Getting people to change their minds is tough.
Just look at the divisions in the US over the last months in the lead up to the presidential (have you ever seen anything less presidential?) election.
Most set out to change somebody’s mind by telling them they are wrong, here is the right answer.
This rarely works well, as the natural reaction is pushback as people defend their existing position.
Instead, you have to find the things that they want that are consistent with the position you hold, and deliver those to them.
A former client had been successful for a long time selling the manufacture of large capital items to its natural Australian customer base. Over time, their market share had diminished as lower priced overseas competitors ate away at their base. Their focus was on price, and they cut corners in all sorts of little ways in an attempt to remain competitive, and the erosion continued. The turnaround came when they moved their focus from the procurement functions to engineering, giving the engineering staff of their customers the ammunition to argue the case that in fact, the more expensive invoice cost of their gear was better value than the ‘cheaper’ items sourced offshore. They created what they called ‘the TLC index’: Total Lifetime Cost. This was a calculation based on data and case studies over a considerable period that included scheduled maintenance and replacement parts, reliability data, the costs of downtime caused by offshore supply chain delays, ease of access to those who did the design and fabrication of the component parts, and several other items.
The invoice price on the purchase order was then shown in an entirely different light.
They did not tell their customers that the cheaper offshore item was an inferior product, they focussed on the things the engineering staff were concerned about, and gave them the ammunition to carry the argument based on the value of efficiency and reliability over the life of the items, rather than just focussing on the invoice price of the initial procurement.
It is easier in most cases to focus on price. However, demonstrating that price is only one part of the value equation delivers better results over time.
Dilbert again demonstrates insight: thanks to Scott Adams.
