Do You Trust the Horse?
My buddy Mike likes to go to the Canadian Finals Rodeo to check out the horses. I think it’s a testosterone thing personally. (There’s nothing like a powerful, grunting, crap-where-he-wants-to, cowboy-eating stallion to bring out the man in a man; it makes us feel tough.) I’ve tagged along from time to time to meet the horses and I’ll tell you what (add in John Wayne accent here for effect), I’ve never met a horse that didn’t tell me he was the best.
During the chuckwagon races, I like to go down to the stables and talk to the horses before I make my big bet (Mike and I are high rollers—loser pays for beer). Walking down the long line of thoroughbreds, I see similar colours and sizes and hear similar grunting tones. And, it’s always the same story, “Hey man, bet on me—I promise I’ll get you to the finish line. I’ve been around a long time, and I’ve won a lot of races. Check this saddle out—this thing is lighter than a feather and feels like velvet! All my jockeys love me—look at the testimonials! I won’t let you down—let’s do this thing. Sign here. Let’s make fools out of these other asses!”
It often reminds me of a typical sales ad: “Choose us! We’re the best. We’ve been around forever. We’ll get you to the finish line.” It also reminds me of the recent cold caller who somehow got past our almost impenetrable gatekeeping system, “Tell you what, sign up for a week. I won’t let you down. We guarantee the best service in our industry—let’s do this!”
Do you want to know what my first reaction is every time I’m confronted with a horse? It’s probably the same as yours and every other buyer we’ve interviewed over the past decade—pure SKEPTICISM.
We don’t trust the horse.
But here’s the kicker, we ARE the horse. Every time we pick up the phone and cold-call a prospect, send a cold prospect some direct mail, or place an advertisement that explains why we’re the best, we’re the horse. Every time we make a statement to a prospect that attempts to differentiate ourselves from our competitors (e.g., we provide great service!)—we’re the horse.
Based on our extensive research, it’s worse today than it ever has been. There’s just too many Herb Tarlics out there screwing it up for the rest of us. As global competition for buyer mindshare increases, the future looks even bleaker.
This trend doesn’t bode well for direct marketers, traditional advertisers, and cold callers. So, what should we do? Here are a few suggestions:
- Don’t act like a horse. Don’t handle objections, don’t talk about your “value proposition,” and don’t slam your competitors. Interrupt the pattern. Successful sales people and advertisers have found ways to change the game without sounding like the horse.
- Leverage the jockey. The jockey. That’s who we turn to in order to REALLY determine which horse to bet on. It’s a fact that 90% of successful companies in Western Canada (B2B and B2C) claim referrals are their best source of new business. We TRUST the jockey.
- Sell your knowledge, not your proposition. “Listen, just like every other horse here, I’m a horse. Do you have any questions about horses or race tracks or horse shoes? Anything that would be helpful to know more about?”
New strategies are required in this skeptical age, an age that is fraught with horses competing for your buyer’s mindshare.
