For Better Results, Focus on the Prospect
BY JEB FOSTERIn an April 30, 2008, blog post, marketing maharaja Seth Godin observed that there are essentially two different approaches to selling—the me-centric and the you-centric:
[Me-centric] … explains that we’re promoting something that got made because we need to sell it. What we do is make stuff and sell it, and what you do is buy it or watch it. “I needed to make something to sell, here’s the best I could do.
[You-centric] … starts with the needs and desires of the consumer and ignores the committees, the compromises and the economic realities. It says, “I found something for you, here it is.
As you might guess, most agents use a me-centric approach. When talking to prospects, they often convey this message: This is what I can offer you. Now I’m going to tell you why it’s something you should buy.
The agent’s goal is thus starkly clear: to sell a policy. That transparency undermines the agent-prospect relationship at its most crucial stage (the beginning). With the agent’s motivation set prominently on the table, the prospect generally responds with cynicism (best case) or a desire to end the conversation (worst case).
Compare that with the you-centric approach, wherein the agent takes the time to learn about the prospect’s needs first. Regardless of whether the agent’s essential motivation is altruistic, the client at least has the feeling that the agent has two things in mind—selling a policy, yes, but also selling one that makes sense and benefits me. The difference is huge in eyes of the consumer.
The you-centric approach will engender trust. It will instill this idea in the prospect’s buying calculus: This agent has other things in mind besides his own bottom line—namely, me.
Progressive clearly understands (at least, their marketing department does) the distinction between you- and me-centric approaches. Their new tag line reads, “It’s about you. And it’s about time.” The second line contains a double-entendre, alluding to Progressive’s time-saving approach to selling insurance while also referring to the idea that, for too long, insurance has been about the person selling it instead of the person buying it.
