WILD HORSES

Think about prospects as wild horses.

You go on LinkedIn and see a horse.

You think:

“That horse fits my ideal customer profile.”
“That horse has the right title.”
“We could do a lot for this horse.”
“I want to ride this horse.”

The problem?

The horse is wild.

You want it to go this way, but the horse wants to go that way.

You want the horse to take a next step, but the horse rears up and bucks you off.

You can’t climb on a wild horse and ride it.

Why?

Because wild horses don’t like being told what to do.

First, you have to tame the horse.

To tame a horse, you can:

1.  Beat it into submission by trying to control it (the traditional sales approach).
2.  Offer the horse something nice to eat, stroke it, and gradually gain its trust.

Over time, you get the horse to lower its guard and be calmer.

The horse thinks, “You’re not going to harm me.”
“It would be nice to work with this person.”
“I want to be trained.”
“I trust this person.”

Likewise there are two ways to sell.

You can force people to do what you want them to do, but eventually, prospects will rebel. That’s because autonomy is a basic human need.

Or, you can get prospects amenable to lowering their guard, so they want to change. They think it’s fun, not an ordeal.

For example, you’re reading this post.

I’m “selling,” but it doesn’t feel like I’m trying to force you into doing something.

You’re enjoying reading this post.

Some of you might head over to my website and buy something.

I call this The Way.
It’s selling without pushing, convincing or begging.