Everything seems to focus on closing, closing, closing. You and I both know that it takes a lot of activity to get to that moment. The more committed you are to keeping your activity high, the more your sales will rise. I call that focusing on “TSS.” (Time Spent Selling).
But what about the magic in sales? What causes that?
Saliency Beats Value Every Time
Salespeople are taught to “sell value.” It sounds noble, and it’s logical. But here’s the real truth: when you sell value, people throw up roadblocks.
Why? Because “value” is subjective and cerebral. It lives in the thinking brain — the cautious, analytical, risk-averse part of your buyer’s mind. Most people fear being judged for doing something risky.
When you start talking about value, you’re asking them to process, compare, and justify. And that’s when fear creeps in.
Great sellers don’t sell value. They make things salient.
Saliency means relevance that can’t be ignored. It’s the spark that makes someone say, “This is about me.”
It’s not about features or even benefits. It’s about connecting what you offer to something that already matters deeply to the person in front of you. Learn how to identify and connect this, and your sales numbers will go up, up, up.
When people don’t buy, it’s rarely because they don’t understand the value. They get that.
It’s because the risk of change feels too high. Staying the same feels safer.
Your job is to adjust that feeling. It might be better to say, “Your job is to find that feeling for them.”
Saliency changes that equation. When your message hits close enough to home – when it’s emotionally relevant, personally meaningful, and timely – the risk of not changing becomes greater than the risk of saying yes.
So, stop trying to convince people that you’re worth it. You want to be confident that you are worth it. That’s for you.
Make them feel that not acting is a bigger mistake.
That’s the power of saliency – and it’s where real persuasion lives. It’s also where you find the magic, and they buy.
Did you miss our Q4 Free Radio Sales Event on The Encouragers™ The Radio Rally™ podcast (Apple, Audible, Spotify)?
Here’s your free ticket so you can grow your Q4 revenue for free: “How To Motivate Sellers Around Distractions, Excuses & Setbacks.”
