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by Bob Janet
If I were a betting man I would have lost the farm last week, because I would have bet it all that the salesperson I was watching sell his product would close the sale. Everything he did was right.
But the customer walked. Although the salesperson was doing everything right, the customer walked. He walked because the salesperson never asked for the sale.
It does not take a genius to figure out why this salesperson and many, many others do not ask for the sale. They are afraid of rejection. No one likes rejection or to hear “NO” when asking for the sale.
First of all, Rejection will not hurt you: The customer is not rejecting you. They are rejecting the idea of trading their money for a product / service they have yet to understand is worth more to them than their money. And that is good, because all you have to do is sell them the benefits of owning your product / service.
But it even gets easier with this powerful sales techniques from the book, “Join The Profit Club”; Never Hear the Word “NO”. There is not a single word in the entire English language that stops a sale quicker than the word “NO”. To be successful in sales you must consistently avoid the word “NO”. A simple and effective way to avoid having the prospect or customer say “NO” is this: Never ask a question that your customer or prospect can answer with a “NO”. If you want to meet with someone next week, instead of a yes or no question ask them a choice question that leaves them with options such as: “Which day would you like to meet next week, Monday or Tuesday?”
Always give your prospect the feeling of control, because people buy when they feel they are in control. You give prospects the feeling of control by asking their permission and using choices for everything you want them to do. When you want people to act in a manner you wish them to, make it appear to them that it was their idea.
For example, one evening I wanted to attend the local comedy club. If I would have said to my wife, “Would you like to go to the comedy club?” she would have said “NO” because she dislikes the comedians, the food, and the smoke-filled room. So I said, “Would you like to go to the Comedy Club or the Movies?” She replied, “What’s on at the movies?” I scanned the movie listings in the paper and said, “The only movie we haven’t seen is a love story, but it starts at 9:00PM. Now I was setting myself up to be a hero. You see, she knows I don’t care for love stories. But here I was letting her know that in order to make her happy, I would do something I dislike.
The flip side is I knew she had to be to work the next morning at 8:00 AM and if we went to the movie we would not arrive back home until after midnight. On the other hand if we could enjoy a night out at the comedy club we’d be home by 9:30 PM. So she chose the comedy club.
Always avoid the word “NO” and you will increase your sales and profits.
The Answer is always “NO” until you ask for the Sale. In the first place, you have nothing to lose if you are rejected. You did not have the sale anyway. But, if you give your customer choices you will not be rejected.
And, if the customer answers your choice questions with :nether” (choosing neither choice) simply give them more choices.
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