Max Bottaro

Make an initial “Jab”

Just as a boxer uses a less harmful jab to create openings for more powerful punches, as a salesman can use a harmless question to open the mind of the prospect. The first thing I often do when I get into someone’s house to show them the vacuum is make a “jab”. As soon as I pull the first dirt pad out of their carpet, I’ll look them in the eye, smile, and say “cash or credit?” At this point, I’ve barely started the demo and hardly given them a reason to buy- the question to buy isn’t serious, it couldn’t be- it’s a nonthreatening joke. Still, it “punches” a whole in the prospect’s buying defense, and it puts them in the mindset of “purchase”. Jabs should be nonthreatening and friendly. They aren’t meant to close deals, they should be used early on. When the real ask comes down the road, it will seem like less of a shock.

%80 percent of purchases happen after the 6^th time a salesperson asks the prospect to buy. A jab can count as one of these asks. Just don’t be afraid to ask down the road. Shy salespeople have thin children.

Some people fold after making one timid request. They quit too soon. Keep asking until you find the answers. In sales there are usually four or five “no’s” before you get a “yes.”
-Jack Canfield

Avoid yes or no questions

You want to avoid a situation where a costumer can give you a concise and clear “NO”. This not only puts them in a “no, not, never, can’t, won’t” mindset, it shuts down their “how” mindset. It’s weird, but when a costumer hears themselves say “no” they end up believing themselves. They can give you other bullshit objections for reasons not to buy; that is perfectly natural and even a good sign. But if you hear “no”, you can be rest assured that the part of their brain that comes up with “how” answers is shut down.

The easiest way to avoid this is not put yourself in a position to hear a “no”. Don’t ask “you want to buy, its $2195?” ask “if you were to buy, would you pay cash or credit?” I hate to use sex as an analogy to closing sales, but there are some similarities. You would never ask a girl “hey, you want to have sex? Let’s go.” You ease your way into it, so everything seems like a natural progression, and you avoid high pressure situations. Nothing will turn a prospect or a girl off more than being pushy, aggressive and direct. That doesn’t mean you should be shy, but there is a certain way of being bold that works.

I AM Like You

“Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.” –Og Mandino

This idea ties in with the notion that half the reason people buy is because they like the salesmen. One of the best ways to get someone to like you is to be like them. I don’t mean be fake, but within your personality find things that you can genuinely appreciate about them, or that you have in common. For example, if someone has a Patriots poster in their house, I might talk football with them (although I wouldn’t pretend to be a Patriot’s fan).

Tweak your mannerisms and tonality to match your prospect’s. If I am with an older lady, I speak slowly, gesture softly, and I smile a lot. If I am with a younger guy, I am fast and energetic. If I am with uneducated people, I kind of dumb my language down. People trust people who are like them, and trust is a key component of sales.

Be Honest. Sincerity is a rarity.

You always want to be as sincere and as honest possible when you’re with a prospect- trust can make or break a deal. Honesty is also very hard to fake; people can almost always sense when the truth is being bent-and truth bending and issue minimization will turn prospects ice cold. If you don’t know something about your product, or your prospect has an objection you don’t have an answer to, it’s best just to look them in the eye and say:

“Honestly, I don’t know, but let me make a call and I’ll get back you.”

This let’s your prospect know you care about them, and it takes them off guard, because 99% of salesmen will try to weasel their way out of the question or minimize the issue (politician style). Don’t do this- not only is it unscrupulous- but your prospects won’t react positively to it. Fight the urge to make your product look like the flawless solution, and acknowledge possible issues directly and honestly.

Psychology over Economic principles

When I first started in sales, I had a very scientific view of selling: “When the buyers perceived value of the product matches the price, a transaction will occur”. This brittle supply and demand view of sales got me sales, but they were mostly low balls. I figured if they didn’t want to buy at a certain price, just keep knocking off dollars until they agreed to buy. The art of selling is far more complex than just cutting the price until a prospect agrees to buy.

