Technology-enabled solutions are intangible sales. People don’t buy the machine; they buy what it enables. Average sales people tend to perceive technology as a tangible, so they focus on the functionality. Exceptional sales people understand that customers only care about the results the technology enables, which is intangible. This difference in perception about the nature of technology is the fundamental factor in determining a sales person’s success.Technology is the actualization of abstract theories. The more theories that are actualized, the more powerful the technology is. For example, there is a computer chip in my car that makes me a better driver. The computer chip senses the car beginning to skid on a patch of ice much faster than I can. It automatically sends messages to the anti-lock brake system so the car responds to the changing road conditions before I am even aware there may be a problem. This simple application is the actualization of theories that span the disciplines of physics, mechanical engineering, human perception, and computer software. It would take a long time to explain how it all worked. As a car buyer, however, I only care about the fact that it makes me a safer driver.The more sophisticated the technology is, the greater the abstraction. Selling abstractions is more than just relating benefits. It is about linking the functionality of the technology to the desired end result, which is the intangible promise of the technology. I can only appreciate the value of the car’s computer controlled anti-locking device when I understand how it improves my driving. If the sales person just explains anti-locking brakes, I don’t perceive the benefit. If she tells me that I will be a better driver, but doesn’t explain how, then I won’t believe her. She must help me understand the relationship between the how the technology is applied and the results that are important to me before I will value the technology.Selling the value of your technology. The translation of abstract theory into useful applications that deliver strategic benefits is the essence of selling value. Value is created when the customer believes the technology solution will help them accomplish their objectives. To develop the customer’s conviction you must integrate their learning process with their decision-making process.The sales person must provide the customer with the right information at the right time. Furthermore, it must be done in a way that increases the customer’s perception of need, urgency to buy and appreciation of the value contribution of the solution.The information puzzle gets even more complex as we incorporate the relentless rate of change associated with any technology solution. As the technology evolves and its applications expand, it becomes practically impossible to stay current and informed about the solution. The body of information that the sales person draws upon to sell a technology solution is constantly evolving. Products mutate. New technologies replace old ones. Competitors’ products change. Markets accelerate. Each change has multiple implications for how customers buy and the best ways to sell the solution.Keeping current about all the factors that influence a technology sale is not easy. It is hard enough to keep track of the ever-changing information. The fact that you must synthesize it into strategically sequenced, customer learning experiences that build credibility and value exponentially increases its complexity. No wonder the sales superstars make so much money!

Analog television is no more! Stations are now digital broadcasters. If you have an analog television you can no longer receive programming without a digital converter box, changing your television, or ordering a paid programming service. Most of you reading this are of an age where you probably had no analog television to begin with! Yet, you understand that you cannot communicate on a digital channel with an analog signal. You must communicate using the same channel-the same send-and-receive technology-whether you are electronic devices or human beings.Electronic devices communicate using specific communications protocols. The sending (transmitting) device must use the same communications protocol as the receiving (listening) device in order for messages to get through and be interpreted correctly. (And that is as detailed as I get with technology in this column.) People also use communications protocols. The message sender (you) must use the same communications protocol (language) as that which I use in order for me to receive and interpret your messages correctly. Language, however, is more complicated than electronic protocols. Many variables come into play when it comes to “speaking the same language”.The language to which I refer in this article involves the way we use our senses to process messages. Our senses are our communications channels. Each of us has our own primary channel through which we best receive and internalize messages. In various contexts these channels are referred to as learning styles, sensory receptors, neurolinguistic programming, or multiple intelligences. To communicate more clearly, determine the primary channel – visual (sight; eyes), auditory (sound; ears), or kinesthetic (touch; motion) – through which your message receiver processes messages. You can then transmit your message on that same channel to ensure the best reception.One of the ways in which to learn the primary communications channel a person uses to communicate effectively is through assessment instruments. These instruments ask questions about or make statements regarding how a person best communicates. The assessment-taker responds based on his or her preferences. A scoring system presents a “grade” that provides a reference for people to have a basis for understanding each other’s communications channels. Do an Internet search on “communication style assessments” and the result is over 553,000 entries linking to scientifically-based and pop psychology-based, fee-required and free assessments available to you. Consider this, though: How many times in the course of a normal day do you ask someone what their communication style may be before you talk or write to them? If you are like most of us…seldom if ever. So how do you figure out what another person’s best communications channel is in order to transmit to them using their signals?Listen to how THEY communicate! The words and gestures they use give you a good indication of their primary communication style and how best to communicate with them. Each of us responds best to certain types of words because these words “reach” the sensory receptor to which we best respond. Typically, when a person is primarily a visual communicator she thinks in pictures and “visual words” such as “see, appear, look, and inspect”. She uses visual words throughout her speech. When you hear them used frequently you can deduce she is a primarily-visual communicator. She interprets the written word better than the spoken word. Writing things down and sketching concepts ensures you effectively communicate with this person most often. An auditory person best communicates using “sound words” such as “hear, state, talk, and speak”. Repeat or rephrase your message verbally in order to effectively communicate with this person. He retains the spoken better than the written word. Someone who is kinesthetic best communicates using “feeling and texture words” such as “feel, grasp, and touch”. He retains information best through active hands-on-experiences and sensory triggers that involve taste and smell.As with any categorization or generalization involving people, communication channels are seldom “either / or” in any one person. We use all of our senses when we communicate and receive messages in all of these ways at one point in time or another. The signals we provide in the words we use represent our primary communications channels rather than our only channels. Listen for the types of words a person uses the most and those words indicate the most-effective means by which that person receives, translates (interprets), and retains (understands) what it is you have to communicate.The best way to communicate is to use a little of each type of wording to be sure you reach as many senses as possible. For example: an interviewer asks you to tell her how you handled a time when you were disappointed at an outcome. You lean forward and describe the following scenario. “Imagine a busy classroom environment with a cacophony of voices providing a continuous background of noise. Your body is tense with anticipation of the news; people shift around in their seats unable to sit still; a cell phone buzzes as it vibrates, jolting everyone’s attention to one area of the room. Suddenly someone moans in despair, ‘I just received the a message that I didn’t make the team!’ I realized-too late-that that someone was me. And this is how I handled the disappointment.” This scenario connects with the listener on many levels. Saying “imagine” means they must do so. You paint a picture of the scene (visual), describe sounds (auditory), and evoke feelings (kinesthetic). Continue with a story of how you handled the disappointment and you hold the interviewer captivated on multiple levels.Take the time to tune into other people’s channels and you can adjust how you communicate messages to best ensure they are heard and understood. Employ aspects of multiple channels for your most effective means of communicating.Reference: Additional words to consider using for each channel:Visual – analyze, clear, demonstrate, distinguish, examine, focus, horizon, illustrate, observe, outlook, perceive, perspective, picture, pinpoint, reveal, see, show, notice, view, vague, watch.Auditory – alarm, announce, articulate, ask, audible, compose, converse, discuss, earshot, enunciate, inquire, interview, listen, loud, mention, noise, pronounce, remark, report, ring, say, scream, shout, silence, sound, speechless, tell, tone, tune, voice.Kinesthetic – active, carry, concrete, emotional, feel, foundation, grasp, heated, hit, hold, impact, impress, irritate, motion, panic, pressure, rush, sensitive, shallow, sharpen, shock, solid, stress, support, tension, tired, touch, unbearable.