SALES TECHNIQUES: "WHY PEOPLE DON'T BUY THINGS".

One of the prime directives of good salesmanship has always been: "Sell benefits, not features." Harry Washburn and Kim Wallace, a couple of veteran market researchers, have now added a not-so-obvious corollary: Sell benefits that are actually compelling to the buyer. Plausible- sounding sales messages and positioning statements often fail this simple test of relevancy, Washburn and Wallace note, leaving "even the veteran salesperson feeling puzzled, inept, and empty."

In fact, marketers typically devise sales messages in a near-vacuum. One exception: A few years ago, Progress Software hired Washburn and Wallace to test positioning statements for a new data analysis tool. The ad agency, the CEO, the marketing department, sales, and engineering all had favorite messages, including "Number one in user satisfaction," "The power to build critical applications," and "Productivity with complete control." When Washburn and Wallace tried out these messages on several hundred MIS managers, however, only one concept--"Portable across all major platforms"--really clicked. To most of Progress's potential buyers, the other messages fell flat.

The interviews revealed another point: the MIS managers didn't disbelieve the failed Progress messages--they simply tuned them out. "Traditional sales training points to objections as the primary reason people don't buy," Washburn and Wallace say in a new book about sales psychology. "Our research shows that most objections arise because you are not following the process customers use to make purchase decisions." In the end, customers tend to give their business to companies that understand "how the customer wants to buy," Washburn and Wallace say, even if the competition has better products and prices.

An important way to demonstrate this kind of understanding, they add, is to "mirror" a prospect's personality type when describing benefits and sales messages. Thus, "Commander" types respond best to people who stress teamwork, power, and market dominance. "Thinkers" love logical arguments, innovation, and expert endorsements. And "Visualizers" find good design and ease of use to be especially persuasive. Learning to recognize these personality types--which Washburn and Wallace borrowed from a 1970's study of psychotherapy techniques--can help salespeople very quickly focus on benefits that the customer will find especially compelling.

Crafting empathetic sales messages isn't easy, Washburn and Wallace. "Few companies ever do the homework or survey research that reveals the truly knockout arguments," they say. "Instead, they pack their sales kits with arguments that someone thinks or has a hunch will get customers' attention and interest." But in the end, they say, the extra effort pays off--in higher revenues, greater customer loyalty, and more "fun and joy" from selling.

Harry Washburn and Kim Wallace, principals, Wallace & Washburn, 70 Walnut St., Wellesley, Mass. 02481; 781/235-8882. Web: www.wallacewashburn.com. Why People Don't Buy Things, $12.00.