In parts of Africa, I am told that there are no set prices in markets. All prices on goods are set at ridiculously high values, and it is customary to argue the price down to a reasonable level. A traveler, who wasn’t aware of these cultural customs, was asked to pay roughly $7 for a head of lettuce. The man angrily paid in his haste, and left. The next day that vendor refused to sell to him, his quick buy was perceived as rude. By not agreeing to engage in the customary back and forth that accompanies these native transactions, the travelling costumer was seen as curt and snobbish.

The point is the perception of a deal is far more powerful than a monetary deal. Humans are not economic computers that calculate net worth and personal demand, if someone feels like they are getting a deal, that’s all that really matters. They will be a content buyer, and you will be a richer salesman.

So how do you increase the perception of a deal without lowering your prices? You create a struggle, or a battle. Make the prospect feel like they have to work to get the deal out of you. Here are some tools to help create the perception of a struggle:

· Offer smaller non-monetary add-ons: “Ok, I’ll throw in some extra bags and belts, but you can’t tell my supervisor”.

· Lower price somewhat, but justify the discount, otherwise your price seems arbitraury and you lose credibility: “I understand the price is a bit high… If I could get you a $100 discount, and I’m not saying I could for sure, but if I did, would you buy? I am willing to give up my commission on this sale because I am 1) trying to hit a weekly bonus 2) A few sales away from winning a trip 3) you are the last house of the night, etc…”. The reasons for the discount at the end are extremely important. You can’t just slash prices and not justify, it seems sketchy. Try not to lie about the reason though, In my sales job we always do have bonuses and trips to win for just that reason- to justify discounts and close deals. The bonuses really do exist, though.

· Make sure the costumer thinks you are bending over backwards, even if the request is small and reasonable. “Alright, Mrs. Jones… I will call my supervisor and see if we can’t get you a trade in for your older unit, but we generally discourage it. If I can make this happen, you have to promise to keep this deal between us, O.K.?”

· Get the costumer to throw in something small as well. “I think I might be able to give you a discount for your old vacuum, but you have to tell 3 friends about us, deal?” (This is one of my favorites, it really gets the costumer thinking they have outsmarted you… the truth is I don’t give a damn who they tell; as long as they feel they screwed me and not the other way around.)

· Get a commitment before you try and close a deal- build up suspense. “Ok Mrs. Jones… if I get you this discount, can I welcome you to the Kirby family? I am not sure if I can authorize this big of a discount, but at this price you are serious- not just curious, right? You won’t make me look foolish if I call the office and ask for this price, will you?”

Then I’ll lean forward like I am about to do something really intense, and make a call to my “office”. I always let it ring a few times, then hit them with the request’ “Hey Sean, I know we don’t usually do this, but I am with Mrs. Jones right now, and she agreed to buy if we could get her deal x… I know it’s a lot to ask, but I was thinking it might be worth a shot because of our competition… are you serious!… Ok I’ll ask her- Mrs. Jones, do you promise to keep this deal between us? Really, you won’t tell anyone?” At this point I’ll stick out my hand, AKA my ‘payday wand’ and welcome her to the Kirby family. This is called “assuming the deal”.

The point is people feel like they got a deal if they fought for it, so the best thing to do is create a struggle and eventually give in to a smaller request as opposed to lopping off a larg amount of cash right from the start. You can close a deal by discounting $1000 in a minute or $100 in an hour. It’s up to you.

“Closing isn’t about price- it’s about compromise” – James Peterson, Top Dealer in the Northern Region

Build a Sense of Ownership

This is the foundation of the “overnight test drive”. People won’t flex a pinky to get something new, but they will move mountains to keep something they already have. Whatever you are selling, put it in their hands, let them use it, let them imagine what owning it would be like. Often, people would rather part with some cash than lose the perceived ownership you’ve just created.