Stranger Danger! Even kids see though our hype…

3-5 Smart Things to Consider

1. Selling and the art of storytelling go hand in hand.
2. The more complex our selling environment, the more complex our solutions tend to be.
3. Increased competition forced the move from features & functions to visions and values selling.
4. Selling vision and value is where the margin was but presented a tantalizing temptation for story-sellers to stray from hard reality into the netherworld of plausibly believable embellishment.
5. New research sounds a warning for salespeople tempted to paint-the-picturebetter than it really is…because even kids can see right through you… Social cognition, skepticism and critical thinking are no long the stuff of sophisticated adults.

1. Children viewed one of two short videos of adults spouting facts:
   1. Video 1- the adult sounded unsure of the true details,
   2. Video 2- the adult sounded very confident stating false details,
2. Children were asked whom they believed more.

1. It was about a 50/50 split among kids closer to age 4; however,
2. By the time kids neared age 5, they were more likely to believe the person who sounded unsure!