watch gave. Why do you suppose your watch is worth so much more
money?”
The prospect explained the fine workmanship that the Rolex
name represents.
J. J. replied, “The similarities are only on the surface. I would
offer that as an analogy of my product vs. the competitor’s prod-
uct. They may sound like they are telling you the same time as we
are, but when you look below the surface, you will find that we are
the Rolex of this industry.”When people reject your proposals on the basis of price, very often
they do not understand the value of what you offer. We have all learned the
lesson of “you get what you pay for.” We pay ahead of time for value. We pay
later for the lack of value.
DEALING WITH CHANGE
A certain percentage of your nos will be based on this principle—many
people struggle with change, and shifting their business to you means they
have to engage in change. This is an emotional issue that emotionally in-
telligent individuals will address with gentle persistence and by exposing
their own personalities, until the prospect becomes comfortable enough to
trust them.
Individuals may be comfortable with the product they are using, even
though it comes up short. They may be comfortable with the person or
people they are currently dealing with, because they have invested in that
relationship. They may abhor the prospect of rearranging systems and re-
training people. Some individuals just hate the idea of anything that threat-
ens their routines.
Strangely, people are often resistant to and threatened by what they
need most—new and fresh approaches. Clarke’s Law of Revolutionary
Ideas states that every revolutionary idea in science, politics, art, or any
other realm evokes three stages of reaction, summed up by these three
phrases.
- It is impossible. Don’t waste my time.
- It’s possible, but it’s not worth doing.
- I said it was a good idea all along.
Clarke’s Law will apply to you if you are selling a product or idea that
forces a paradigm adjustment or a new way of doing things. Rather than fil-
140 SELLING WITH EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE