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Kurt Mortensen?s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! His message and program has helped thousands and will help you achieve unprecedented success in both your business and personal life.
If you are ready to claim your success and learn what only the ultra-prosperous know, begin by going to http://www.PreWealth.com and getting my free report ‘10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands.’ After reading my free report, go to http://www.PreWealth.com/IQ and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale!
February 4, 2008
Are we rational human beings? Do we follow all forms of logic? Do we only act if it feels right? Do we even want the facts all the time? Have you ever tried to persuade an emotional person with logic? We generally think we make decisions based on facts, but truly this is not the case. It has been found that when people agree with a particular message, they tend to perceive it as being more logical or rational. On the other hand, when people disagree with the message, they perceive it as an emotional plea.1 The truth is that that our decision-making process relies on a mixture between emotion and its partner, logic. However, we cannot rely entirely on emotion until our logical side has been engaged.
In one study, twenty-one students prepared speeches that were written from either a logical or an emotional standpoint. The speeches were presented, filmed, and then evaluated by other college students. Interestingly, there was no real consistency in the findings except that speeches bearing a message that the evaluator agreed with were rated as more rational (even if they were intended to be emotional), while those the evaluator did not agree with were considered to be more emotional (even though some of those were intended to be logical). It seemed that whether a speech was considered logical or emotional depended on the listener. Researchers also concluded that, as a general rule, people seem unable to consistently distinguish between logical and emotional appeals.
The logical side of an argument appeals to our reason. Reasoning is the process of drawing a conclusion based on evidence. For an argument to be legitimate, it has to be true and valid, and logical reasoning must be used to back it up. Many persuaders and marketers use faulty forms of logic, leaving gaping holes that require the audience to make assumptions and fill in the blanks. These are called logical fallacies. A fallacy is, very generally, an error in reasoning. It differs from a factual error, which is simply being wrong about the facts. In other words, a fallacy is an ‘argument’ in which the premises don’t completely support the conclusion. In the next section, some of the most common logical fallacies are outlined.
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Kurt Mortensen?s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! His message and program has helped thousands and will help you achieve unprecedented success in both your business and personal life.
If you are ready to claim your success and learn what only the ultra-prosperous know, begin by going to http://www.PreWealth.com and getting my free report ‘10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands.’ After reading my free report, go to http://www.PreWealth.com/IQ and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale!
Evidence is an extremely effective tool in persuading an audience. Often a prospect needs just a little bit of help in order to be tipped over the edge. Facts register in the human brain as unbiased truth. A fact is rarely questioned and unconsciously accepted. The use of evidence works best when it is suited to the audience and their experience.
Consider the following presentation points:
1. Referring to evidence as fact increases its weight
2. Evidence that is verifiable will always be more persuasive.
3. Evidence that is specific will always be more persuasive.
4. Unbiased testimony is more persuasive than a biased one.
5. Personal experience is more persuasive than not having any personal experience.
6. Presenters who have not yet established their credibility will benefit more from the use of evidence than those with established credibility
7. Evidence is especially important when the audience is unfamiliar with the topic.
8. Factual evidence is particularly persuasive when the audience consists of highly intelligent people.
9. Evidence is more persuasive when you provide not only the source, but also his/her qualifications.
10. Evidence is more persuasive when you confirm an audience’s beliefs.
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Kurt Mortensen?s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! His message and program has helped thousands and will help you achieve unprecedented success in both your business and personal life.
If you are ready to claim your success and learn what only the ultra-prosperous know, begin by going to http://www.PreWealth.com and getting my free report ‘10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands.’ After reading my free report, go to http://www.PreWealth.com/IQ and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale!
Often a prospect spirals into a negative abyss. As a master persuader you need to understand what is happening to your prospect. By having an understanding of your prospects concerns, you will have a greater ability to resolve concerns and close more sales.
1. Faulty Cause: assumes that because one thing follows another, the second thing was definitively caused by the first. Example: Shawn broke his mother’s mirror, and sure enough, he was in a car wreck the next week
2. Sweeping Generalization: assumes that what is true in most cases must be true in all cases. Example: We can’t hire this candidate because he’s an ex-felon, and studies show that most ex-felons experience relapses.
3. Hasty Generalization: assumes that a small piece of information is soundly representative of the whole situation. Example: I don’t like Thai food at all. The food I tried at this one Thai restaurant just was terrible and I was sick for days.
4. Faulty Analogy: assumes that if two things are alike in some ways, they must be alike in all ways. Example: Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera dress the same and sing the same type of music, so they must have very similar personalities.
5. Faulty Sign: assumes that one event is a reliable predictor of another. Example: That guy is wearing a big Starter jacket, has a tattoo, and wears baggy pants. He’s probably a gang member.
6. Tautology: defines an argument in a manner that makes it impossible to disprove. Example: You are a disagreeable person and, if you disagree with me, it will just prove even more how disagreeable you are.
7. Appeal to Authority: justifies an argument by citing a famous or popular person who also supports the argument. Example: Those shoes are great for Michael Jordan, so they’ll be great for me.
8. Slippery Slope: assumes that a particular step invariably leads to similar steps, culminating with a negative outcome. Example: If I let one student hand in their paper late, then I’ll have to let others hand theirs in late, too, and before you know it, everyone will be begging for an extension.
9. Red Herring: attempts to divert attention away from the real issue. Example: When accused by his wife of cheating at cards, Frank says, ‘Nothing I do ever pleases you. I spent a whole week cleaning out the garage, and then all you did was complain about how I’d reorganized it.’
10. Appeal to Ignorance: uses a person’s inability to disprove a claim as proof that the claim is right. Example: We know there are people living on other planets in other galaxies because no one can prove that there are not.
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Kurt Mortensen?s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! His message and program has helped thousands and will help you achieve unprecedented success in both your business and personal life.
If you are ready to claim your success and learn what only the ultra-prosperous know, begin by going to http://www.PreWealth.com and getting my free report ‘10 Mistakes That Continue Costing You Thousands.’ After reading my free report, go to http://www.PreWealth.com/IQ and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale!
February 1, 2008
Have you ever walked into a retail store where the salesperson was extremely rude and sounded annoyed when you asked about a product their store was selling? Or you received a cold call from a salesperson trying to sell you something over the phone and he/she was just rambling in your ear not allowing you to get in a word edge wise? Or you wanted to return or exchange something and the salesperson gave you a hard time even though you had a legitimate complaint?
Many salespeople are inexperienced, not qualified to be in sales or are simply in the wrong profession.
So what does it take to be a great salesperson? In part, it starts with some fundamental traits.
To quickly determine if you have the qualities or personality traits to become a great salesperson, answer Yes or No to the following questions:
1) Are you goal-oriented?
2) Do you act on what you say you will do?
3) Do you genuinely care about your customers & their needs?
4) Are you a good listener?
5) Are you good with people?
6) Are you confident & have a desire to succeed?
7) Do you have a willingness to learn from failure and move past it?
 Are you generally an optimistic & enthusiastic person?
9) Do you take responsibility in the face of problems?
10) Are you persistent?
Scoring: Give yourself a 1 for each question you answer with a Yes.
Evaluation:
Score of 10 ? You definitely have the qualities to become a great salesperson.
Score of 7- 9 ? You could become a great salesperson with some modifications. Remember, you can?t change someone who doesn?t want to be changed. You have to want to change yourself.
Score of 5-6 - You need to evaluate whether sales is a good career choice for you as you definitely will be challenged with the personality traits you currently possess. This is not to say that you couldn?t become a good salesperson but the lack of these traits will hold you back from realizing your full sales potential.
Score of 4 and below ? Just pointing out the obvious. Why are you in sales OR even considering a career in sales? It?s time to reconsider another career.
