In the first section of his latest book, "You, Inc.: The Art of Selling Yourself," Harry Beckwith presents five beliefs about what people buy.
- Life is a sale. And the path to success at both living and selling is the same
- The first thing you sell is yourself
- Success and fulfillment come from developing all of you-starting in the deepest parts
- People value-and pay more for-the way you make them feel
- People buy feelings
While the book is written to help people sell themselves, it is full of insights into how a consumer sales or service team can separate themselves from their competitors. As I have written many times here, customers consciously, and unconsciously, judge everything they see, hear, smell, and feel when they are in a business. They judge everything from how the business looks on the outside to the environment they find on the inside. Is it well-maintained, clean, and hospitable? Are the employees especially congenial, honest, and helpful? Does their experience feel good? Does it feel great? Does it feel extraordinary?
Few businesses score high marks in the "See-Hear-Smell-Feel Test." Most are not unique or special. They are average, but profitable enough to have a place in the marketplace.
Passing the test with flying colors, however, guarantees an ever-growing customer base and reputation for excellence. Starbucks, Nordstrom, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's have great products, but they would not be near the companies they are without their customers feeling good about their experience.
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