Walk Like a Giant, Sell Like a Madman

Chapter 5. Catering to Marketplace Diversity

Most people gravitate toward people with similar interests, needs, socioeconomic status, and personalities. This is true for salespeople, as well. We tend to feel more comfortable when we are around people like us, and we communicate more effectively with people from similar backgrounds. Unfortunately, this limits our opportunities.

Every day, salespeople cut themselves off from potential markets because they are unable or unwilling to deal with customers or clients with different backgrounds. Some salespeople, for example, always sell to the man when dealing with a couple, even though statistics show that women are more often than not the decision makers. Likewise, some salespeople are incapable of selling to clients from different racial or cultural backgrounds.

When you run out of leads, it's often tempting to think that you've run out of market, but this is rarely the case. In fact, your farm area probably has plenty of additional opportunities in untapped or undertapped markets—opportunities you may have not yet considered.

In this chapter, I encourage you to become more sensitive to diversity in your farm area and provide you with the information and guidance you need to appeal to diverse clientele.