Ultra successful salespeople have a way of speaking in ways which it is almost impossible to disagree. They build on the truth, on facts, and on wonderful feelings, and they make sale after sale after sale. Their speech is so simple, appealing and sincere that it makes their products effectively irresistible.

MENTAL HINGES

One of their secrets consists of connecting one undeniably true statement with a new thought or emotion they wish the customer to experience. These mental hinges form the persuasive linkage between what the customer knows to be true and with what the salesperson wants to happen. You can learn to develop mental hinges by connecting a true statement and a new thought with one of ten different mental hinges:

1. And 6. Since

2. But 7. Make

3. As 8. Cause

4. While 9. Force

5. During 10. Require

Here are some examples illustrating the differences between top sales producers and less successful salespeople:

1. Opening:

Average salesperson: “May I help you?”

Ultra successful salesperson: “You are standing here looking at this car, and you can imagine how nice it would be to drive home in it.”

In this example, the top salesperson starts with the undeniable statement that the customer is standing there looking at the car. He then uses the simple mental hinge “and” to connect it to his leading statement that the customer can imagine how nice it would be to drive the car home. Some of the most successful salespeople I’ve studied connect statements which have no logical relationship–and the sentences are very effective, even in influencing highly intelligent and well-educated customers.

2. Needs Assessment:

Average salesperson: Where do you think there is room for improvement, Mr. Jones?”

Ultra successful salesperson: “Mr. Jones, just watching this production line will make you think of ways in which your fine operation here can become even stronger and more productive.”

The mental hinges “make,” “cause,” “force,” and “require,” are the most powerful of all. They seem to suggest that something must be done or thought of.

3. Presentation of Benefits:

Average salesperson: “Our new Vitazim causes side effects in fewer than 1 percent of all patients.”

Ultra successful salesperson: “Since you’ve told me that your patients complain about Thorizide, Dr. Smith, you will be pleased to hear that our new Vitazim causes side effects in fewer than 1 percent of all patients.”

In the presentation of the customer benefit, the pharmaceutical representative used the mental hinge “since” to connect the factual statement about the doctor’s comment with a positive emotion (you will be pleased) and the benefit of fewer side effects. In phrasing the sentence in this way, the listener has to swallow the first undeniable tidbit. He then gobbles up the positive emotion and is led to swallow the connected sales morsel.

4. Handling Objections:

Average salesperson: “Our copier is well worth the extra cost.”

“Ultra successful salesperson: You’ve recognized that our copier is a little higher priced than some of the others on the market; but you can also think of some other products you’ve bought in your business that cost a little more and that were worth every penny.”

The copier salesman starts with the fact that the model is higher priced, he then uses the mental hinge “and” to connect this fact with a statement that leads the customer to remember the good feelings he received from previous purchases.

You can learn to use mental hinges in your sales presentations – see box: Persuasion Skills Exercise.

THE THREE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGES

Customers and prospects tell you in their speech what kinds of information they pay attention to and what kinds of information you can use to influence them. They do this through their use of the three universal languages.

Prospects who love visual information use visual words continuously in their speech: “That’s not clear to me.” “Can you show me how that works?” “That’s a bright idea.” Customers who prefer auditory information use sound words such as “That rings a bell.” “That sounds good to me.” “Can we get a little more harmony into this discussion?” Customers speaking the third kind of language use action words like: “I can’t get a grasp on what you’re saying.” “I really had to lean on my boss to get the OK,” “I get a kick out of these fast cars.”

While we speak and understand all three universal languages, we also each have a favorite language. Top salespeople automatically pick up on this in customers and then utilize the customer’s favorite language in their sales presentation.

For example, if you find that your prospect prefers the visual language system, you could use this knowledge to your advantage at each step of the sale:

1. Opening: “Let me show you what an increase in productivity your office could experience with this new computer system.”

2. Needs Assessment: “Ms. Smith, you can look at the success your company has enjoyed and you can see for yourself where the problems are and what machinery needs to be replaced.”

3. Presentation of Benefits: “It is clear that this new addressing system will reduce the time it takes you to get a mailing out by 20 percent.”

4. Handling Objections: “I can see your point of view about the safety issue in these government bonds and it shows that you are a sophisticated investor.”

Why is matching the customer’s language so effective? Study after study has shown that we tend to like people who are like ourselves, that bosses tend to hire and promote people who are like they are, and that all of us trust people who behave and speak the way we behave and speak. Also, when you use the customer’s language, the line between you and the customer becomes more blurred. There will be less reasons to be critical of you, since you are so much like him or her. This gives the customer more clarity about your proposal and the product benefits.

THE POWER OF METAPHORS

On September 24th, 1981, President Reagan gave a talk to sell his economic program to Congress and the American public. It is no accident that his speech made reference to plans which were “never embedded in concrete,” or “holding a firm, steady course,” or the story of “those Americans who helped build a neighbor’s barn when it burned down.” These are all metaphors – those powerful words or phrases which suggest pictorial relationships between objects and ideas.

Reagan and his speech writers knew they faced a Herculean task and they knew that every word in the President’s address must be carefully selected to shape the viewer’s opinion.

As professional communicators, highly successful salespeople also make abundant use of metaphors, stories and anecdotes. Some of the top salespeople I studied seemed to have a pointed and persuasive metaphor for every situation – like the top insurance sales rep trying to sell a policy to a young prospect who is considering a smaller, perhaps more personalized insurance company. During the close he used this verbal jewel: “It’s like taking you and your family on a long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, and you want to get from here to England, and you have a choice of either going on this tug boat here or on the Queen Mary–which one would you feel safest on?”

PERSUASION SKILLS EXERCISE: MENTAL HINGES

Ultra successful salespeople use this technique by first pronouncing a statement which is known to be true and then connecting it to a statement which will lead the customer to a new thought or feeling. For example, a sales rep may say: “You are standing here looking at this car, and you can imagine how comfortable it would be to sit inside,” or “Looking at this high quality diamond forces you to think about how much more you’ll get for your money.”

The key words to create these mental hinges are: –and–but–as, –while–during–since, make–cause–force–require.

In a sales seminar, you can ask your participants to break up into groups of three. You may hand each participant a typed sheet with the key words. Instruct the group to have one person state a fact, then another person states a belief or fact, and the third person connects the two using one of the above key words.

Then the roles switch and a different group member gets to connect the statements of the other two. The exercise takes about 15 minutes so that each group member can use each of the connecting words.

There is frequently much laughter in doing this exercise, as the salespeople often think of very strange or unusual statements which have to be connected by the third member. However, as the laughter dies down, the participants realize that this type of logic operates all the time in everyday life and in our private thoughts. Salespeople who limit themselves to very rigid logic in their sales job will limit their success and will also find that they run out of things to talk about with customers. The ultra successful salesperson knows how to make use of anything that is happening, anything that the customer says or does, and connect it to the thought or emotion necessary to persuade the customer to buy the product.