You can move people to action better with persuasion than with power.
Think of those people in your life who have drawn you in and made an
impression on you. Maybe theyve convinced you to take action without
seeming pushy or panicky, merely stressing the necessity and benefit
of what they wanted you to do. Or maybe they won you over through
their empathy, seeming to truly understand your point-of-view.
Consciously or subconsciously, those who have a powerful effect on us
use a set of key influencing behaviors. And you can have the same
effect on clients when you learn to tap into effective
selling influence.
Influence is more motivation than manipulation. In this inclusive
form of communication, you get others to do something or give
something while maintaining or improving the relationship and
creating a sense of shared commitment with your customers.
When you develop and use your influence, you create a situation where
everyone wins. Try these five influence behaviors in your sales work,
and watch your sales skyrocket while you enhance the quality of your
relationships with your customers.
Behavior #1: Know what you want - then ask for it!
No one likes to feel as if theyre dealing with someone who has
ulterior motives. Everyone loves a straight dealer, so be honest and
direct about what you are trying to achieve. But in order to state
what you want clearly, you have to first know what you want from your
customer. What is the purpose of your meeting? What are you hoping to
achieve? Are you trying to develop a relationship with your customer,
for example, in order to warm him or her up for your next meeting? Or
do you want to make an immediate sale?
When you know exactly what you want, you can better state your
position and get your point across to your customers. When your
customers know exactly what you want, they will feel your influence,
experiencing a sense of clarity and purpose. They will appreciate
your direct approach, even if you dont make the sale at that time.
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Behavior #2: Create Win/Win suggestions
You can influence your customers to help you obtain what you want by
providing them with specific, concrete ideas that will ultimately
benefit you both. To make this happen, preparation is essential, so
you must know your customers. For example, if you want to make a sale
to a young couple that your questions or research has revealed to
have a moderate income, show them how they may benefit in the long
run from paying in monthly installments rather than paying in full up
front. When you know your customers needs, you can adjust your
approach accordingly. Then ask, Are you open to some ideas that may
help your situation? or propose Heres a suggestion that could help
both of us.
Behavior #3: Build trust by clarifying what you hear
In a sales situation, show your customers that you have listened to
what they had to say by clarifying any issues they bring up. For
example, when a customer tells you, Im interested in the product or
service youre offering, but I am not able to do it financially right
now, make sure that you have clearly understood. Paraphrase and
summarize key points. Pause to ask if youve understood correctly.
When you demonstrate that you have heard and understood the
customers position, you will find that you create a shared
commitment between you. Your customer will feel as if you share
common ground, rather than feeling defensive and sold-to.
Behavior #4: Ask big, open-ended questions
Draw your customer out by asking a mix of open-ended questions and
focused questions, then actively listening to the answers. Questions
will help you to establish rapport with the customer, and lead to
openness, understanding and commitment, so dont rush this behavior.
Taking time now to listen to customers concerns will enable you to
go faster later.
Avoid close-ended questions those that require only a Yes or No
answer and focus instead on open-ended questions that start with
What, How and Where. These will help you
gather information and find out what your customer is thinking. By
seeking a broad answer, you let your customer choose the
conversations direction: What would be an ideal outcome for you?
or How have you approached these issues in your business in the past?
Focused questions help you to drill down and get disinterested
customers to focus on alternatives. When youve been actively
listening, you should be able to focus in on specific incidents,
concerns, or objections the customer has raised. For example, ask,
Can you tell me a little bit more about (that relevant issue you
brought up earlier)? or Could you tell me more about (your last
experience that yielded disappointing results)?
Behavior #5: Give somethingget something!
Your customers want to see clearly why they should give you their
business, so motivate them with sound reasoning that relates your
solution to those concerns you know they may have. Make it easier or
more attractive for your customers to do what you ask by telling them
what you will be happy to do for them if they accept your solution.
For example, try offering something sought-after that costs you
nothing but delivers a powerful benefit to them: If you can give me
answer today, Ill set up an immediate appointment with our IT group
and that will put you first in line.
Show that you are willing to modify your initial proposal to better
suit their needs. This will help you further promote agreement and
commitment. Ask, How can I make this decision easier for you? or
What would make this offer more attractive for you? You are
inducing the customer to buy, giving them an incentive that makes
your product or service more interesting.
You dont want to offer a discount; in all likelihood, a lower price
is probably not a primary need anyway, and you obviously dont want
to take a discount off your commission. Show added value and make
your offer more attractive in some way, maybe by changing the payment
schedule, or by proving success with interviews of references. Give
them something immediately, and you increase your chances of getting
what you want.
Meet their needs and achieve your goals
The ability to influence is a skill anyone can acquire and it
correlates directly to your success in the sales profession. Using
influence skills will help you to meet clients needs and improve
sales. When you follow these five behaviors, you will see
breakthrough results in your commissions as you build more meaningful
relationships with your customers.
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