Most buyers find comfort in familiarity. And, many companies count on it, enticing customers to purchase by creating a familiar buying environment.
That’s why, for example, fast food establishments, whether they are selling hamburgers, chicken or tacos, all have the same basic structure – stand in line, place your order, and then bring the food to your table. According to Dr. Art Markman at the University of Texas, this formula helps customers navigate through their purchase because they quickly recognize what they’re supposed to do.
As might be expected, the fast food example doesn’t translate well to complex sales. Unique products and complex solutions don’t lend themselves to best practices established for the restaurant business. Rather, Dr. Markham suggests relying on the power of analogies to create a sense of familiarity.
However, most customers rarely conjure up good analogies on their own. As we’ve often written, it’s up to the salesperson to connect the dots – don’t rely on customers to make the connection.
That being said, even experienced salespeople can’t consistently create the right analogy in real time. This means when planning sales calls, salespeople should think of analogies that can bring to life the value associated with their product.
Analogies can be a highly effective sales tool for helping customers develop an understanding of the value of your solution – the more complex the solution, the greater the potential impact of the analogy.
While storytelling can stand on its own, incorporating analogies to make a point or illustrate an idea can enhance the power of the story. Skillfully using analogies, storytelling, or both can be very effective for helping customers become more familiar with what you’re selling. Developing customer comfort by the power of familiarity is fundamentally a good idea.