Go for the Gold-Fish

Anne Miller writes "The Metaphor Minute," an excellent newsletter that helps salespeople use metaphors and language to their benefit. In a recent issue she shared the story of someone who was having a hard time getting his prospect to sign the papers. An initial agreement was reached, until he suddenly disappeared. So what did the salesperson do? He used metaphors, and some unusual gifts, to reach his prospect creatively. Read this and then throw a little creativity into your sales.

Tom Sant, founder of the proposal software firm The Sant Corporation, was in such a situation and finally hit upon the solution that got him that signed contract.

He sent not-so-subtle metaphoric hints in the form of various props. One day, his client received a small box of the goldfish snacks with this message: "You can catch more fish, if you put more hooks (proposals) in the water." Another day, the client received a glue pot and a pair of scissors with the message: "Cut and paste is for kids. Professionally prepared proposals are for adults." The client loved these creative messages, took the hints, and called Tom to say he got the point and was ready to sign the contract.

Lesson for All Metaphorians

"If in doubt about using a prop, test your idea on a couple of people first," says Miller. "You'll find that props appropriately used can be wonderful communication tools. They surprise, they amuse, they dramatize. At a time when buyers have lots of choices, they can distinguish both you and your message and get you the results you want."

Anne Miller is a popular sales and presentations expert and author of the book, Metaphorically Selling: How to Use the Magic of Metaphors to Sell, Persuade, & Explain Anything to Anyone. Her free newsletter is available at www.AnneMiller.com.

Float Like a Butterfly

Getting someone to see your point of view can often feel like pulling teeth. Everyone's wired to think differently, and some people really think differently. So what do you do when your client doesn't see your point, no matter how you explain it? Use a metaphor! Sales and communication trainer Anne Miller recently relayed a story that perfectly fits this situation - read on to see how you can use a metaphor to get your point across.

A reader of Anne Miller's newsletter recently wrote in with the following situation:

As Reed wrote, "I was talking to the Vice President of Sales for a California software company that I am assisting in marketing in Japan. He seemed interested of course in numbers, units sold, and where they stood in terms of lower-priced competitive products."

"I suggested that rather than getting into a features fight and the inevitable price comparison, that they brand their product in terms of their company image, people, and the cool projects they are involved in."

"My client stubbornly insisted we stay focused on the numbers. Realizing that logic was not going to persuade him, I sketched my idea on a piece of paper showing ants on the ground fighting it out over the small stuff, the individual features, vs. the insects with wings flying above the melee, the larger branding. I compared it to Muhammad Ali, and his 'float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.'"

"Not only did that seem to work for him, but he came back with an intriguing metaphor of his own seeing my strategy as a way of separating themselves from what he called, 'the bottom feeders.'"

Reports Reed, "The metaphor took our conversation away from the dry numbers and performance stats, into the more interesting and emotional world of metaphors, which ultimately led to his acceptance of my ideas."

"An idea forced on people with logic alone rarely sticks," says Miller. "An idea expressed in images changes a listener's perspective and most often gets the results desired. What result do you want? Who doesn't quite see things your way? What metaphor or analogy can you use to shift that person's perspective?"

Anne Miller is the author of Metaphorically Selling. Check out her site at www.annemiller.com.

Paint a Picture to Make the Sale

If a picture really is worth a thousand words, sales trainer and consultant Craig James is right on target when he asks, "Why is it, then, in our conversations, in our written correspondence, and in our presentations, we act as if the opposite is true - that a thousand words will create the picture we want?"

If you're having trouble getting the point across, James suggests you try using a metaphor or analogy to paint a picture in your prospect's mind. By doing this you will "create a visual image of your concept; in doing so, you ensure that it sticks with your prospect better and far longer than would a litany of industry- or product-specific terms," says James. "You can also use these tools when facing objections: the images that metaphors and analogies create cause prospects to pause and think, and to see the situation from a perspective different from their own (yours)."

Wondering how to start using metaphors and analogies in your sales conversations? Try this action tip from James:

Write down the names of three prospects with whom you're currently engaged, or are trying to engage, and who are having difficulty "getting it." Next to each name write down the aspect of your offering that the prospect is having the most difficulty understanding, and hence, buying into.

Then make a list of all the things you know about this person that could serve as the basis for a metaphor or analogy. Your list could include the industry they're in, their personal interests and hobbies, family situation, achievements, challenges, news and facts on them that you might find in trade journals, on blogs, or on social networking sites such as LinkedIn. Pick one of these and relate it to the obstacle you're facing - the concept you're having a tough time getting across.

Craig James is president of Sales Solutions, a sales productivity improvement company. He helps sales organizations get increased production out of their sales people, and entrepreneurs and individual sales people to be more successful at selling. Learn more at http://www.sales-solutions.biz.