Selling Ideas – 5 Ways to Make it Easy to Buy

by James on May 26, 2009

Are you in the business of selling ideas?

A boss once told me two things. When you are selling ideas:

“Make it easy to buy.”

and

“Take yes for an answer.”

Simple and sage advice.

Here are five ways you can improve your success selling ideas. Five thoughts / guidelines / principles, five Hip Shots to keep in mind the next time you need to sell an idea.

Hip Shots

  1. Think about the document’s structure. Make the flow simple and logical. Customize it to the audience. Don’t make the reader struggle to figure out what you are trying to sell them and why they should buy. Effective Business Communication has more on this.
  2. Avoid jargon and insider terms. They don’t make you look smart and they can easily confuse the buyer. Keep the language simple and on point. You don’t want to distract the buyer from what you are selling and the benefits they will receive.
  3. Tell them what you are selling and why they should buy. Be specific. Tell them how it will benefit them. Don’t hide what you are selling. Ideas hidden behind a screen of technical data, features and attributes are hard to buy. Only present data that supports the benefits the buyer receives for taking action.
  4. Tell a story. Make the story about the buyer. Paint a picture of how wonderful life will be if they buy the idea. Make it interesting. Make it fun. Humanize the idea.
  5. Listen to what the buyer is saying. Give them an opportunity to talk. Hear their words and watch their body language. Answer the question that is being asked, and then the question that isn’t being asked. No more, no less. Give them a chance to say “yes,” and, if they say “yes,” stop selling.

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