Stay Out of the Commodity Trap
“Would you be willing to work with just us if we promised to find you exactly what you wanted?”
I need a new truck.
Actually, I don’t need one. I WANT one.
And am finally going to buy one.
I have wanted a new(ish) F-150 for the past 5 years.
Finally, since my old car got smashed and totaled a couple of weeks ago, the time is right.
So I called a car broker friend of mine and a car dealer I know from a business group.
Told them exactly what I wanted, how much I would pay, and when I hoped to get it.
And then, nothing happened.
A week went by and neither called me back.
So I started looking online at CarGurus, Autotrader, and a couple of other sites to see what was out there.
I started calling other dealers who had inventory I liked.
I drove 80 miles to look at a truck one day, then 140 miles round trip a couple of days later.
I still couldn’t find what I wanted.
One young sales guy kept sending me trucks and asking me questions about what I wanted and why.
They were good questions. Not great questions, but good ones.
He sent me info on about a dozen trucks over 4-5 days.
Couldn’t find exactly what I wanted. I was frustrated, and I can imagine he was too.
And then, BOOM! It happened.
"Hey Mr McKay." (Please Kent, call me Walker. You sound like a chump.)
"Ok, thanks Mr Walker." (sigh) "You said you were tired of driving all over to look at trucks. If we promised we could find you what you want, would you consider working with just us?"
Right there, he went from trying to sell trucks, to selling himself and his services.
I'd been waiting for someone to ask me this since I began the search!!
See, I know I can find exactly the truck I’m looking for. It’s just a matter of timing.
My pain, my personal compelling issue that I want to resolve, is that I don’t have time to do all the searching myself.
I don’t want to take the time to drive all over 3 states and meet with 2 dozen car salesmen.
When I started, I thought the gap between where I was and where I wanted to be was that I needed to buy a truck. Later, I realized the problem wasn’t the truck, but my time.
You won’t differentiate yourself by your product.
Your product is a commodity. Accounting, legal, trucks, software, IT services, logistics, investment advice, commercial real estate, insurance…
The other people I called tried to sell me trucks. I can get trucks from any of them. Trucks are a commodity.
The person who offers to help me with what I value (MY TIME) is the one I’ll work with until I find what I want.
THAT guy, is my guy.
I’ll buy a truck from him. Because he was able to solve my real problem.
Professional selling happens when you slow down to find out what your prospect really wants.
Chances are, even if they come in the door asking to buy what you sell, you won’t get them what they really want.
Seth Godin talks about a man coming into a hardware store to get a drill bit. But he doesn’t want a drill bit, he wants a couple of holes in the wall. He really doesn’t give a shit about the holes in the wall either. He needs the holes to slide some toggle bolts through to hold up a shelf to get the crap off of the floor in the laundry room that his wife has been nagging him about.
Help your prospect discover what they’re truly trying to fix.
Let them tell you so you understand and they know you do.
Do that, and you're no longer selling a commodity. That’s what professionals do.
You’re headed into the summer slide. The “no one does business during the summer” excuse season.
You won't know you fell for that trap until 90 days from now when your pipeline is shit and you’re wondering what happened… “Man, this recession sucks,” you might hear yourself saying or find yourself nodding your head when you hear your buddies say it…
Now is not the time to have a personal recession. (In fact, there’s never a good time to call a recession on yourself).
It’s the perfect time to improve the trajectory of your career.
Bringing Honesty, Transparency, and Selflessness to Business & Sales.
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