Jacques Werth and I talked about this many times. I believe that it is extremely important to follow High Probability Selling (HPS) when selling it. Practice what you teach.
One of the problems of using persuasive arguments to market and sell HPS is that you attract people who live in that world, the world of convincing people. You end up caring about and being frustrated with people who will have an especially difficult time learning and using HPS.
As Jacques used to say, “How can I convince you that convincing doesn’t work?”
When you feel very passionate about something (like HPS), it is very difficult to maintain any emotional detachment when selling it. That passion can come across as emotional pressure, which creates resistance at an emotional level.
Jacques was very well aware of the problem and knew what he had to do. “But,” as he would say, “it’s my baby!”
And now it’s my turn.
I also feel very passionately about High Probability Selling. It has changed my life. And like Jacques, I can be drawn into arguments about the benefits of it (and like him, I always regret it).
But it’s not my baby, and I try to remember that.
I try to remember to:
- Inform, not persuade
- Talk about features, not benefits
- Focus on individuals who already know what HPS is
- Educate large audiences whenever possible
- Find people who have already decided they want HPS for their own reasons, not people who feel they need to be talked into it
- Invest in people and situations that are most likely to lead to successful outcomes in the long run
