To Sell is Human: Post #3--The Scales

The Scales have Tipped: The old warning used to be caveat emptor. Why? Because of “asymmetrical information.”  The seller used to hold all the cards…all the information. Before the Internet, if you wanted information on buying a new car or learning about your medical condition, the research wasn’t available to laypeople. The pros were the only ones with special access. But now the tables have turned and people walk into a car place or a doctor’s office with the latest in research from the AMA or Consumer Reports. Now the negotiation isn’t just one way—in fact with the power of social media, the new mantra, according to Pink, is caveat venditor! In a favorite movie of mine, “Glengarry Glen Ross,” Alec Baldwin stars as Blake, the ruthless sales trainer who teaches the deer-in-the-headlights salesmen the ABC’s of sales—Always Be Closing. In light of the shift in the current parity of information of both buyer and seller, Pink redefines the ABC’s as Attunement, Buoyancy, and Clarity.