Why is it so difficult to be persuasive when talking about your passion?
You probably have an amazing skill that could benefit a bunch of people.
Or you have created a product that more people should know about it.
You might have a business that you love, but it hasn’t had its breakthrough moment yet.
You know that what you do and what you have to offer is GREAT!….so why is it that other people just don’t seem to “get it?!”
Trust me when I say, you are not alone. Many of my clients and fellow entrepreneurs have had difficulty describing what they’re selling because they are so passionate about it, and somehow their influential communication skills get lost along the way.
Let’s talk about the three reasons why you’ve been struggling to sell your passion, and how to overcome them.
Challenge 1: Why Don’t They Get It?!
When you’re passionate about something, one of the most frustrating moments is when you feel like you’ve done a GREAT job describing your product or service, but you leave conversations feeling like They. Just. Don’t. Get. It.
If you’ve found yourself saying, “They just don’t get it,” it likely means you’re stuck in the bad habit of persuading YOURSELF, rather than the prospect.
Here’s what that looks like.
There are parts of your product you love and aspects that you’re particularly proud of. So, naturally, those are the things you love talking about when selling your idea.
But, what is convincing to you, might not be convincing to others.
Solution 1: Match the Motivation
Become skilled at matching your sales pitch to what is motivating to your prospect.
Let’s say you have a software that improves efficiency. You LOVE the fact that your software can verifiably save customers 5 hours a week.
Great! Saving time CAN be motivating for some people.
But, during a sales conversation with a department head, you learn that she is more interested in how your software improves communication channels.
She’s excited about how your tool can prevent miscommunication that causes friction among her employees. So, she’s MORE motivated by emotional and energetic efficiency – not just time saved.
OBSERVE what is more motivating to your prospect and pivot your pitch accordingly.
To help you do this, set aside some time to think of all the angles.
Ask yourself, how does my product or service…
- Save time
- Save money
- Save emotional struggles
- Help customers/clients achieve a bigger goal
- Make life easier for people (both professionally and personally)
- Help the important people in their lives
Each of these can be motivating talking points on their own, but without taking the time to brainstorm through all the angles, you won’t be able to effectively communicate them on the fly.
So, take time to sit down and write out ALL the possible benefits someone can get from using your product or service.
Challenge 2: Why Don’t They See the Value?
If you keep asking yourself, “Why don’t they see the value of what I’m offering?” it’s likely because you’re making too many assumptions on behalf of your prospect.
Assumptions are influence killers.
Especially when it comes to being persuasive about your passion.
Remember, you are VERY close to your products and services.
You live and breathe your passion. You think about it all the time. So, your brain can function at a mile a minute when talking about it!
But other people aren’t familiar with your product or service. You might be presenting brand new information or brand new perspectives to them.
They are trying to keep up.
Don’t assume they are able to connect the dots between the description of your product and the direct value they will experience from it. You have to connect the dots for them.
That’s why you should always…
Solution 2: Couple your Features with Benefits.
One way to easily connect the dots is by practicing this formula:
“[Feature] …so that… [Benefit].”
Here are a few examples!
[Feature] You will have your own dedicated customer experience specialist SO THAT [Benefit] you always have one point of contact for all your questions and needs. You never have to go through any long phone menus when you need customer support.
Or
[Feature] Our group calls are every week SO THAT [Benefit] you can get the guidance and accountability to actually finish your tasks every week. This is designed to keep you on track and help you accomplish your goals faster.
Those two examples are much more convincing than just saying “You’ll get a dedicated support specialist and weekly group calls.” Blah.
Use the “so that” phrase to couple your features with your benefits. This will help your prospect see the value more easily and clearly.
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Challenge 3: Why Won’t They Buy?
Aaaalright. Last up!… Let’s talk about the big one.
Have you ever been frustrated by the fact that you “just can’t get them to the finish line”? Meaning, they seem interested, but they’re just not closing and purchasing from you.
There are a lot of reasons why you might not be closing deals smoothly, but I’m going to talk about one of THE most common reasons I see when I’m reviewing my clients’ sales calls – especially the clients who are SUPER passionate about what they do.
If you’re not getting them to the finish line, it’s likely because you’re letting go of the lead.
Here’s what usually happens.
You feel like you do a great job pitching your product. You think you’ve connected with your prospect AND connected the dots so masterfully that they definitely see the value.
Now, it’s time to talk (dun-dun-dun) MONEY.
This is when most passionate persuaders go silent.
This is you if during the sales conversation you’re hoping your prospect will say, “It all sounds great. How much will it cost?”
If this is you, then you’re letting go of the lead.
You should be guiding your prospect through the conversation every step of the way. Especially, during the investment section of the conversation.
Why are you letting go of the lead? The short answer is…Imposter Syndrome.
Some part of you feels like you’re not deserving. You’re just hoping for a little validation. All you want is your prospect to be so excited that they just say “Let’s do it!”
You’re hoping they will take the lead and that’s a mistake.
The moment you let go of the lead, your prospect senses your hesitation. And that makes them hesitate. Which means, they aren’t buying from you.
Solution 3: Lead the Conversation from Start to Finish
Confidently lead these conversations from beginning to end.
So, next time, when it’s time to quote the fee, here’s what you do.
Recap the VALUE before the Investment.
Give them a quick review of what they will get for their investment BEFORE talking numbers.
Go through the features and benefits that we talked about earlier in this article, and tack on your fee at the end of the review.
It will sound something like, “For this product, you will get feature, feature, and feature SO THAT you can benefit, benefit, benefit. And for that, the investment is $$$.”
By confidently quoting your fee, your prospect will be more confident in doing business with you. And bonus, YOU will feel more confident about what you’re charging.
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