we met when he wanted help editing a book for dental assistants.
“Delta variant be damned, but Americans are ready to see friends, relatives, and new and familiar destinations,” says Henry. “So how do health practitioners get patient buy-in when money is being spent on wants rather than needs? Now more than ever, explaining the importance of maintaining optimal overall health has to be the message.”
If selling needs is swimming against the tide, sometimes you have no choice if that is taking you were you need to go.
Let’s look at an example, specifically the dental industry and the oral-systemic connection and link that has been well documented (I know, I know, I need a root canal and I am putting off making the appointment).
Startling statistic: Dentists are only persuading patients to move forward with recommended treatment 69 percent of the time, according to the 2018 Dental Economics/Levin Group Practice Survey. What’s so disturbing about the number is that it includes treatment for cavities, and that is accepted at least 95% of the time.
“Experts in medicine and dentistry have discussed for years how periodontal disease (commonly known as gum disease) has an impact on diabetes, heart disease, erectile dysfunction, pregnancy, and many other health conditions,” says Henry. “Explaining the impact that oral health can have on current health, and the ability to enjoy those moments on the road this year and those to come, is critical to have patients buy into the concept and accept treatment.”
Henry says medical and dental practitioners must not only educate themselves on the talking points regarding the oral-systemic connection, but also be able to relate them to their patients in a way they will understand and value.
In my experience if you are selling needs you need to get better at your storytelling. Discoveries in neurosciences prove people make decisions based on emotion, not logic. Travel has a lot more emotional appeal than a root canal.
Here is the good news. Storytelling is how you reach the emotion part of the brain. Human brains are hardwired for stories. Proper storytelling can persuade prospects to take care of the need and accept treatment. That means healthier patients and wealthier dentists.
Telling the right patient or client success stories, in the right way, can dramatically increase the acceptance rates of taking care of those needs and putting off the wants for another day.
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August 25, 2021 at 08:00PM
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Selling Needs Harder Than Selling Wants But Possible - Forbes
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