How long do you think it takes people to decide if they are going to buy your product? A week? A day? An hour? 20 minutes? 10? 5? The opening pitch and the attention grabber is often the most important part of our sales presentation or proposal. We make or mar our success not just by how great a product is, but also by how we present it. This is why you need to adopt the AIDA model.
“Begin by capturing the prospect’s attention with your most compelling opening statement or question you could possibly think of. Paint the most vivid picture-of-success imaginable and build backwards from there.”
Many times in the course of my career, I’ve found that I happen to either lose or gain the sale in the first 15 seconds of the pitch. I found this to be particularly true during my time in the FMCG space. I realised that before I have even begun to present the product itself, many of my potential partners, associates, and even colleagues have decided whether or not they are going to be active customers of the goods I’m selling.
“Why is this?”, you may wonder. My quick fix answer is that our attention spans have gotten shorter and shorter. As a result, in the process of pitching a new idea or product, we need bigger feet to kick in the door in order to make the same kind of impression that little feet would have made in the past. This is where AIDA comes in.
The Essence of Shock Value in Sales
In his book Moonwalking With Einstein, Joshua Foer talks about the power of memory and how vivid images stick with people much longer than text or words possibly can. He advises that for you to always remember a text, or statement, or memory verse, your best bet is to paint the most ludicrous, vivid depiction of the core concept of whatever you’re trying to put to memory. Do this and it will remain locked up in the inner chambers of your mind for as long as you are willing to preserve that memory.
That same concept works in the world of marketing and sales. In fact, it works best.
One of my favourite ads of all time wasn’t even an ad. It was an on-stage presentation of WiFi by Steve Jobs at an Apple event in the 1999 NYC MacWorld Public/ Keynote address. I saw it as a demonstration of how powerful visual imagery is to the consumer. Also how basic demonstration makes use-cases memorable. We take WiFi for granted now because we carry it around in our pockets & purses and use it for our everyday activities. But back then it was magic. It showed the consumer that the internet is truly available in wireless form and it was key to the early adoption of the product in its initial stages.
What Steve did here will forever be immortalised in the hearts and minds of tech enthusiasts for generations to come. Today, WiFi has become a threshold competence for most tech companies and products. However, this innovative display of use was a big factor in increasing its popularity among early adopters.
The AIDA Model
AIDA simply stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. It is a viable framework for structuring and pitching the most persuasive sales conversations. I’m going to try to break down each part as briefly as I possibly can. I’ll break them down into two phases: Captivate and Close.
PHASE 1: Captivate
Attention
You should aim to begin by capturing the prospect’s attention with a rather compelling opening statement or question. Paint the most vivid Picture-of-Success imaginable and build backwards from there. The most extreme use case scenario should be your go-to approach to capture the hearts and minds of your audience before even pitching the product.
If you’re selling electric scooters, first talk about arthritis. Pitching a Power Bank, start with a battery outage during an emergency. Period pads? Paint the most embarrassing all-white party scenario. Arrest people’s attention by first depicting the problem your product is intended to solve, in its most vivid form. If done perfectly you should be able to cut the tension in the room with a knife because people are hanging on to your words and wondering how to get out of the situation you have described.
This is how you first capture an audience.
Interest
Now that you have gotten their attention in the most unique way, you have a Size-51 foot in the door. You can now begin to generate interest by highlighting key benefits and addressing the identified pain point. Picture it as you applying pressure to a well landed punch. Go on, break some ribs. Focus on how your product solves the problem you have earlier identified and painted. Typical, practical examples of ways in which your product can be applied to the situation to provide relief for the identified pain point are very helpful.
Be descriptive and bold. Use hyperbole. Brag within reasonable limit. If you do this right, you will begin to see their eyes light up. You have both identified the problem and provided the solution. You have piqued the interest in the room, and now people want to know more about your product.
PHASE 2: Close
Desire
If you’ve ever seen the show Shark Tank, or any of its many many variations, you will realise that this is the most exciting part of the job for a sales person or an entrepreneur. You know your audience is captivated because they have seen far into your offering’s profitability and scalability. At this point they’re staring at you(r product) through dollar-sign-coated lens. Here, your negotiation skills have to kick in because now you are able to strike the most lucrative deal for yourself. This is when you get asked questions like “How much?”, “How many?” and “How soon can…?”
Every salesman dreams of this bit when they go in for a sales pitch. But this euphoric feeling is unattainable if you haven’t first perfected the first two steps. You should have good knowledge of your existing market. Know whether you’re in a monopoly or an oligopoly. This helps you not to underprice or overprice yourself and lose either your competitive edge or your opportunity to make supernormal profits.
But this is a conversation for another post.
Action
Ah. We’re finally here. The point where all your hard work has paid off. This is where you answer questions raised in the Desire phase. The stage where your account details take front and centre stage. You’d hardly come across a sales person who doesn’t dream of the “send your aza” part of the sale. No pitch is complete without a Call to Action. You have to provide guidance on the next step in the selling process and lead them through to proper execution. AIDA isn’t complete without Action.
Remember, the sale is not closed simply because the customer says “Yes, I’ll buy”. It is only complete when product is delivered and payment is made.
Summary
So to recap, to implement the AIDA model, begin by capturing the prospect’s attention with a compelling opening statement, question or scenario. Generate interest by highlighting key benefits or addressing a pain point. Create desire by showcasing how your product or service fulfils their needs and aspirations. Finally, prompt action by making a clear and compelling call to action, guiding the prospect towards the next step in the buying process.
Following the AIDA model is very key to ensuring a successful sale, my dear reader. If you want to hear more sales tips, I write about the workplace on my site and I drop bite-sized sales articles on my LinkedIn ever other week. Also if you have any stories about how this model has been useful to you in the past, or you enjoyed this post, feel free to leave a comment below.
Remain blessed.
