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Business decisions in a stable world is to a large extent fact based. As we move into a dynamic world emotions play a bigger role. The fourth step of commercial teaching is about creating emotional impact. A task about making your client’s see themselves in your story.
Enable Emotional Experience
Asking as you talk to client’s about your story they will remain on the outside looking in. The first challenge you need to bridge is to secure your story resonates with your client. You need to make the see what you see.
The second challenge relate to s client agreeing to what you see, but swing their reality in a different way. You need to support your client to emotionally connect to your view up to a point where they make your view their map.
This transition is an emotional journey with a eureka moment followed by a buy-in for your view of the world. The ultimate goal with this step is to move client’s mind into a new territory and make their minds stay there.
Situation Story Scintillate Stakeholders
A story that ignite emotions among key stakeholders is hard to create. At a high level it is hard to offer revolutionary or disruptive alternatives. But as the devil is in the details this is were we search for the excitement triggers. Think Tabasco sauce rather than a ground breaking marinade.
The best excitement triggers connect to the gains and pains addressed in your warmer. As much as the warmer us opening up this stage is about to prepare for action.
Coming out from this stage your client’s is excited and a crisp opportunity context.
Limit Loneliness Likelihood
Clients who feel a strong connection to others with similar problems are comfortable to take actions. Clients who feel their challenges are unique see risk and are more cautions. Especially if they see competitors prioritizing other initiatives. Triggering cautiousness and rethinking.
Once you can convey a message your clients share a given situation with their peers you reduce their concern. A comfort level important to enable actions.
Support Stomach Shifts
Your contribution is to support recommenders and approvers to follow new instincts. Your facts and context descriptions allow for stomachs and gut feelings to work in a new direction you are suggesting.
When reaching this point you have convinced your client change us required. Up until this point you have been focused on talking with your client about your client only.
The open questions at this point is where shall we go from this cross road and how much better can we expect it to be.
Questions for you and your team
- What can we build the emotional experience around – our base hypothesis.
- Which emotional triggers have we identified – look for small sparks rather than big fires.
- Which clients can we refer to and give examples from – to secure your client don’t feel alone.
- How much to we aspire to move out client’s mind – sometimes we need to be prepared to work with small but significant shifts,
- Which gaps do we have in our emotional impact section – if not taking us all the way through we need to close the gaps quickly.
- Who can we detect if we have been successful in creating an emotional impact – a game played on the body language turf.
Additional reading suggestions
- Corporate Sales: Focus on Emotions and Group Dynamics [BLOGPOST] – by CEB
- 6 emotions that make customers buy [ARTICLE] – by INC
- Using emotional triggers for buying and selling [BLOGPOST] – by Today Made
- Why emotional intelligence matters in sales [BLOGPOST] – by Jill Konrath
- When to sell and facts and figures, and when to appeal to emotions [ARTICLE] – by Harvard Business Review
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