?2006 ShapeYourVision?
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Eleanor Kwan, CSP, is the CEO and Founder of ShapeYourVision?. For more information, visit www.ShapeYourVision.com
January 27, 2008
My fifteen-month-old granddaughter is absolutely spoiled! In trying to protect my son from her sporadically hitting him in the face, as well as be a helpful grandmother, it may have been the first time she heard the word, ?No.?
Have you heard no anywhere along the sales cycle? No may actually be better feedback than something like, ?Maybe.? If you know you have a dismissal, then it is easier to work toward greater understanding or even acceptance. If it really is no, after some exploration, it unhooks your energy and you can move on.
As I spoke ?No,? I took Ruby?s hand and she turned to look at me with a questioning look on her face. It was as if she was asking me, ?I?m having a difficult time understanding what you mean.?
What is your reaction when a prospect tells you no? Have you ever noted your response? Is it defensive, offensive or curious like Ruby was when I said no? Being curious is probably one of the best responses to help move away from no and get possibly closer to a yes.
She then looked her dad in the eyes. He was telling me it might be too early in her life for the word no! When she glanced back at me, I was speaking a foreign adult language, claiming hitting was just disrespectful. At that point, this sweet little girl slapped him again!
If you address a client?s objection, do you speak their language to facilitate clear communications? Do you help them to more clearly state their concern or even where you may have misunderstood their questions?
One more time with no, holding her hand in mine and I offered a crying, hurting sound instead of words with explanations. ?Why not give your daddy a kiss?? I asked. This time, she let out a big sigh, a sad look and a gentle reach for her dad.
Many times a client cannot make a decision because information is not understood, it?s missing or it might be incomplete! Hear the word ?no? as if it is your invitation to acknowledge being curious to find out what needs to be more clearly explained in the customer?s language. Then restate whatever it is that the customer did not have full information about. You’ll either have greater understanding, or acceptance or you can move on.
Click here if you are interested in discovering how effective your sales skills are for sales results, with a free online assessment.
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Pat Weber - coach, certified telelcass leader, and corporate trainer, America’s #1 Coach for Introverts. Working with small business owners, independent
professionals and salespeople to get as successful as you want to be, have fun and work with more energy.
January 19, 2008
Retail selling is one of the toughest jobs amongst white collar workers. To be effective, sales staff must be able to develop a relationship with strangers who distrust them in the first twenty seconds of meeting them. Unfortunately, most often this is not the case.
An insight for managers and sales staff which is often missing from the standard approach to sales is that their role is to help customers through their buying process rather than to push potential customers through a ?sales process?.
Surveys show that the inherent distrust that retail sales people are held in is driven by the experience of customers with sales men and women who operate at the slick or ?smooth? end of the range of sales processes one can observe.
At one end of the spectrum lie ?used car salesmen?, ?real estate agents? and ?funeral parlour operators?. Before I offend some friends in those professions, that is to say the impression people have of the professions mentioned is of a slick, pushy, process which people feel, leaves them worse off than they could have been.
At the other end of the scale are no particular groups, just experiences where individual companies or people have provided customers and potential customers with a buying experience that causes them to want to come back again and more importantly, as the old statistic goes, to tell ten of their friends.
For customers wanting to purchase a non trivial item, a buying process can be clearly identified. For trivial items, the process happens without thinking and is harder to observe.
The buying process begins with customers understanding that they have a need and their search for a supplier. The stimulation for that need may have come from the obsolescence of an existing item through to envy for a significant one off, high value, purchase. At this stage, two groups are responsible for directing the potential customer to a particular retail store. The marketers and the people involved in the previous sale, delivery, installation or warranty issue drive most of the customers to or away from a retail outlet.
The next phase of the buying process involves the sales person directly. Customers seek people they can trust. Trust is enabled by the presence of one or more of three elements.
The first is a third party reference, a friend or relative who has had a good experience. The second is through the presence of strong brands, which may be the retail outlet brand or the brands they stock.
