Driving along the Miami Coast in my rented convertible, I was taken aback by the beauty of the water and the humid air swirling through the vehicle. Having just left snow-covered Toledo, I was enjoying the pleasant break from the norm.

My obsession with the beautiful weather quickly turned into the topic of conversation at my customer's office. I commented that just the day before I had been playing in the snow with my son, and now I was cruising around southern Florida.

This evoked a surprising confession from my customer. With an awkward smile, my customer admitted, "I've never seen snow before."

"Really?" I asked, a little stunned.

While I understood that there are many people in this world who have never seen snow, I had never really thought about what that meant until that very instant.

For just a moment, try to forget everything you know about snow. Forget about the way the flakes gather lightly in the palm of your hand; the crunching sound it makes as it packs firmly together in your fist; the sharp sting of the cold on your bare hands.

Forgetting what you know about snow is impossible, because you have experienced it. It's a part of what you know and who you are.

Yet, people who have never experienced snow before think they know it. They've seen it on television; they've heard others talk about it; they believe in their mind that they know everything there is to know about it.

But what would happen if you put a snowball in their bare hands? Everything they thought they knew about snow would instantly take on a new meaning. They would look at that snowball with pure wonderment, as if tasting a new and wonderful food for the first time. No pictures or words could give them the experience of snow like holding it in their own hands.

The same is true for those who have not yet experienced your products. As a salesperson, it's easy to assume that your customers truly understand what you are selling, or to assume they have the same pool of experiences you have.

No matter what product or service you offer, your customers do not know it inside and out like you do. They may have a completely false perception of your product, or may not know anything about it at all. Unless your customers understand your product and feel comfortable with it, they won't have an interest in buying it. The only way to help them know it as well as you do is to let them experience it themselves.

Your job is to create an eye-opening experience for your customers that will give them a real feel for your product. While they may be asking only for prices, brochures, and spec sheets, what they truly need is the knowledge that comes only with experience. No matter how much information you give them, your words and images cannot replace the true understanding that comes with personal experience.

Just like our snowball example, the easiest and fastest way for your customer to understand your product is for them to experience it themselves. This means you need to literally get your product in the hands of your customers. Let them see, feel, and use your product in person.

The value of your product will increase when it has a personal meaning for your customer. The sale becomes less about you, the salesperson, and more about the customer and their relationship with the product.

When your customer has a real and personal connection with your product, they will see the real and personal benefits of buying it. Having it in their hands will help them envision owning the product and using it in their daily lives. Once they gain a true understanding of what you have to offer, the product will sell itself.