What are you selling?

I was asked that question a few nights ago. We were having dinner at an upscale place in Cabo. The guy that asked me is one of the best salesmen I have ever met. I have heard the question before at a sales seminar by Jack Daley and knew immediately where my friend was going. “Peace of mind” I said with the utmost of confidence.

According to C.S. Lewis, there never has been and never will be a radically new value or value system. “The human mind can no more invent a new value than create a new primary color.”

You had better be selling something that people value or you will fail.

Knowing where your kids are and that they are OK provides peace of mind.

Knowing where your stuff is and how it is doing provides peace of mind.

A retail notion is that all purchases are emotional and then buyers rationalize the need after the purchase.

I can’t help but relate this to a comment from the “Nanny” post. This customer is buying peace of mind. The comment from “Janis” criticizes the purchase as “keeping her on a leash”. The customer has decided that the incremental cost of a device to provide “touch points” during the day gives more peace of mind than the same money used to pay for a more secure Nanny. All purchases are emotional. I doubt an increase of $15 a month to a Nanny, would provide the same incremental “peace of mind” that the Ublip tracker provides.