By Todd Duncan

The Law of the Hook says that a captivated audience stays to the end. That’s because the principle that keeps your eyes glued to a screen and your hands glued to a book is the same principle that keeps your prospects glued to you. You see, an audience is an audience whether in a sales office or a theater; and to keep an audience around, the per­formance must be captivating from the get-go.

Think about it this way: When was the last time you finished a book that didn’t grab you in the first chapter? If you’re like me, there are probably several books gathering dust on your shelves that just didn’t make the cut because they weren’t intriguing enough in the beginning. They didn’t grab your attention. And the same is true of salespeople who fail to capti­vate their audiences in the beginning—they are brushed aside for someone more alluring.

On the other hand, when prospects are captivated by what you offer to them and by the way you offer it, they are compelled to give you their business; and not just once. Quality, high trust salesmanship is like a great book or movie; it captivates right away and keeps one coming back for more.

The Hook

What’s your hook? Do you have one? Do you offer your prospects something so intriguing and captivating that they have to know the rest of the story—that they can’t wait to see the deal through to the end? If you don’t have a hook, it’s time you did.

Based on what you initially say, do, hand out, mail out, promote, or distribute to ask for business, can you honestly say that you would be compelled to place an order with you? Would you be captivated by you? Would you do business with you based on the impact of your opening performance? If you’re not sure, it’s time to change the way you sell.

ACT 1: THE APPROACH

This is the process by which you predetermine who your best prospects are, and then initiate high trust relationships with them by effectively setting an appointment to meet.

ACT 2: THE INTERVIEW

This is the process that follows your Approach in which you conduct a high trust interview to secure the shared essence between you and your prospects. It is also in this Act that you establish your prospects’ needs, their buying strategies, and the emotional fulfillment you must offer in order to meet their real needs and gain their business.

And now allow me to introduce you to . . .

ACT 3: THE SOLUTION

The Presentation is about offering captivating, fulfilling solutions to your prospects in order to secure their devoted business. And that’s where applying the Law of the Hook must begin, because even if you’ve made it this far with a client, a poor presentation can quickly make a prospect disappear. That’s why making an early impact is so critical.

Act 4: The Action

The most exciting part of any sales presentation is hearing prospects say yes after you’ve asked for their business. Once you’ve made an impact with your presentation, there will come a point when you must ask for the prospect’s business. If you’ve done everything right to this point of the sales interaction, Act 4 should be easy. In fact, there will even be occasions when you don’t even have to ask for business, but only confirm what a prospect has already made known to you.

The truth is that prospects actually close their own sales if you offer valuable solutions to their real needs and values.

As you’ve already learned from the high trust interview, prospects will tell you the precise benefits they are looking for from your product or service if you take the time to ask them in a professional, strategic manner. That means that when you move to your sales presentation, you can be confident that you’re offering your prospects exactly what they’ve told you they want. That’s what the Law of the Hook is all about.

Ultimately, if your audience is truly captivated—whether immediately following your solution offering or after some effective objection management and follow up—they will want to stay with you to the end. And in the elite echelon of high trust selling that means your business will realize the full value of their relationships. That is the ultimate goal of every sales relationship.

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