The third is the ambience of the store which comes from the merchandising of the store and the apparent attitude of the sales person. If trust is not developed at this stage, then a sale is unlikely, unless prices are reduced.
Trust can be developed or broken with the opening line. The opening line ?how can I help you? is so lame that a best selling sales book carries the usual response phrase ?no thanks, I’m just looking? as its title.
However when a major sporting event is on next week, a simple reference to a player, the fate of the team, the rights and wrongs about the appointment of the coach, posed as a question, will more often than not start a conversation. Conversations engender trust and allow sales people to ask questions. Asking open questions which cannot be answered with a ?yes? or ?no? engenders trust. The opposite, closed questions, when strangers first meet, sound like and feel like an interrogation.
Good sales people know how to start a conversation in the fifty one weeks of the year when the Hong Kong Sevens are not being played.
The next phase is where the traditional sales approach kicks in. From the buying process view it is the determination of value. From the sales approach it is the demonstration of value. Customers who have developed trust in the sales person will place an unconscious premium on the relationship when it comes to considering perceived price versus perceived value.
Unfortunately, in many cases, no trust is developed and the determination of value is a straight out contest of wills over price rather than a trust building buying experience. This may be good for egos but not for repeat purchases or reputation.
Retailers and sales people need to think of themselves as assisting buyers rather than pushing sales and build their skills accordingly.
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Kevin Dwyer is Director of Change Factory. Change Factory helps organisations who do do not like their business outcomes to get better outcomes by changing people’s behaviour. Businesses we help have greater clarity of purpose and ability to achieve their desired business outcomes. To learn more visit http://www.changefactory.com.au or email kevin.dwyer@changefactory.com.au
?2006 Change Factory
To see more articles visit http://www.changefactory.com.au
December 26, 2007
Zig Ziglar the famous motivational speaker, author and audio tape expert on selling has changed the way we think. You know Ziggy is cool, I have read many of his books as well and listened to hundreds of tapes, even though I am not a salesman. Interesting stuff and he does do those in sales a favor as he says; ‘Nothing Happens Until Someone Sells Something.’ A more true statement about how products and economics work in Capitalistic Societies could not have been spoken.
Too often sales people get a bad rap and yet without them, nothing would happen. So for every negative experience or degrading comment about sales folks which are made a 100 go un-noticed and that is a shame for them.
You know come to think of it, I guess we all sell something no matter who we are. We sell our selves at parties and social events, we sell our opinions, our thoughts, etc. No matter what everyone is kind of selling something really; Interesting thoughts indeed.
Zig Ziglar has made his career noble by bring this to the World?s attention and for that he has changed the way we think, act and view those who sell. Good stuff. Our nation and the business world owes a lot to Zig Ziglar and perhaps we should think on this in 2006.
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‘Lance Winslow’ - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington
December 25, 2007
Not long ago my wife and I were planning a get-together with some friends and wanted to serve a cheese board after dinner. So, we ventured to a local market to look for some cheeses.
We asked for one particular cheese at the first vendor we visited and were told that they did not carry it. No effort was made to recommend anything else and we left without making a purchase.
As we walked through the market, I noticed the cheese we wanted at another vendor. After tasting it and several others, we selected two cheeses. Total sale: $17
A few moments later we ventured across yet another cheese vendor. As we looked at their selection, an employee asked if she could help us. We told her that we were looking for some cheeses to serve at an upcoming dinner. She immediately asked us what we had already selected then made several suggestions and gave us the opportunity to sample them. However, instead of providing the sample on a toothpick like the second vendor, she placed each cheese on a cracker. And, as she handed the first sample to us, she pointed out where the crackers were stocked. As the conversation continued she asked us several more questions and recommended several other cheeses which we purchased.
