The Science of High-impact Selling

Have you ever stood on a street corner and tried to sell a ten dollar bill in exchange for a five dollar bill? Try it sometime. It will open your eyes. I’ll bet you twenty dollars that your closing ratio on the street corner will be less than one in three. Why? Simple, because price doesn’t sell; impact does.

How do we create impact in selling so we can increase our closing ratio? Below are seven ways for creating high-impact sales presentations:

1. The best way to get prospects to pay attention to you is to pay attention to them.

We live in a fast paced world where people are used to quickly tuning in and out on multiple sources of information. The potential for losing a customer’s attention is higher than you think. Remember the old statement that all prospects prefer to tune in to one universal radio station with the call letters WII-FM. These letters stand for “What’s In It-For Me?”

2. Don’t just show up for the game, play to win.

As a college football coach for 14 years, I learned that you can almost always predict the outcome of a championship game by listening to what the coaches and players of the two teams say before the game. Prior to the 1986 Super Bowl, the New England Patriots told reporters that they were just glad to be there and have an opportunity to play in this game. However, the Chicago Bears boasted that no team could beat them and that it was their year to win it all. Never just be happy to meet a customer; instead, expect to win that customer!

3. You can only convince others of what you believe.

Dale Carnegie, the author of How To Win Friends And Influence People, told his students, “If you believe what you are saying, make us believe it!” If you are not sold on yourself, your product and its superior value, then stay in your car. But if you sincerely believe that your product can help your customer, then give it all the selling effort you’ve got. Remember, the more you believe in your sales presentation, the easier it will be to get others to believe in what you say. Remember also that your prospect’s belief will never be stronger than yours!

4. In your customer’s mind all values are equal, until someone points out the differences.

You cannot create impact by merely explaining your selling features. You need to prove that what you are selling will fulfill your prospect’s wishes. This means a) translating your product features into specific customer benefits and b) targeting your customer benefits to fit his or her mental wish list. The key to wish-fulfillment selling is to establish a solid connection between your product benefits and your customer’s deepest aspirations, values and hopes. Never assume that your customer will make this connection automatically. By making value connections, your customer will soon see you as a value-provider.

5. To become a value-provider for the prospect, you must first discover what the prospect perceives as value.

Your selling impact rises in direct proportion to your understanding of the value system of your prospect. The keys to understanding your prospect’s values are: asking questions, listening, rephrasing your understanding, rephrasing your questions, zeroing in on what is being said and focusing on why it is being said. Get your whole body involved in listening and show that you are paying attention. Look the person squarely in the eye, use facial expressions and gestures to show you hear and understand what’s being said. Hear the person out, then respond. Remember that if you can’t identify your prospect’s values, you won’t be able to deliver a valuable presentation.

6. It makes little difference if what you believe is true, unless you can prove it to your prospect.

My experience has shown me two essential truths: a) one false claim discovered does more damage than 100 claims proved, and b) one claim proved is worth more than 100 claims made.

The high-impact salesperson offers supporting evidence, validating documents and tangible proof to demonstrate that every single claim represents the absolute truth. Integrity means instant impact.

7. As trust in you and confidence in the value you are offering expands, the fear of buying disappears.

As my good friend and colleague Ron Willingham notes, we each are surrounded by a “circle of the possible.” It’s that imaginary circle we draw to encompass all the things we can see ourselves doing. Any time we start to do something outside that circle, we begin to experience fear. As a result, we stop making decisions. Creating impact in selling requires that we expand our buyer’s circle of the possible, so he or she can make the buying decision with confidence. You can expand the buyer’s circle of the possible by a) reinforcing the positive feelings about buying, b) addressing any questions that may arise about the use of your product, c) proving your claims, d) putting all the conditions of buying on the table, e) demonstrating that the product benefits will quickly amortize the investment.

Your chances for winning a new customer will rise in direct proportion to your ability to expand your buyer’s circle of the possible. As you expand your buyer’s circle of the possible, you’ll automatically expand your own circle of the possible.

Always remember, it’s good to work hard, it’s better to work smart, but best to work hard and smart. That’s the key to high-impact selling.

Bill Brooks is a noted author, seminar leader and convention speaker. His two latest books, High Impact Speaking and High Impact Selling were released in October 1987. For further information please contact: Bill Brooks, 307-A South Westgate Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, or call: 919/855-3735.