Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat

Chapter 16. AIMING THE MARKETING, PART 2: Understanding the Buying Frenzy

What you learned in Chapter 15 about the difference between wants and needs will help you understand something very important about making sales: a phenomenon known as the buying frenzy.

Let's say you are a salesperson at an upscale accessories store for men. A customer comes in looking for a ballpoint pen. He is self-confident, well-spoken, and relaxed. You get the feeling that he is there to enjoy himself, to shop for something nice. He is not a businessman who has lost his pen and is just looking for another one to replace it.

You ask him if he has anything special in mind. He says, "Something different. Something nice." You notice that he's wearing Gucci loafers and a Patek Philippe wristwatch. You make a quick, intuitive decision. "I have something I think you may like," you tell him. "It just arrived."

You show him the most expensive pen in the store, a sterling silver, gold-trimmed Montblanc at $2,995. "Well, I wasn't planning to spend quite that much at this time," he tells you. And then, because you are good at what you do, you say nothing. The seconds tick away. "Oh, what the hell," he says. "I'll take it."

You are feeling good. You have just doubled your quota for the day. The store usually sells no more than one of these pens every week.

Question: What should you do now?

1. Thank the gentleman for the purchase and say good-bye.

2. Thank him, give him your card, and say good-bye.

3. Thank him, give him your card, ...