Without an earnest desire on our part to help people remain in their homes and to craft a solution that makes economic as well as functional sense for them, they may see through our proposal as insincere or self-serving and decline to work with us even though the solution itself might have been what they needed.
Conversely, if they don’t have a genuine need, we can’t help them. We might have a good discussion and show them all the ways they could benefit from what we are proposing, but they would decline to act.
Desire is at the root of being interested in moving forward – particularly from the client’s standpoint.
If we have just finished eating a great meal and don’t think we could force down another bite, the prospects of a dessert – even one that we normally would crave – just doesn’t interest us. We would tell our host that we would love their dessert at any other time but just couldn’t consider it at this point. If it was in a restaurant, our server – interested in making a sale – might try to offer it to us a reduced price. That would make no difference to us in our satiated condition. In fact, even if the dessert was free we would not be interested.
This truly frames desire. In this instance, we have determined that it is not a price issue but one truly of desire. Making the dessert free – or even paying us to eat the dessert – would not matter. We really do not want it. It’s not a matter of a value proposition having to do with what we are being asked to pay versus what it means to us in quality. Here it is plainly no desire at all, irrespective of any price associated with it.
Desire is key to making a sale, so we must uncover that desire and the strength of that desire in order to have a chance of making a sale. When we think there is a desire when there really isn’t – because we have misinterpreted what the client is saying – we will push for a buying decision but not get one.
Often, we will interpret an objection as a sign that the client is interested in what we are offering but just needs a little more information to feel more comfortable with their decision to move forward or needs a little more convincing or validation that their decision is the right one to make.
While this may be true, a lack of desire preempts any possible decision. Without the feeling that the potential client wants or will benefit from what we are proposing to them, they likely will refuse to go along with our suggestion. No amount of persuasion, convincing, or professional selling skills will win them over if their desire to improve their situation is not present.
In the end, desire on the part of the client – and determining that it exists – is paramount to making sale.