What if you turned the typical sales funnel upside down?
In the usual way of selling, prospects are dropped into the top of the sales funnel. The salesperson, with the help of gravity, pushes them down into a narrowing path.
The upside down funnel is more like a mountain, a mountain that some people want to climb. Prospects are outside of the mountain, and free to go where they want to go without constraints.
The salesperson is more like a climbing guide, showing various ways up the mountain for anyone who wants to climb and who wants a guide. Prospects move up the mountain under their own power, against gravity, with no pushing from the guide.
It’s a different metaphor, for a different way of selling.
Author
Hi Carl,
That’s an interesting metaphor. I kinda like it. I love the sales rep as a guide. I’ve wrestled with the idea of a rep as a “consultant”…but I like guide a lot more bc it seems to imply more that the prospect is on that path bc they choose and want to be…
Hello Rob,
That’s one of the benefits of working with Paul Bunn. He is far better than I am with metaphors. We generated this one during one of our brainstorming sessions. I look forward to more.
Carl Ingalls
I don’t know why, but I have a really hard time thinking in, and coming up with, metaphors – for anything, not just HPS. So, this particular blog just really went over my head. Lol.
Hello Tyler,
Metaphors are not for everyone. Paul Bunn happens to be very good with them, and some readers connect with them.
Carl Ingalls