By Todd Duncan

Over a half million salespeople say they have experienced “call reluctance.” For as long as they have been selling, they have heard the word 'no' more than the word 'yes' when trying to move a buyer to action. Still, they have been told at one or more ineffective sales sessions, “Don’t worry. Just remember that rejection is part of the game.”

This is often followed by the counsel, “Every ‘no’ moves you one step closer to a ‘yes’... just keep trying. It’s only a matter of time.” Armed with this inept philosophy, the salespeople discover their customers and business associates move even further away from “yes.”

Do you want your prospects to meet with you more readily? Do you want your boss to say “yes” to your proposals more frequently? Read on, for you are about to receive the “stealth weapon” of influence.

There are two essential ideas to the art of influence: adding value and understanding the motivation to buy. Ignoring either of these can create resistance, which typically results in a longer sales cycle or no sale at all. Ask yourself, “Am I a salesperson, or am I a trusted advisor?”

Whenever the product gets into the hundreds-of-dollars range, you must become a trusted advisor. Remember that resistance decreases when trust increases. To make this happen, follow these steps:

Add Value

Whenever you ask prospects to meet with you, buy from you, or refer you to someone else, give them something of value. When I learned this at the age of twenty-three, my sales nearly tripled.

Master The Values Conversation

My friend Bill Bachrach, author of Values-Based Selling: The Art of Building High-Trust Client Relationships, has built his professional career around one central question, “What’s important about ––––––– to you?” First, put your product in the blank. Then, repeat this question one or more times using your client’s answer(s) in the blank. This will help you discover their real motivation for obtaining your product or service—this is the motivation to buy. If you link your product or service to this motivation, you will create acceptance and trust.

Lesson Summary

People buy feelings, not features and benefits. Remember that a camera leads to memories, a house leads to security, an insurance policy leads to protection, and on and on. Master this, and you will enjoy security forever.

 

"Failure is the greatest opportunity to know who I really am." 

John Killinger

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