Sales is, in my opinion, the ultimate profession. Mastery of it means complete indispensability and self reliance for life. Getting the other person to "Yes" is the biggest challenge we face.
In the film Glengarry Glen Ross, an overly aggressive Alec Baldwin lays down the golden rule of the fine art of selling and encapsulated it into a simple anagram: ABC -- Always Be Closing.
One day, my first great business mentor took me outside in downtown Los Angeles on a sunny day to teach me a very valuable lesson. "Take a look around and tell me what you see." " Buildings, and cars and people ?" I said unsure. "Good. Everything you see now has at one point been sold by one person to the next. An exchange has occurred with each item that involved one person making a presentation and the other person consenting to purchase. What is more is that often times the sale had little to do with the goods or service but rather more to do with the interaction between two people. If you can master that interaction, you can sell anything to anyone."
In my last post I wrote about conversational hypnosis and Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP).
Neuro-linguistic programming , or NLP, is a somewhat controversial system in which hypnotic suggestion is removed from a traditional clinical setting and placed into one which applies the tactic in conversational interactions. It may also be applied to your own internal dialog and self talk.
In the last five years I have developed, implemented and started teaching a new technology that I now refer to as Neural Restructuring or NRS. Unlike NLP, NRS addresses language but also involves a scientific restructuring of of the neural pathways utilizing supplements like Excelerol and both mental and physical exercises in order to achieve results.
Like any skill or art form, the skills that I teach are intended to empower people beyond their initial resistance. NRS will work best when you are offering a product or service that will help bring value to people's lives and to help you get past the initial resistance to change.
Here are three powerful techniques to making that sale every time without even trying:
- Break the Pattern. Surprise your customer. At the point of contact do the opposite of what they expect. The point of initial contact is the most delicate. People are already in a mentally guarded state that involves some amount of resistance to what you are selling. If you fall into the "perform as expected" pattern you will have to overcome their resistance. People expect you to do what everyone else does because it fits in with their preconceived notions of social norms and is comfortable to them. However, if you do something uniquely non-traditional and politely unexpected you have an opportunity to bypass their high guard.
- Tell a story. Don't be a "salesman/woman." The best salespeople I know will sell you something without you ever knowing they are selling. Work on a great story that conveys the virtues of your product or service. When you tell a colorful story, people vicariously go on the journey. Telling a passionate and impactful story is an art which implants a memory in the other person's mind as if it has already happened to them.
- Distort time. Augment their reality using a simple technique called time distortion. Pay attention to Deal Or No Deal with Howie Mandel. Notice that no matter how illogical it may seem, people are more reluctant to give up what they already have rather than something they may acquire at a future time. I will do a future post on time distortion and how to use it effectively at a later time. In the meantime, plant the seed that the object of their desire is already in their possession.
Successful real estate agents often use time distortion by asking clients where their furniture would go and how they would decorate it. If you are offering phones, ask them how they will be using the apps or buttons. In the person's mind they have already taken possession of the item. When it comes time to make a buying decision resistance is greatly diminished.
In The Brain That Changes Everything: The Ultimate Guide To Accelerating Your Brain, I discuss a variety of techniques for improving your life by powering up your mind. What if you could use the full 100 percent of your brain? How would a book like that help you? What would it be like if you could take the lessons from a book like that and actively apply them to your life? How would your life be different and better?