While researching Monroe’s Motivated Sequence developed by Alan H. Monroe, and published in his book, “Principles and Types of Speech,” in 1962 by Scott, Foresman and Company, I turned up a wealth of information to help anyone who sells for a living.
Before going into my discovery, lets go over some basic tools that any persuader must understand. Monroe captured the essence of communicating effectively with the customer. He may have called his subjects an audience or listener, but our field labels the listener as a customer.
The sequence, as Monroe puts it, has five steps. First we get the ATTENTION of the customer and get him to want to listen. Then we share the NEED of the customer and illustrate an understanding of the problem that we are to help solve. Then we go to the SATISFACTION STEP and indicate how the solution that you offer will attend to his need. Fourth is the VISUALIZATION STEP in which the customer savors and tastes emotionally the successful solution to the problem that you have offered. The customer emotes and sees within a great reward in accepting your solution. Finally comes the fifth step which is the ACTION STEP in which your customer expresses agreement to buy what you have to offer.
While you may do these things unconsciously on a daily basis, business conditions demand a review and continual improvement program by everybody involved in your business. Professional pride has a great deal to do with this and it is important to understand what happens when you sell.
I visited a website called changingminds.org. While explaining how the customer feels in relation to his needs, we plug into the protoplasm we seek to sell our jewelry to. The site referred to a model called “CIN needs.” Now think of the customer opposite you and see the term “CIN” translating into “Control, Identity and Novelty.”
The customer has all three operating as you speak.
I quote…
- “Our sense of control tells us when we are safe and can bend our environment to our purposes.” This means that your customer needs to feel in control of the process that he is involved in.
- “Our sense of identity tells us who we are, especially relative to other people.” How are you communicating and causing your customer to feel as a customer?
- “Our sense of novelty tells us that we are learning, improving and evolving. It also helps us compete.” Is your customer feeling good as the purchase that you want him to make is considered by him?
Selling jewelry is an emotional act. Buying jewelry is an emotional act. Learn about it and begin to own the element of understanding human behavior and needs.
