"I can sell water to a fish." That statement says a lot about business.

[CTO114]

This may sound like arrogance or overconfidence. Why would a fish want to pay for something it already has? However, when you look deeper, it is more about understanding people, not just about wanting to sell products.

An entrepreneur who has such a perspective and thinking see that people don't just buy because they are need of something, sometimes people would also want to buy when there's convenience, trust, presentation, status or even the experience attached to a product.

People may want to pay for bottled water even when water can be available everywhere because of the presence of convenience, hygiene and branding.

An entrepreneur draws confidence from understanding human behavior. Identifying what people value can be more powerful than just knowing what you want to sell. Furthermore, about ten years of customer service can teach someone how people think, what makes them doubt, and what can ultimately convince them to buy. In addition, knowing how to present value us also key. Sometimes the product isn't the problem, but how it's presented.

It's worth pointing out that good selling is not about trucking people to buy what they don't need, it's about finding a genuine reason why your offer matters to them. The person who understands the customer has a greater play book than the person who only understands the product. You may have the best product in the market, but if you don't understand people, you may not be able to sell it.

Which is the better entrepreneur, one who can sell anything to anyone, or one who can make people see the value in what they already have?

[Charles-Tim]

There is nothing big about this, people buy things that their customers are buying from them. Sometimes it will be customers demands that will make someone buy such a thing and put in the market for sales.

It's worth pointing out that good selling is not about trucking people to buy what they don't need,

It is not possible for people to trust people to buy what they do not want.

Which is the better entrepreneur, one who can sell anything to anyone, or one who can make people see the value in what they already have?

Not the one that sell anything. You sell what is useful for people. If it is not useful, they will not buy it.

[MorganaX]

Everything is all about marketing strategy, how are you able to convince someone about purchasing a particular thing even though they don't need it, the psychology is making them feel like they need it and reasons why its important for them to have it at that particular pointin time. Being able to sell anything to anyone and also making people see the value in what they already have are both important marketing skills that an entrepreneur must have, a lot of companies actually need such people because that's what they need to push their brand.

[Fortify]

The saying relates more to sales skills rather than being exclusive to entrepreneurial talent. While entrepreneurs might pick up the skills of how to become a sales rep, they might also outsource this talent or the product they offer might sell itself. Sales people are often employees who have honed a particular skill set, mainly charisma and confidence, which with product detail and a drive to get a commission can be a very effective way for someone to earn money. While the skills of these two people can often overlap, this phrase is not discussing being an entrepreneur like you suggest. We should be careful about not diluting the meaning of different words or getting confused in what is being discussed. You can see the meaning behind the phrase when you look at a film like "The Wolf of Wallstreet" with Leonardo Dicaprio, when he asks one of his sales reps to sell him a pen. It's about using the right psychology and tactics on people to subtly coerce them into buying, by making them think of the benefits and planting a seed in their mind.

[r_victory]

No business can survive without selling, and this phrase perfectly encapsulates that. I've even heard people say "selling sand on the beach". You have to be prepared for all kinds of customers; near where I worked, it was common to see street vendors in the sun selling phone cases, watches, and water. When it started to rain, they would run to a nearby warehouse and come back with umbrellas, raincoats, etc. I can say that observing this was inspiring, as I also worked in sales for a company. I remember the scene from "The Wolf of Wall Street," the famous "sell me this pen"... It sums it all up.

[Sammysmart001]

Which is the better entrepreneur, one who can sell anything to anyone, or one who can make people see the value in what they already have?

The better entrepreneur is the second one. Selling water to a fish actually sounds smart but also it just a trick. The moment that this fish realizes that it do already has enough water around him everywhere, it never going to trust you again.

One might get a quick sales oh but you going to lose a customer for life. Real business do survives on solving real problems and trust not with just sweet talks.

[Agathamay]

Which is the better entrepreneur, one who can sell anything to anyone, or one who can make people see the value in what they already have?

There is this saying that, a successful business owner is it one who makes people buy at first but the one who make those who buy the first time be able to return.
To me I would always consider the manners and approach of the seller and that's why, in everything I do especially when I'm paying for something, I always pay attention to how the seller presents things to me and how he attends to me generally.

[Rruchi man]

Identifying what people value can be more powerful than just knowing what you want to sell.

