The Death of Product Demos – Why Changing Consumer Behavior Is Driving Sellers Crazy …

There was a time when fresh recruits to Ajax Inc. were told to pick up the yellow pages and start cold calling like crazy.

“Mr. Prospect,” they would begin, reading from a little notecard…

“I’m guessing you’re having problems with your thingamajig… and that inefficiency is costing you a lot of time and money. If I could show you how you could end those problems and increase your profits 20-30% over the next 6-12 months, would you give me 10 minutes to do that?”

Now, we’re talking about the old days, here…

… So if there was some relevance, the prospect would usually politely agree, and that salesperson would then be allowed to drive over and make his presentation.

That was then…

These days, however – we know that’s never going to happen.

Social media has made people socially inept.

And iPhones have turned people into introverts.

So the LAST thing people think when they get an unsolicited phone call, these days, is “Sure, come on over. I’d love to see a demo.”

… Just the opposite!

Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco makes this point perfectly.

In this video clip, he reminds us just how much things have changed.

Where once people welcomed you with open arms when you dropped by, “just because you were in the neighborhood” …

… Now, they hit the deck and tell grandma to:

“Go get the sword in the living room. Somebody get the sword, under the couch. There’s a sword…”

F#@%ing hilarious. And absolutely true.

In your business, that means looking at the dwindling ROI of standard outbound marketing efforts and flipping the script… by finding the most effective and efficient ways to get your prospects to invite you into their world.

Otherwise you’re always going to be going up against people with samurai swords, held high in defense…

… And, under those conditions, there’s very little chance of ever generating a steady flow of appointments, let alone sales.

… So how do you “flip the script”, from annoying pest to welcome guest?

First of all, let’s skip over a lot of the lead generation conversations around branding, reputation management, content marketing and networking.

These are all important, but rarely deliver the kind of lead flow you need to keep your business growing…

… And let’s get right down to brass tacks.

If someone doesn’t know you, you need to give them a compelling reason to get in touch with you ON TOP of the benefits and features your products and/or services provide.

Let me give you an example of how to do that, taken right out of the Science Of Client-Getting template arsenal, for a company selling roofing services.

Also, as you read this, I want you to see if you can pick out what makes this such a compelling Call-To-Action (CTA).

“That’s why,” the CTA begins, “it’s so important to have one of our expert consultants inspect your roof and prepare your Request For Quote (RFQ).

Our roof examination may take a few hours because it’s extremely detailed. And our consultant will take the time to help you understand EVERYTHING on the RFQ.

We look at EVERY tile, EVERY shingle, EVERY seam, EVERY valley and ridge, EVERY square foot of paint, EVERY gutter and downpipe.

Then we fax or email two versions of the RFQ to you the very next day.

One version has our prices filled in, and the other is blank, so you can give it to other roofing contractors.

It explains every repair, every cost, what’s desperate and what can wait, what’s structural and what’s just for show, and even the reasons why each item is important.

You should use this document to collect and compare other estimates and make sure any roofing contractors you’re talking to KNOW that YOU KNOW what’s going on.

So you won’t be fooled by a “low-ball” quote or pressured into doing something you don’t understand.

But there’s one catch…

Our schedule has been filling up so fast we can only guarantee quick appointments (within the next 3 days) if you call us in the next 48 hours.

…”

I gotta say, I love this email.

First, did you catch how the Call-To-Action positions the seller as a truth teller?

… How it pre-frames the appointment as inherently valuable for homeowners?

… How that value gives people a real reason to call, ASAP?

… How it justifies a higher price… for a job done right?

That’s a lot of heavy lifting in just one paragraph, wouldn’t you agree?

And think about how this pre-framing helps the sale.

Since this Call-To-Action gets the homeowner to invite the seller to participate in the creation of their very own expert RFQ (Request for Quotation) – the seller’s quote, naturally, is NOT going to be met with much resistance.

The seller then fills the RFP with requirements that they and they alone are positioned to meet.

That’s the beauty of inbound leads.

The homeowner has already half agreed to the sale, because they’ve invested their time in the process.

And that process has helped build genuine trust… since this company is clearly not ‘trying to pull a fast one’, by encouraging homeowners to shop around.

And since there’s no pressure – because the RFQ won’t even be delivered until the following day – homeowners have even more reason to believe the RFQ is ‘just as fair as fair can be’.

So do you really think homeowners are going to shop around all that much?

No way!

I’ll bet dollars-to-donuts that most work orders get signed on the first day, during the initial visit – because of how well this Call-To-Action has pre-framed the engagement to build trust.

Because trust is one of the most important things in selling anything, right?

Now think about how important it is for you to have this kind of messaging going out 24/7 …

Do you see why you’ve got to start taking this same value-added approach to the sales call?

… Why you need to create a clear, compelling reason in your Call-To-Action for people to invite you into their world with open arms, and then automate the heck out of it?

But before you get to work, remember: the reason for that call probably has a lot less to do with your products and/or services than it used to.

People can go on the internet and browse a million different product review sites, if they want.

They can watch countless videos to figure out how things work.

But what they DON’T have are many genuine opportunities for personalized help and expert guidance.

That’s why you stand out when you offer that kind of help.

But, just like in the roofing example, you need to spell out what that help is going to look like…

… So prospects know – whether they buy, or not – that getting on the phone with you will be a productive use of their time.

That’s the key!

So get some real specificity in your Call-To-Action …

Make sure to telegraph all the benefits of your time together.

Will the quality of your questions help your prospects find clarity?

Will your personal experience with the problems they might be facing help them find a way out?

Will your knowledge of the solutions available in the market help them set their businesses up the right way?

Whatever it is, get really specific on what’s in it for them, and make sure that vision is in your Call-To-Action…

Because people aren’t looking for product demos these days.

They’re looking for real expertise.

And when you use your Call-To-Action to make that offer with some specificity, you dramatically lower the bar to response…

… Which makes it so much more comfortable for people to book a call with you, so they can benefit from your expertise.

And the more calls you have… and the better they go… it’s only natural for you to make more sales.

So whether you’re in the health & wellness, relationship, or financial niche, make sure your Call-To-Action does a really good job of pre-framing your initial conversations as inherently valuable.

Because change cuts both ways.

And wouldn’t you rather be playing to the changing psychographics in society, instead of against them?