Educate Your Prospects: If you can help your prospect feel like an expert, claim authors Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson, they are more likely to buy than if they feel confused. Mark and Pearson's book, The Hero and the Outlaw: Harnessing the Power of Archetypes to Create a Winning Brand, discusses how successful brands correspond to fundamental patterns in the unconscious mind known as archetypes. Many business prospects fit the role of an archetype that uses intelligence and analysis to understand the world.
A strategy based on fear, uncertainty and doubt is at odds with what motivates this prospect. Instead, Mark and Pearson suggest never talking down to clients or using a hard sell. Business professionals want to feel smart, competent and in charge of the transaction. They like to collect all the data to make informed decisions, and enjoy complicated products (like PCs) that demand a learning curve and are difficult to master. And if the prospect feels like they are being pushed, they are likely to walk away, because they view a purchase as a rational decision based on information.