This statement should give people a good idea of the kind of business they should want to be involved in if their first intention in business is to make profit. However, if the first intention in business is to offer a service regardless of the profit attached, then you can do your business fully according to what you want to offer (sell), not according to what people already value.

Which is the better entrepreneur, one who can sell anything to anyone, or one who can make people see the value in what they already have?

 
Entrepreneurship is not about just selling; it involves taking a risk in a business where no one or not many people have tried. Many people mistake business and entrepreneurship to mean exactly the same thing. All entrepreneurs are doing business, but not all businesses can qualify as entrepreneurship because if your business model is that of a normal business model, a business model that has been proven to work because other business people are using it, then that is not really entrepreneurship because you are not taking any new risk there; you are simply doing business.

[robelneo]

People may want to pay for bottled water even when water can be available everywhere because of the presence of convenience, hygiene and branding.

This is a good example of your message: even when our water concessionaire announces that the water they distribute is as clean as bottled water, people still opt to drink bottled water. The bottled water industry has made a strong impression that its water is purer and safer, so it continues to be profitable here.

Which is the better entrepreneur, one who can sell anything to anyone, or one who can make people see the value in what they already have?

Mind conditioning plays a big role here; they have conditioned consumers to believe that what they have is far better than what you have, even if it's free. That's the power of advertisement and commercialism, and businesses spend millions on this.

[Kelvinid]

Which is the better entrepreneur, one who can sell anything to anyone, or one who can make people see the value in what they already have?

In business, you don't just market your business, but creating connection with your target customers will go a long way. People only buy what makes value to them, what's useful to them, and what they can afford to buy. Otherwise, they won't bite it, and ignore your business like it does not ring a bell to them.

And this is where being persuasive and skilled in selling enters the picture. You use influence and connections more than your own skills and strategies, that's because people easily get convinced when they are seeing common connections between them and the seller or the business owner.

[Majestic-milf]

 This statement is not just for impulse buyers who just feel they want something but to those who really need a product but aren't fully convinced as to why they need to spend money for it. As a business person, the ability to convince without trying to "choke" the customer is a skill that will set you apart and when you're able to deliver on your word, given quality and not just quantity, will also build trust and posterity but it's not everyone that knows this.

[abhiseshakana]

Which is the better entrepreneur, one who can sell anything to anyone, or one who can make people see the value in what they already have?

Manipulation of consumer psychology and advertising innovation in the digital era and the age of information openness the separation line between need, want, and impulsive has become blurred. I feel that manufacturers engineer consumer desires through constant advertising in order to boost their own income such as FOMO triggered by social media algorithms constantly show what other people have. Produsen also provide many features as strategies that make shopping easier for instant gratification, relieve stress or boredom throughretail therapy.

What i learned from product branding short course, Modern marketers no longer merely present value as in conventional models. They take advantage of predictive analytics and AI. Consumers are indeed targeted through their digital footprint, modern advertising knows when consumers are feeling vulnerable or bored, or even when they have just received their paycheck. Advertisements appear at very specific moments to trigger impulse buying. Comfort has now transformed into an algorithm weakens consumers' cognitive control.

For your question, i thing i prefer 2nd category, which is capable of making people see the value in what they already possess, or which can align a product with the essential life values ​​of the consumer. I like getting trust from consumer so as sales i alwayd focus on customer lifetime value

[serjent05]

This may sound like arrogance or overconfidence. Why would a fish want to pay for something it already has? However, when you look deeper, it is more about understanding people, not just about wanting to sell products.

I disagree, the fish will gladly pay for the water sold to it.  Why?  Because fish needs water.  And I disagree that water is something that the fish already has.  It lives in the water yes, but in cases where the water he lives is polluted, this fish will gladly pay for a clean livable water.

The phrase "I can sell water to a fish" simply imply that things can be sold to whoever needs them. 

An entrepreneur who has such a perspective and thinking see that people don't just buy because they are need of something, sometimes people would also want to buy when there's convenience, trust, presentation, status or even the experience attached to a product.

In most cases. those who are in dire need will purchase things even if the buyer has not fully trust the seller, they can also buy even if it is inconvenient to them as the needs outweigh the other factor.

[SamReomo]

Which is the better entrepreneur, one who can sell anything to anyone, or one who can make people see the value in what they already have?

The one who can sell good things to anyone the things that everyone needs. A good entrepreneur is not someone who can sell anything to anyone but the ones who can sell good and useful things to everyone and such things can help a lot in making everyday life of people easy and better.

