The Oracle’s Role in The Matrix

If you have seen the Matrix movies, starring Keanu Reeves (as Neo), then you are familiar with an Oracle. In the movies, the Oracle knows what will happen. She has seen it, and it is predestined. In the Oracles mind there is no such thing as free will.

In the first Matrix movie, Neo goes to visit her and knocks a vase off the shelf, and it hits the ground and breaks. Right before he hits it, she says “Don’t worry about the vase.”

Neo says, “How did you know?”

Then the Oracle responds with “What’s really going to bake your noodle later on, is would you still have broken it if I hadn’t said anything.”

Becoming an Oracle in Sales

Your mission as a sales professional is to be an Oracle for your prospects and clients. To know the future. Then be able to see around corners, as they say. Which means you know what is going to happen before it happens, because you have enough experience that you have become a psychic.

You want to be able to predict, with amazing accuracy:

• What will happen next
• What will happen after that
• What issues will pop up
• What your prospect/client is thinking before they think it
• What concerns they might have before they have them

Eliminating the Fear of the Unknown

During your presentation/demo you want to set the expectation of what is going to occur next. Remember, humans fear the unknown. They want to avoid risk as much as possible.

Your sales presentation is risky and dangerous and very unknown. They don’t know if you have good intentions or not. Are you going to persuade them? Are you going to try to manipulate them? Are you going to overcharge them? Will you actually care about what they need and want?

Dealing with salespeople is so scary.

Yet they still need and/or want something, so it’s the dangerous game they must mentally play.

Guiding the Buyer Step by Step

When you explain what you are going to do in part 1 of your process, and then what that part is done you let them know the plan for part 2, and so on – they will be at ease in the moment. They will feel like they have control over this portion, that there is an exit they can take if they don’t want to proceed.

That level of control will help them accept the risk of part 1, and part 2, and part 3.

Tell them what you will do. Do it. Tell them what you did.

This will validate that you can be trusted.

Predicting Thoughts and Feelings

The next level is being able to predict what they will think and feel before they do. You can use this information in your presentation (without telling them what you are doing). You can also verbalize it, which could sound like “I am guessing from experience that you are probably wondering about _____, so let’s cover that right now.” Or “most people I speak with ask about _____.”

They will think – wow this person knows what I am thinking, he/she is in my mind!

And that’s a good thing. A really good thing.

Conclusion

The more they feel like you know what you are doing, know what they are thinking, know what they are afraid of – the more they trust you as a Guide. Because Guides only know what they know because they have helped other Heros successfully accomplish their journeys.

Your mission as a sales professional: Become an Oracle.