Words, wielded wisely, can be a powerful instrument of seduction. The key, however, is making your inferences subtle. Consider the five make-or-break romantic situations below.
Im taking each of their romantic scenarios-except one-changing them into sales situations more appropriate for this newsletter, and then paraphrasing their rationale as to why they work.
(Again, you can see the original graphic Ive posted from the magazine here.
The Situation: Youre asking for an appointment for a face-to-face meeting.
Dont Say: Want to get together on Thursday?
Try: Want to get together so I can show you exactly how this system would cut down on the duplicate tasks you are now performing in your shipping process?
Why it Works: Eve Mark, author of Flirtspeak, says that unlike a blank proposal, a question like this puts the listener in the moment, and creates an experience he or she can visualize.
Agreed. It is always easier for someone to say yes to the potential value they might experience, as opposed to the simple act of getting together, which they instead might associate with wasting time.
The Situation: You want the prospect to do an online demo.
Dont Say: Lets go through an online demo.
Try: Lets go through an online demo because it will show you precisely how the software will integrate with your existing process.
Why it Works: The magic is in the because. Dr. Kevin Hogan, author of Irresistible Attraction, says People comply 66% more often when they hear a phrase with because in it.
This is the same principle at work when we do Social Engineering, which is asking questions of people other than the decision maker in order to gather sales intelligence. We call it the justification statement.
For example, lets say you reach an admin in the buyers department, after identifying yourself and company youd say,
Im going to be speaking with Ms. Bigg, and I want to be sure that what Ill be discussing would be relevant. Id appreciate your help with a few questions.
Or, Im going to be calling Mr. Byer and want to be certain that what we have would be of interest to him. Theres some information you could help me with
The Situation: You want the prospect to move forward with the sale.
Dont Say: I want you to move forward with the order.
Try: Can you imagine how many more qualified prospects this program will generate for your sales reps?
Why it Works: Reframing your desire as a question (especially one with a benefit) forces him/her to think about it, says Dr. Hogan. The sensory word imagine reinforces the visual picture.
The Situation: You want a customer to upgrade to a higher-priced premium option.
Dont Say: Does the Premium Option interest you?
Try: Lets try the option where you get the highest level of support and free updates that others have to pay for.
Why it Works: Words like try and maybe give the listener a chance to say yes without feeling pressured, says Dr. Narissa Carter, a communications professor at Texas Tech University.
OK, there was one more example in the article, that, unless you sell food, I couldnt come up with an appropriate sales example. It involved the word taste. Check out the infographic from the magazine and let me know if you can develop one. These are all great suggestions. To really get the most out of this, I recommend taking a pen and paper and examine each situation. Then adapt them to your own sales scenarios. Or life scenarios for that matter.
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