Dreamsetting Buyer Goals

If there's one genre to be incredibly wary of, it's surely that of self-help.

I myself have little time for the Robbins' of this world.

One of many self-styled guru problems, is that whenever there is a kernel of a decent idea, it is swamped in the mire of a load of utter drivel. Some of it, actively dangerous to your health (not to mention bank balance).

Despite my oft re-proven misgivings, I still keep lookout for the (very) occasional good tip that can apply to selling.

Perhaps among the usual January psychoanalytic deluge, I find one today. With the promo for an update to a UK bestseller by originally a TV hypnotist, Paul McKenna. Called, rather alarmingly/cunningly (take yer pick), Change Your Life in 7 Days.

'Dreamsetting' comprises his Day Four agenda. Not unreasonably he states that a dream without a plan is mere wish. Destined to go unfulfilled.

SMART goal framing it ain't. Which I actually found quite refreshing.

Going off PR fluff rather than, yunno, the actual prose can be fraught. Yet here's a flavour of his own précis [sub'n req'd];

"What I get people to do is imagine, ‘What will I see, hear and feel when I achieve this goal?' Check the integrity of the goal. 'Would it burn me out? Will it upset people or create any issues? What’s going to stop me or get in the way?' "

Then urges that the value your goal will represent is invariably more important;

"People say their goal is money and I’ll ask, ‘What will it give you?’ They’ll say, ‘A feeling of security’. So the goal is money but the value is security... "

It shouldn't take a leap to apply this to a selling conversation with a prospect. One that has a goal in mind. Something they wish to achieve that you can build a plan for unleashing such envisaged value.

His opening touchy-feely line can switch to a version of, 'What will you experience when this gets done?'

That next trio can follow pretty much as-is. As can probing around value. Asking what reaching the goal will give them.

There's even scope for adding a flag on your forecasting routines. For Goal & Value ID. Even with free-text field for detail. As if you don't have these nailed down, then do you really have a deal?