The Aversion to Selling

“Welcome to McDonald’s!” The man’s voice boomed at me through the loudspeaker of the drive-through, crystal-clear and friendly. “Would you like to try our new Apple Cinnamon Walnut Oatmeal today?”

“No thanks”, I replied to the cheerful man on the loudspeaker.

After a brief pause…..“okay.” A much different, meek voice this time. “Please order when ready.”

Were there two different people manning the telecom that morning? Hardly. McDonald’s, the icon of consistency, wants every customer to be offered the new product upon pulling up to the drive-through. That should be simple enough; the problem, of course, is that not every McDonald’s employee is comfortable with selling new items – and McDonald’s knows that those who aren’t will not perform this task as requested.

So McDonald’s has solved the problem by installing an automated voice machine to do it for them.

Not everyone is ‘cut out’ for selling, and there is nothing wrong with that. That said, it is a waste of time to try to force someone who isn’t comfortable with the idea to do so; they will never like that part of their job, and they will never be effective in the role. Which is why, whether the question is one of trying apple-cinnamon oatmeal or getting started with treatment, a person who is uncomfortable with asking for a decision is someone whose skill-set is a better fit elsewhere.

Good selling skills have nothing to with being ‘pushy’ or aggressive, but they do require a willingness to take a leadership role with the practice visitor. The best TCs that I have worked with understand this; in fact, if I were to watch them without knowing their job title, I would often mistake them for the doctor.

Before attempting to improve a staff person’s selling skills, make sure that you have staff people who enjoy the selling part of the job. After all, persuading people to begin treatment is selling, and selling is the lifeblood of every business, including yours.