Don’t Let Your Politics Get in the Way of Sales
Oh that dirty word that everyone keeps talking about. You know the one. Obamacare! You've probably heard everyone from Insurance Agents to Accountants complain about and blame Obamacare for the nightmare that this tax season will be because of that law!
Now if you think this article is going to be a left wing speech about how wonderful Obamacare is, then you’re wrong and you need to pay attention. The fact is I don’t care whether you like Obamacare or not. I like sales, and I cringe every time I listen to sales pitch from a “professional” who is using Obamacare scare tactics as a way to sell his or her services.
First, scare tactics rarely work in sales. They often accomplish just the opposite objective. Scare tactics often make people want to run and hide, not act. Second, in case you haven’t noticed, politics is a very divisive issue. Approximately half the Country is Democrats and Obama was elected to two terms in office. Finally, who is your audience? The Obamacare tax will not negatively affect the following groups:
Individuals who already have health insurance;
Company’s who already offer health insurance;
Individuals who previously were denied health insurance or low income individuals who now want to purchase health insurance.
Therefore, those people who have chosen to use Obamacare scare tactics as a way to sell their services are only talking to a fraction of the audience that they intend to sell. A small audience that consists of mostly conservatives who don’t want health insurance and don’t want to be taxed purely based upon their choice not to be insured. This begs the question, why would so many service providers feel compelled to pitch their services with Obamacare scare tactics?
The answer is that many of these professionals have been forced to learn hundreds of pages of a new law that keeps changing. I often see their frustration carry over to their sales pitches for their services. However, my advice to these professionals is simple. Don’t let your frustration over a complicated law affect your bottom line. Position yourself as an expert and open up your market to both sides of the Obamacare argument. That’s right take money from liberals, conservatives, and from those who just don’t care because it doesn’t affect them. Finally, I’m not saying you need to give up your political beliefs. Feel free to voice them however you see fit. However, I recommend you leave your politics out of your sales pitch. You never know who you might turn off.
