“In the factory we make cosmetics; in the drugstore we sell hope.”
— Charles Revson
One of the things that constantly fascinates me is the dichotomy between the business people might think you’re in (and even yourself) and the business that you’re actually in.
Here’s an example of that. Think about a professional musician. When most people think of that life, they think of performing on stage, the screaming crowds, etc. But in reality, the life is much more about long periods of time being confined to a tour bus, answering the same questions over and over in interviews, and lots of waiting.
You can find this principle everywhere, and there are times you will need to leverage it for your own use.
For example, when you are an author, speaker, or some other kind of teacher, you may have followers who think they need one thing, but they actually need something else.
Why is that?
Because all of us have something in common: we don’t know what we don’t know. Your followers are like that, and they may have a skewed impression of your subject. It’s not necessarily your job to dissuade them of this impression during the sales process. It’s your job to sell them what they want, but to also deliver them what they need.
You can’t make for followers not want what they want, anymore than you can tell them who not to love. Don’t bother; it’s just not going to happen. Address what they want, or you will lose their attention quickly.
It’s not fair to sell them only what they want, if what they want will not provide them with the results or transformation that are explicit in your offer. It’s important to include what they need along with what they want.