October 21

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5th Commandment: The Security Issue

By Michael Q. Pink

October 21, 2014


On Monday we looked at how the 5th Commandment to honor your father and mother guards and protects the legitimate motivational need to be honored that we all have. When someone feels honored, they are more likely to do business with you than when they feel dishonored.

Ebola virus

But there is a second perspective I want to outline. It’s the fact that parents have a job to set boundaries for their children and provide a sense of security. The sense of security is a legitimate motivational need as well. We all need it. Some choose to get it from their own ability. Others from the Lord. Still others rely on your word and promises to make them feel secure. The bottom line however is that everyone needs security in one form or another.

Recognizing that as a legitimate motivational need your prospect or customer may have can be very helpful in conducting business. Look at your presentation or offer and evaluate it as a potential security risk for your client. Look for the points that could threaten their sense of security. Places where they may feel vulnerable.

Then address those points in your proposal in relationship to their importance. By that I mean, address the most likely concerns the prospect or customer may have, not every conceivable objection. Pre-emptively tackle those security issues by providing risk reversal strategies such as money back guarantees, etc.

The Ebola Crisis in Context…

Another way to lower their sense of risk is to put it in context. Currently in the news all over the world is the threat of Ebola. I don’t know how much concern to carry concerning this deadly disease. We’ve had 2 fatalities in the USA so far. It may get worse. However, we had 50,000 fatalities from the flu last year and no one seems to be worried about that. So to put the Ebola threat into context, it’s impact has been small compared to the flu.

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV.

I realize it’s mortality rate is much higher than the flu. But this disease is not new. There are outbreaks almost every year in West Africa. Then it subsides. Medical conditions and precautions are much more intense here so it seems reasonable that this will also be contained. That is of course, if it hasn’t mutated.

Talk about threatening people’s sense of security. Not since the Cuban missile crisis have the American people exhibited such a lack of feeling secure. If this thing spreads to just a few hundred, the economic and psychological ramifications will be noticeable. Why? Because people act irrationally when they are afraid.

Back to the business world.

When your customers or prospects don’t feel secure in your offer or proposal, they may make what appears to you, to be an irrational decision. You will be puzzled that they chose to go with your competitor because your deal made more sense. But they did. Because they understood the competitors deal and it made them feel secure.

Always take time to understand your customers fears and where possible make them feel secure. When you do, you will more likely do more business with them. When you don’t, they may avoid you like the plague!

Until next time, be fruitful and multiply!

 

NOTE: If want to learn Biblical wisdom for succeeding in sales and business, check out our International Christian Business Institute now.

Michael Q. Pink

About the author

Michael is America's leading authority on applying Biblical Wisdom and Natural Law to sales and business and has authored 19 books including The Bible Incorporated, Selling Among Wolves and God's Best Kept Secrets. Using that knowledge, he has helped thousands of professionals and entrepreneurs experience radical transformation in their lives and careers, including helping a start-up with 3 struggling sales reps turn the corner and become the 16th fastest growing company on the INC 500 list. 

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