Successful Selling to Customers is Just Like Persuading a Jury

Here’s how you can use persuasion to sell.

Establish common ground quickly and early.  It’s your job to quickly create a ‘we-ness’ with the customer. This means helping the customer see how similar you both are.  Look for something you could comment on that you both share.  It might be a college diploma from a school in the same state you attended college.  You would make a statement instead of asking an open ended question.  You could say, I see you attended State College.  I also attended school in Illinois. Time is the issue to establish this common ground, Establish it on general terms and don’t be too personal or specific even when you’re invited to.  Get right back on task. If you’re selling something what you have to respect is customers’ time. You’re there to sell, not to share personal details. 

Prepare to persuade.   You have to prepare to persuade.  You should have an outline in your head of what you want your customer to hear before you make your sales call. Plan three or four key phrases about your product or service.  These words should be descriptive words that create visual pictures for your customers to more easily understand your message. 

You should speak your customer’s language. To speak their language you have to look and listen for their key words.  Key words are used a lot; are specific to their products and services and are usually descriptive and purposeful.  They tend to be unexpected.  They are found in customer promotional materials.  Customers also use these words in their speech.  Here’s an example. A banking client may use ‘member’ as a key word.  In the company sales literature, the bank refers to customers as members, not clients or customers.  In your sales call, make sure you refer to members.  If you can take your customer’s key words and your key words and use them together, it’s more persuasive.  That’s why it’s so important to be a good listener.  Take notes.  Use "tell me more" to get your customer to elaborate more.

Punctuate to persuade.  Salespeople need to highlight their important points. Pause before an important point.  Make sure nothing is in your lap.  Women tend to keep objects in their lap.  Remove the pad or packet of materials from your lap and put it aside before making your point.  This is a way of helping the listener distinguish from the listening and the persuading.  With your legs and arms uncrossed, look your customer in the eye and lean slightly forward.  Then speak the important words slowly as you make your major point. 

Use everything you’ve got.   Watch your customer’s body position and mirror it.  Every nonverbal clue you give should convey confidence and credibility.  Start with a firm handshake. Your hips should be directed at your customer and your shoulders should be squared with your customer’s.  Pay attention to distance between you and your customer.  Watch that you are not too close or too far and lean forward as you speak.  Materials must be prepared so you are not sifting though your suitcase.

You’ll know your persuasion is working if your customers ask more questions; want more information and use the key words you use. 

Successful selling is being innocent of pushiness and coercion.   If you’re going to be guilty, it had better be for using persuasion effectively. 

Via