In any business, it’s critical to know what you’re actually selling. Very often it’s not what it appears to be. If you’re selling a house, for example, your obviously not selling wood, brick, or concrete. Instead, your tapping into a person’s dream – his or her perception of how they are going to feel and live once they get into the home.

A good friend of mine was the first to teach me this valuable lesson. He used to own a beautiful apartment complex in a lovely Long Island, NY town. Once, while I was visiting, he gave me a tour of the property. It was complete with tennis courts, two beautiful swimming pools, a gym, and a picnic area. “Wow,” was my reaction. “I’ll bet everyone loves to use all this great stuff.” “Actually, Andrew, you may be shocked to know that virtually no one uses the facilities. I wish they would, but the reality is, they don’t,” was his response. It turned out that less than 10% of his residents had ever used any of the facilities! And, less that 5% used the facilities regularly! This came as quite the shock to me as I am the type of person who would fall into that 5%.

My friend went on to explain that despite the fact that almost no one uses the facilities, virtually everyone, before they move in, feel that that are going to! In fact, it is one of the primary reasons why they choose an apartment complex, and one of the only reasons they are willing to pay top dollar for it. the “steak,” in this example, is the apartment complex. The “sizzle” is the fancy surroundings and facilities – the sizzle is what’s doing the selling, not the steak. So the best way to sell a potential resident on the property was for my friend to be sure to show everyone the complete facilities. Invariably, this would get his potential customer dreaming of how they were going to finally take time to relax, learn to play tennis, swim in the pool, enjoy barbecues with friends, and so forth.

The analogy of selling the sizzle instead of the steak can be extended to many other types of businesses. I have to admit that, often, I’ve made my decision on which hotel to stay at based solely on the fact that they have indoor pool and room service. Rarely, however, do I actually take advantage of these luxuries. The same is true with restaurants. Once in a while my friends (a couple) tell me they will choose a restaurant because of its incredible dessert menu – they dream of that decadent piece of chocolate cake – but (so they also tell me) except for an extremely rare occasion, they will usually pass on dessert. They either feel too full after the meal or worry about the weight they are going to gain should they choose to eat it. The point is, we enter the restaurant not because of any rational thinking but because we, like most people, are influenced by our thoughts and dreams.

Think of the millions of exercise gadgets that are sold each year. Surveys show that everyone absolutely believes that they are going to become disciplined and use the equipment on a regular basis. New customers dream of flat stomachs and muscular arms. However, statistics sho us that 90 percent of customers stop using the equipment within ten days of purchasing it – and virtually all the rest quit after a month or two. Only a tiny percentage of people continue to use the equipment. The companies making these products know that the best way to sell the machines is to effectively tap into the dreams of the consumer. So they put photographs of beautiful, muscular women and firm, physically fit handsome men on boxes. The “sizzle” is the possibility that you and I might look like those people in the photograph.

It’s important to know that people love to dream. So if you want to sell something, be sure you know what their dreams are. Factor this knowledge into whatever it is you are selling – product or service – and you’ll be amazed at how much more effective you will become.