We and our customers live in worlds of paradox, uncertainty, confusion, complexity, overwhelm, overload, and constant change.
Organizationally and individually, we are afraid of missing something—FOMO. We constantly move from one thing to another and then to the next. We see the latest technique, strategy du jour, technology, competitor and want to do the same thing. We watch competitors and others, worried they may be onto something, and that we might miss an opportunity. And they are doing the same with us.
At the same time, we are plagued by Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt – FUD. We worry about making mistakes, we worry about what we don’t know. We focus on everything that could go wrong, and too often fail to change though we know we should.
Too often, we end up paralyzed, thinking we should do something, not understanding why. Sometimes knowing we must do something, but unable or unwilling to make the change.
As sales people, we may adopt strategies to exploit FOMO and/or FUD with our customers. Inevitably, they backfire. Our customers struggle with many similar issues as we face.
Rather than convincing our customers to change and to do it with us, we paralyze them. Instead of reducing the FOMO and FUD they already have created for themselves, we add to it (perhaps unwittingly).
Instead of changing and moving forward, they do nothing.
The data shows customers struggle to take action. They struggle through their buying process, the majority of the time, choosing to do nothing.
How do we become helpful to our customers?
Helping our customers understand what they face, helping them come to grips with the conflicts created by FOMO and FUD, not adding to it becomes important.
Helping the customer make sense of the conflicting things they are experiencing–the overwhelm, information overload, the differing or incomplete data, constant change, risk, ambiguity, conflicting goals/objectives, confusion.
Our customers are struggling to understand, to cope, to make sense of what they face.
They need confidence–and we need to help them develop that confidence. But we must be cautious, we are tempted to focus on developing their confidence in us and our solutions.
What they really need is confidence in themselves and that what they are choosing to do is right for them.
FOMO intersecting with FUD is paralyzing. Helping our customers move forward confident in what they are doing is critical.
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