Aches Vs. Pains

Bryan Flanagan is one of the top trainers for The Ziglar Corporation and he has something beautiful to say. Our company Inspire Inc. has been licensed to do their sales and presentation programs and Flanagan gets us thinking so I would like you to listen to this. Flanagan says:

How much money do you make on the sales you almost close? I mean, when you get real close? When the prospect is about to sign the agreement, or about to say “yes,” how much do you make when the sale is that close? That’s right... you make the same amount of money as I do on the sales I almost close: zero, nada, zip!

So, do you ever wonder why you don’t win more of the “close ones”? The answer may be the difference between “ache” and “pain.” Most prospects don’t take action until they are in enough “pain” to change their current situation. They may have some discomfort, they may have some pain. But they are not hurting enough to discontinue using the incumbent competitor and switching to your company. Perhaps this story will illustrate the point.
Two West Texas farmers were talking one afternoon. The visiting rancher noticed his friend’s dog lying on the porch. The dog was moaning. He asked, “Why is your dog moaning?” The answer, “Well, he’s lying on a nail. But he’s not in enough pain to move!”
Until your prospect is in “enough pain to move” — to take action — then the prospect will not change — will not agree to buy your product or service.
Your challenge as a sales professional is to uncover the prospect’s pain. In order to achieve this, you must assist the prospect in becoming aware of the existing needs, the existing “pain.” This is achieved by asking appropriate questions. Here are a few examples:

• “Mr. Prospect, how satisfied are you with your current situation? Are you dissatisfied enough to take action today?”
• “Mr. Prospect, if you could change your current situation, what would be the benefit to you?”
• “Mr. Prospect, if you could receive greater coverage at lower costs, how would that impact your budget?”
• These questions are intended to move the prospect from being in an “ache position” to a “pain position.” Once the prospect is in pain, your chances of winning the business are increased...
• Now go sell somebody something!

And as I think about this another life principle pops up in my mind.
Most people are living with bad habits and they are aching but they are not yet in pain enough to decide to stop what they are doing.
Procrastination. Bad temper. A sharp tongue. Toxic vocabulary. Bad attitude. Tardiness. Pride. Excess baggage they lug around with them all day long and they’re aching, but not yet in pain so they move about just the same.
One small lapse of judgment every day. One bad thought. One bad word. One tiny little slander. One small piece of juicy gossip. One malicious innuendo. Collect all these small stuff every day and in 6 years you will no longer have an ache, you will have a disaster that leads to pain.
Wise people wake up in the morning and pray. Seek God’s Presence and say, “Search me for hidden sins and change me for the better.”
This is what makes champions win.
So are we in pain enough to remove our aches?
We just have to be honest.