When we had finished selecting our cheeses, my wife stated that she was interested in buying some of their fresh olives. The sales person got us started by suggesting her favorites, encouraged us to sample the variety of olives she had on display, then left us alone while she took care of other customers. A few minutes later she returned, portioned out my wife?s choice and suggested that we come into the stall to look at fresh dips and spreads. She followed this by stating that she had put our purchases in a basket and would help us with them we were ready to leave. How could we refuse?
Of course, once in the ?store? we spotted some additional items that would complement our meal. When we advised her a few minutes later that we were finished she took the basket with our purchases to the cashier and wished us a great day. Total sale: $70.
There is no doubt in my mind that this particular vendor generates a lot more revenue than her nearby competitors. Not to mention the repeat business she?ll get from in the future.
There are several great sales and business lessons to be learned from this experience.
First, she took interest in our particular situation. Her approach to the sales process and desire to help us select the best cheeses for our dinner helped her stand out from her competitors. Zig Ziglar once said, ?You can get anything in life you want if you just help enough other people get what they want.? Her attention made us feel special and prompted us to spend more money.
Second, she asked us a few questions. Unlike the first two cheese vendors, she found out what we liked, what we had already bought, when we were planning to serve the cheese (after dinner versus before dinner), and what types of cheeses we liked. Although virtually everyone in sales is told to ask questions, my experience has taught me that most people, especially retail staff, have a tendency to skip this step. However, a few key questions can help you uncover vital pieces of information that will help you make more appropriate suggestions or recommendations to your prospect, customer or client. Remember, you don?t have to conduct an interrogation?you just want to learn a bit more about your customer?s wants, needs and particular situation. And depending on what you sell, this can expand to their likes and dislikes.
Third, she increased the size of the sale by pointing out additional items such as the crackers. Plus, when she did the samplings, she used these products which gave us the opportunity to try them with zero risk. Now, I?m not suggesting that you give every customer a free sample of your product?that?s not realistic in many situations. However, think of how you can reduce the risk of doing business with you especially if you are dealing with a first time customer or client.
Fourth, she dealt with, and took care of, multiple people at the same time. Although she invested some time dealing directly with us, she did excuse herself to help other customers several times. And my wife and I certainly didn?t take offense to this because we knew she?d return to help us.
Regardless of what you sell and to whom, you can probably make some changes to your approach to stand out from your competition and make it easier for people to buy from. Don?t wait. Do it now!
? 2006 Kelley Robertson, All rights reserved.
Receive a FREE copy of ?100 Ways to Increase Your Sales? by subscribing to his free newsletter available at http://www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com
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Kelley Robertson works with specialty retailers to help them capture more from each sale. He is the author of two books including the best-seller, ?Stop, Ask & Listen?Proven Sales Techniques to Turn Browsers into Buyers.
Kelley speaks regularly at conferences, sales meetings, and corporate functions. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.
December 13, 2007
The other day I took my RV into a local service center here in Virginia to see if they had a suitable toilet. Yep, I needed a new crapper. It may be crap to me, but to this RV service and parts center, well it is their bread and butter.
In fact they sell tons of components and replacement parts for RVs. Why? Well because most motor homes are built with a sheer profit motivation that is above and beyond the norm. In other words they put in the cheapest components available by law? Including this broken toilet.
Now you may think selling toilets is a crappy job, but let me tell you how impressed I was with this recreational vehicle parts sale man. Boy he sure knew his sheet. He knew every thing there was to know about toilets and even made a few jokes about it; well we both did, as here are two men discussing the best toilet to buy for the price and value? Yes that is how I spent my afternoon, just talking sheet.
Well he was such a great wealth of knowledge, friendly and a problem solver that I went to get my squawk sheet. That is a note pad I keep with all the things I want to fix on my motor home. He had an answer for all but one of them and $2500 later, well let’s just say I am as good as new.
What turned out to be a crappy sale turned into a good commission day for him of $375.00; yes I found out later he got 15% and he deserved it. I wonder how much else he sold that day. Moral of the story? There are no crappy sales jobs, so consider this in 2006.
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