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Inspiration

Persuasion in practice

he ability to persuade comes naturally to most questions to uncover objections will have your prospects
salespeople, so much so that they might not telling you how to persuade them to buy."
realize they are actually employing techniques
T to turn prospects into customers. No mat- Admit to drawbacks
ter how strong your innate skills are, however, gaining Sometimes enthusiastic MLSs can overdo it when extolling
awareness of a range of techniques beyond those that the virtues of their offerings. "If your product or service
come easily to you can boost the number of deals you sounds too good to be true, your prospect might decide
close. it is," Green wrote. "By presenting one or two drawbacks
to your service you allow Mr. or Ms. Merchant to focus
In Good Selling! SM: The Basics, Paul H. Green shared on the positives instead of trying to uncover what you're
techniques that can help merchant level salespeople not telling him or her." Here's an example Green provided
transform prospects into customers, as follows: to illustrate this point. You could say, "This system does
Remember those magic words require you to train all your sales personnel; however this
investment does pay for itself as soon as you submit your
First on Green's list was to use "please," "thank you" and …"
your prospect's first name. These "are among the most
powerful words in your selling vocabulary," he wrote. The more tools, the better
"Another word that induces action is 'because.' Telling There are, of course, many other possible techniques that
your prospects why they should buy will significantly can add to your power to persuade. The more you know
increase your persuasive power." of and have tried out, the more effective you will be on
Avoid putting prospects on the defensive the job.

Green stated that hypnotherapy research, along with the Some salespeople have found that offering small gifts
personal experience of many parents, has shown that to prospects at the start of a sales call makes prospects
telling someone to do something, or not do something, want to reciprocate, and this can lead to a sale in the end.
often has the reverse effect. "Words like 'might,' 'maybe,' Gifts don't have to be expensive; even a nicely formatted
and 'don't' can work in your favor," he wrote. "'Don't feel infographic on a topic of particular interest to retailers,
as though you need to sign now,' or 'Maybe you'll want to for example, will do. Others swear by testimonials and
start tomorrow,' give subliminal commands to buy that other forms of social proof ‒ the strongest of which being
don't put your prospects on the defensive. referrals from people your prospects know and trust.
Probe for values So keep brainstorming and trying out new things, and

A question Green suggested you ask prospects to uncover your sales prowess will grow, along with your bottom
their values is "What is the most important element line.
in your decision regarding your financial Services?"
Uncovering these values "will allow you to custom tailor
your presentation to meet his/her needs," he wrote. "Using
Kate Gillespie, President and CEO
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