Sell metaphorically
The big idea
Many people consider selling to be a very difficult task. Unfortunately for them,
Selling is an activity that is part of everyone’s day-to-day life. Does not occur
only at work, but also when you are at home with your family, or when
they are enjoying a cup of coffee with a friend.
Sales types include debating with your friend what kind of movie
observe, convince your boss to adapt to a different form of management, and
get that superior customer to buy your company’s products. You must remember
that the sale is not limited to cars, clothes or food.
In the book Selling Metaphorically, the author Anne Miller explains that, given
time and the correct method, anyone can learn to sell, persuade and explain.
By using simple metaphors and visually appealing words, you can change your
status from a sore loser to a top scorer.
The case of metaphor
The challenge: be heard
You live in a world where people read newspapers and are bombarded by print media.
announcements every morning. You live in a world where the big billboards fight
to get attention, and TV commercials have become a way of life.
Since selling is an everyday thing, you must learn to accept that your
The audience has heard the same tone that he prepared countless times before.
So how do you force a jaded audience to lower their guard and listen to you?
First, you must learn to speak from your audience’s point of view. Get your listeners
to understand what is selling by choosing the right words. Speak your
language and use words that they can relate to. Remember, you are not selling
your product yourself.
Second, don’t bombard your audience with too much information. Keep that in mind
You are only given a short time to make a sales pitch. It would be a fatal mistake
overwhelm your audience with too many facts and figures.
Lastly, to do your product justice without boring your audience, it would be more
useful and advantageous to use visual words. Putting together your presentation with visual
Words allow you to fully explain what your product is about without spoiling your
the zeal of the audience.
What are metaphors?
When you were a student, you were taught that a metaphor is a way of speaking.
However, your teacher may not have told you; how important is a metaphor
is when it comes to selling.
A metaphor is a way of communicating your message to any given audience in a
instant. You do it using words that compare one thing to another. Tea
The brilliance of a metaphor is that you can easily make comparisons that are
familiar to your audience. You can use metaphors that your audience can
associate with.
The best way to explain this in more detail is to tell him what not to do. If you are talking
in front of a group of women activists, it is never a good idea to use metaphors that extol
the triumph of men in sport.
When do you need metaphors?
Without a doubt, a metaphor is a powerful tool. In fact, metaphors will help you
close a sale no matter what type of audience you are interacting with. While you can
No need to use metaphors all the time, be enthusiastic and alert when necessary. you
Know that you have to start throwing a metaphor the moment your audience starts showing
hostility. . .
This article is based on the following book:
Selling Metaphorically: A Book Summary
How to use the magic of metaphors to sell, persuade and explain anything
To anybody
By Anne Miller
Chiron Associates, Inc., New York 2004
ISBN: 0-9762794-0-1
161 Page