Seriously, I am not gullible...
08/11/2008 04:40 p.m. | Self-Improvement
Ok, so I got fooled for a minute this morning. I figured it out after a few minutes, but I still feel somewhat defeated. This is the second time I have been had by the same person (the first time I had a better excuse though). Oh well, the day went swimmingly anyway. Before and after work, I spent my time listening to two audiobooks. The first is the Tucker Max book. The second is the 7 habits book. Despite their diverse and differing tones, I feel I have learned from both. From Tucker, live life in a way that doesn't make you wonder "What if?". Along with that, make sure to learn to laugh at yourself. From Covey, I have somehow mixed his message with some other message that I read today. But from it, I have developed a sales maxim: don't sell frosting by showing me frosting... sell frosting by showing me cake.
A big focus of the goal-setting methods I read about and have learned about in the past few weeks all involve the end goal. The focus is more on vision then method or path. You only need a map once you have a destination in mind. That way you know which map to get (ignoring the iphone and its map of the universe). It's not so much about the quote "if you don't know where you're going you'll never get there" but more with a focus on clients and customers. You have to sell an experience, sell a want. I rarely buy things that I need. Mostly, it's things I want. The reason I have an iphone is not because I needed a new phone; it is because it is the single coolest phone in the world, and I wanted it. I wanted the convenience, the features, and the chic-ness. I wasn't shown a cool screen, or a single fun app. I was shown the whole package (6 months before it was even sold mind you).
The point is, when selling anything (like an idea perhaps) it is important to show the end goal. The vision. The idea that you are selling is the cake, except all you provide is the icing.