A couple of weeks ago Seth Godin blogged about The Talking Pad (and the following post was a variation called the modern talking pad).  The concept is when you’re talking with someone either 1 on 1 or in a small group, instead of using a powerpoint presentation, you should walk them through the discussion with a simple piece of paper that you can write on in front of them.

The alternative is to use a thick pen or marker and a legal pad.

Whenever you mention a number or make an assertion or promise, write it down. The act of writing is a verb, it’s the process of putting it on the page that underlines what you’ve said, that highlights the moment.

Seth’s point is that the talking pad can help you control the discussion and can add credibility, but I think there are a couple of other really strong reasons to use it.

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photo by Bast 

I’m going to date myself here, but my parents had an 8-track tape that I used to listen to when I was growing up – it was the soundtrack to Lost Horizon (a 1973 remake of a Frank Capra 1937 film).  I don’t really remember the movie being worthwhile, but I remember the soundtrack and several of the songs really well – it’s the kind of music that sticks with you.

One of the ‘stickier’ songs is “Question Me an Answer“.

Question me an answer bright and clear.
I will answer with a question clear and bright.
Even though your answer may be wrong my question will be right.
Question me an answer.
Answer with a question.

It was written by Burt Bacharach and it’s catchy to the point that you’ll regret having listened to it (consider yourself warned).

What does this have to do with anything?  If you’re trying to close a sale, then questions are the answer.

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about our “Adventures In Car Shopping – how not to sell” and shared a somewhat painful story about our initial visit and test drive experience with 3 different car dealerships.

As I mentioned previously, 2 of the dealerships / salesmen basically knocked themselves out of the running with a combination of poor sales techniques and some ethically challenged tactics.

The good news is that we liked the other car (a Ford Edge – pictured above) and the salesman and the dealership correctly read that we are the kind of buyers that just wanted a straight discussion and limited ‘help’.

So what did they do right?  Read on and find out…

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  photo by uberculture 

I hate car shopping – it’s not quite as bad as a root canal or re-grouting tile, but I certainly wouldn’t call it fun. For starters, you’re looking at buying a hugely expensive piece of equipment that loses 25% of it’s value as soon as you drive it off the lot. On top of that, you generally have to run the gauntlet of stereotypically bad sales techniques (and salespeople).

However at some point you’re going to need a different vehicle, so we decided to bit the bullet.  The car industry is in bad shape right now, so you would think that they would be pulling out all the stops to make a sale.  I was interested to see if the buying process had improved since the last time I had been car shopping.

We set out to visit 3 car dealers for test drives and found 3 very different situations:  Read on to see what happened last weekend! (how’s that for a tease?)

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photo by superfantastic 

There’s a pretty common saying when it comes to software development and implementation (I’m sure it applies to other projects as well).  It’s all about balance.

Good, Fast, or Cheap – You can pick two of them.

It’s always a trade-off, a balancing act because at the end of the day nothing is perfect.  If you want high quality and you want delivered quickly, it’s going to be expensive.  If you want it cheap and fast, you’re going to get low quality, it’s pretty simple but proven time and again.

Now the great thing about this trade off is that it if it’s used properly, it really allows for a great discussion about what’s really important and a recognition that there is not a single right answer, just a matter of priorities.

It’s ignoring this fairly simple idea that is the major problem with selling and politics (especially the over the top political speeches going on right now).  By not acknowledging the inevitable trade-off I’m making as a buyer or as a voter and instead telling me I can have it all – you almost automatically lose the sale.

I don’t normally get into politics, but I think the current election is a great example (and both parties are making this mistake).

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