Online StoreThe Selling Coaching Lesson From an 84-year-old Art Swindler
Now listen: I’m NOT suggesting you con people into buying whatever you’re selling. No way. But, like it or not, you can learn a LOT about the “art of selling” from swindlers and con men.
Let me explain what I mean with a real life example: Back in 2003, 84-year-old George Greenhalgh sold a fake of a 3,300 year-old statuette of the Egyptian Princess Amarna — (the daughter of Pharoah Akenaten and Queen Nefertiti) — to Bolton council for the “bargain” price of just 440,000 pounds. George’s son, 47-year-old, Shaun Greenhalgh carved the statuette in 3-weeks in his parents garden shed. And the carving was good. Real good.
But, here’s what’s important: What finally convinced Bolton council to snap up the piece for 440,000 was what is known in the art world… as… provenance.
What’s provenance? In short, it’s the STORY behind the work-of-art (i.e., how it came to be in the hands of the current owner). That’s what 84-year-old George was a master at - spinning a believable STORY as to how he happened to be in possession of such a rare artifact. And the art experts “took their eye” off the authenticity of the piece of art… because… the story was so credible.
They so badly wanted to believe the story, they purchased fake pieces of art from the Greenhalgh’s over and over again. And over the years, Shaun (the master craftsman) and his father George (the master story teller)… swindled the art world out of over 600,000 pounds.
What’s the lesson here? It’s this: One particularly effective way to enhance the responsiveness of your sales promotions (for your legitimate products & services) is to weave an interesting STORY. I don’t mean in a nefarious way. Not at all.
What I mean is to use a credible STORY that DRAMATIZES your promotion and diffuses all possible objections in the mind of the prospect as to WHY your product or service will not deliver on its promises.
Do this. Because in sales, all other things being equal… the person with the best story wins!
