Similarity Close

Technique

Tell a story about a person who is 'just like' the target customer, with similar problems and concerns and who bought what you are selling and is now very happy.

Make sure the customer will empathize with person in the story. Also be subtle - do not make the person in the story too similar. Where possible, use a real person and a real story.

Examples

You know I had a woman in here yesterday who asked the same question and who was also concerned about the effect on the environment. She looked us up in EnviroList and came back this morning to place an order.

There was a guy here a few weeks ago who also lived near the airport and needed something to keep out the noise. We sent around our specialists and we haven't heard from him since. I guess he may still be catching up on sleep. Those jets are pretty noise, but our triple glazing is more than up to the task.

How it works

When we read stories or watch movies, we associate with the protagonists and others in the story, taking on a part of their character into our selves. We thus bond with fictional characters and easily do so with people in real life (how often have you empathised with people on the news?).

Once attached to the person in the story, the customer will then more likely agree with that the character thinks and does and may well follow suit with similar decisions.