Making Audiences Work For You

Sometimes my bride and I lunch on Costco samples.

Today the guy giving out pierogi touted them as coming from a New York deli.

We’re from New York, so asking “Which one?” earned a sharp reply of “All of them!”

That’s where he lost the sale.

There are 12,000 delis in New York City, and they’re not all making pierogis for San Diego consumers.

Trust me on this.

In San Diego there’s a considerable population of recovering New Yorkers, plus former residents of New Jersey, Connecticut, and Long Island. Odds are pretty good you’ll bump into at least one of us on a given day.

Meaning this guy hadn’t done his homework, wasn’t expecting to get caught, and didn’t have a ready answer.

BAD MOVE!

Lots of salespeople make outlandish claims, and the successful ones have a ready answer for any question. At the very least they can think on their feet and turn the question into an opportunity on the spot.

This guy wasn’t one of them.

Whatever you’re selling, you’ll improve your chances if you know something about your audience. Age, gender, race, income level, education…these are all factors that can impact your ability to close the deal.

But assuming your audience won’t challenge your tall tales can be lethal to your sales process.

Furthermore, New Yorkers have a well-deserved reputation for not tolerating such nonsense, as do former residents of many other sophisticated metropolises. For most of us, invoke our hometown willy-nilly and you can safely expect us to push back.

Bottom line: Have your back story ready before you start. Know your product, pricing, and testimonials, as well as any stories you’re telling while trying to sound authentic.

Mr. Pierogi obviously saw saying this delicacy is from a New York deli as a throwaway line. When questioned, he should have taken the opportunity to expound upon a tiny, family-owned shop he’d discovered by accident.

And he convinced the owners to let him introduce this wonderful recipe to the public.

And isn’t that delicate taste amazing? Have another sample.

With this approach, he’d have converted aggressive questioning into testimonial of quality. He’d turn the crowd in his direction, and probably made multiple sales.

Which, theoretically, was his objective when this conversation started.

With that said, I wish you a week of profitable marketing.

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