Fear of loss is our greatest motivator! We would rather buy new clothes, furniture or a vacation than buy insurance. But smart people buy insurance based upon fear of loss. (A small plug for all my insurance buddies!) Fear of loss is a common sales tactic for most businesses. We respond to promotions such as “Today Only!” and “While Supplies Last!” because shoppers fear they might lose this one opportunity to get a good deal. I hate to admit this BUT for a brief period in my life, I was…a car salesman! Please forgive me. It wasn’t pleasant. Fear of loss is the common sales strategy in the car business. It all comes down to the trial close. The negotiation process is designed to get the prospective buyer to sign-off on estimated numbers. “Mr and Mrs Snerdbuckets, if I can get you into this car for $3,000 down and a monthly payment of $350, will you agree to buy and drive this car home today?” (Big Cheesy Smile. Hold out pen to customer. Don’t say another word. The first person to speak next – loses!) At that point, Mr Snerdbuckets speaks, loses and signs the paperwork. It’s not official documentation but it gets them to mentally buy the car. Now the Snerdbuckets believe the car is theirs. Consequently, THEY DON’T WANT TO LOSE that which they think they have and the dealership can bump up the terms with little or no resistance. Suckers!
Bank robbers also use fear of loss as part of their sales strategy! “Give me all the money and I’ll let you keep your life!” This creates a very short negotiation process. Life is something most of us don’t want to lose. We want to keep our lives AND the quality within it. When I ask prospective clients why they want to exercise, I typically like to earmark their fear of loss. It becomes a powerful emotional motivator as we work together. I may ask, “What are you afraid of losing if you don’t take better care of yourself?” Here are some sample answers I hear: “I want to see my children graduate (get married, have kids, lose their minds).” “I want to enjoy my golden years (be able to travel the world in good health, be around to help (or annoy) my family).” “I want to have enough stamina to play with my grandchildren (square dance, take horse back riding lessons, be a cage-fighter).” It is our underlying fear of loss that becomes our motivation to make positive changes. Sure – we can be motivated by what we want. Everybody wants to feel better, look better, move better and wear less clothing. But nothing makes us work harder and more consistently than our quality of life being threatened.
I often talk about my father’s battle with cancer. I watched my father die. Not a point of pity. It simply had a huge impact on my health and career choices. My father got serious about his health when he was diagnosed with cancer at age 64. Up until that point my dad piddled around with an infrequent brisk walk, an occasional bike ride, a few sit-ups and a gaseous morning bowl of Total or Raisin Bran cereal. Prior to cancer, his routine was basic – come home from work, drink a Manhattan, eat dinner (frozen or processed foods), smoke a cigar in his Lazy-boy recliner and fall asleep watching ‘All In The Family’. Get up the next day and repeat. After cancer, THAT MAN GOT FOCUSED!!! Cancer threatened his life. He now had something to lose. Every morning he pedaled furiously on his stationary bike. He became diligent about his diet and did everything he could to live for the weddings of my sister and brother and the births of 2 more grandchildren. He fought hard to NOT LOSE HIS LIFE! Dad lived 5 years longer than expected. Imagine if he had started sooner…BEFORE getting diagnosed with cancer.
What do you have to lose? Are you going to wait until it’s threatened before you act or are you going to get your butt in gear NOW??? This may seem like a negative approach but in fact, it’s quite positive. Another way to ask the same question: “What are you living for?” You only get to pass this way once. Why not live the best way you possibly can? We all have something very valuable to lose. Why wait until it’s threatened before we start working hard to keep what we have??? Consider the value of your life. You only get one. How hard are you willing to work to keep it?
Let fear of loss be your positive motivator.
Train hard! Train consistently! SUCK IT UP!
Fitness Training Workouts | Portland Oregon Motivational Speaker | Hillsboro Inspirational Speaker | Beaverton Keynote Speaker