A good entrepreneur create something that's useful and then sells that thing to make lives of others better. Those who can sell anything aren't entrepreneurs but greedy salesmen who don't think about others at all, for them only making money matters and nothing else. Entrepreneurs aren't salesmen but those who solves real life problems to make things easy for other people.

[bhadz]

I have heard this kinds of quotes like "sell me this pen", "I can sand on the beach," and there are more. This gives them the confidence they need to do business and they know how capable they are in doing the real thing.

Which is the better entrepreneur, one who can sell anything to anyone, or one who can make people see the value in what they already have?

Entrepreneurs are for profit as they solve problems. Either way, it's both good categories of what type of an entrepreneur a person is. If they can sell anything, that means that they show its value to them. It doesn't mean that they're only for the sales but what makes those customer buy what they sell, it's because they shows them the value for it.

[Obulis]

Buying and selling (business) place can affect customers decision towards a number of products for one reason or the other. Some of this decision changes on the side of the customers due to the absence of the required product(s) or the business person/seller tries all they can to influence their customers into buying a product that is not exact in one way or another or customers end up being completely introduced into brand-new product that serve best it purpose.

Better entrepreneur between one who can sell anything to anyone and one who can make people see the value in what they already have?

Overtime, being able to sell anything to anyone will end up sour and sore because probably unwanted products and even spoilt can equally part of the sales. In as much as it's a great ability, it should be exercise with healthy and future customer relations orientation.
The ability of making people realize the potential value of what they already have with them is another form of sales capability that introduce a new product to the customers.

[joniboini]

I feel that manufacturers engineer consumer desires through constant advertising in order to boost their own income such as FOMO triggered by social media algorithms constantly show what other people have.

I second this. I get a lot of ads (implicitly or explicitly) through various channels now. Some products are interesting to me, some aren't. You could argue it's indirectly related if they promote a keyboard after I'm looking for CPU fans, but the effort to offer things I'm aware I don't it them is getting bigger.

Not sure whether they're doing it for my benefit or not, but it's probably worth their money if they keep spending a huge amount of money into ads. Curious to see the conversion ratio tbh. As much as people moan about ads here and there, the number of sales for some products are definitely affected by those promotions.

[Hypnotizer]

Which is the better entrepreneur, one who can sell anything to anyone, or one who can make people see the value in what they already have?

As an entrepreneur you build a “brand” when you’re able to make people see the value in what you have… this is how big companies like Apple, IKEA and other brand were able to keep dominating and making many sales even with much competitors in their respective markets.

So making people see the value in what you already have is much better that the ability to sell anything to anyone, you’ll make much more money off that than the ability to make sales.

[Dr.Bitcoin_Strange]

The person who understands the customer has a greater play book than the person who only understands the product. You may have the best product in the market, but if you don't understand people, you may not be able to sell it.

That's what being a true entrepreneur actually mean, you have to understand everything that will make you to run your business, company, and production efficiently to drive growth of your business. Some people that are doing business are not really entrepreneurs, they probably just started the trade for fun or primarily to make money without considering many business factors.

]Which is the better entrepreneur, one who can sell anything to anyone, or one who can make people see the value in what they already have?

I feel that people overstate this statement. Yes, persuasive marketing speech can be used to convince people to buy a good from you, however, your persuasive words can not force everyone to buy a good when they don't need it, some persons might just want to buy from you because of the effort you have put in pitching to them but it depends on some factors, such as, is it a durable good, is it more expensive than the one they already got else where, do they have the money to buy from you at that moment, etc. The only situation where someone might want to buy an item that they don't need from is if there is a favourable factor that convince them to do so.

[Kelward]

The phrase "I can sell water to a fish" has diverse meanings, for some it can mean manipulating the consumers to buy what they don't need it could also mean showing the consumers values in a product which they feel like they didn't need, they think that they are self sufficient until it is marketed to them. An illustration of the positive side of selling water to a fish can be when the fish is living in contaminated water and you want to sell purified water to it, by so doing you're selling water to the fish because you're giving it a better water alternative.

Consumers should be smart so that they won't be marketed what they don't need and wouldn't add value to their lives so in essence consumers should be value driven, they shouldn't just buy something because the marketer says that they need it. Furthermore it is good to have budget for your expenses so that you won't get carried away by products that are distractions that wouldn't add value to you.