Also remember, it’s the context in which the sale is presented which includes, the environment, the perception the prospect has of the salesperson. Also how much authority and status the person and the psychological association of the company? In retrospect it also works the other way in how much and what specifically the salesperson associates to the prospect?
1. Induce great feelings in your prospects and clients... then attach them to your product or service. What I call 'Association Selling'.
Ways to achieve this:
- Make people laugh (if appropriate to your business).
- Do a good deed (but do it genuinely).
- Give a gift (creates the power of reciprocity).
- Hire a celebrity to endorse your product if you can afford it?
- Give people an "Awesome" experience, one they will tell their friends about.
2. It isn't about selling it's about 'Engineering Influence'.
If you focus on being influential instead of "salesey" your results will increase because influence affects people’s deepest emotional needs and core decision making values.
One of the best ways to be influential and get your sales message heard is through story telling. People will listen to a story rather than a sales pitch. Ways to achieve an effective story:
- Engage the customer in the story.
- Keep it short and relevant.
- Get your message across in the story.
- Subtly use the story to complete the sale.
3. Customers want to feel educated about what they’re buying but they also want to be entertained. Most people are bored just waiting for the next bit of excitement to happen. Combine Education with Entertainment appropriately in your business and sales will increase. I call this the ‘Edutainment Principle’.
If you don't use persuasion and influence techniques you may as well say "I don't want the money".
This site will help you maximise your power to ethically influence your prospects and customers.
