Trying to convince someone to buy your product or service is more than just about putting in the basics of persuasion. Persuasion encompasses a variety of communication and trust-building skills to bring people around to your way of thinking. Learning how to convince people in sales starts with, on a very simple level, building a relationship with that person. Starting a relationship with somebody who doesn’t believe they need your product or service is tough, and this is where some of the following tactics and techniques can ensure that you build that relationship.
“Actions speak louder than words!
As a sales person, your best metric of success is sales, not praise.”
~ Chandell Labbozzetta
How Do You Persuade in Sales?
Give People a Reason to Listen
One of the most important things any potential customer will be thinking when you approach them is whether they should give you the time of day or not. Giving them a reason why they should give you their hard-earned time is the first step because if you do not provide clarity on how your message connects with your potential customer, you will never get to tell them why they should invest those few seconds.
Show Them Why They Can Trust You
You’ve got to show them that you care about their needs first, and when you get their attention, showing them you care involves understanding them. In the sales process, you have to first listen and show the commonalities based on their pain points and how you can take them in the right direction. Once you show them you care, you’ve got to highlight your credibility and how you are an expert, because this will give your customers a reason to trust you.
Practice NLP Techniques
Using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques can be very helpful when trying to persuade people in sales. These techniques involve using verbal language and body language to influence the way someone perceives an offer or product. NLP can be used to increase the credibility of your message, as well as build rapport with a potential customer.
How Do You Talk in Sales?
When it comes to delivering a sales pitch, you need to get to grips with the matter of how you talk. If you’ve obtained their trust, now is when you have to focus on the process of the things you say and how you say them. When it comes to how you talk and deliver your amazing sales pitch, you must consider the following:
Do Not Just Think About the Words
You need to communicate enthusiasm and confidence, and this is down to how you present yourself. According to the 7-38-55 Rule, 7% of all communication is done through the words you speak, but the remainder comes from your body language and your facial expressions. This is why you must pay particular attention to how you say something. You should imagine that you are communicating with someone that doesn’t understand what you are saying, because this will give you an insight into those times when just your tone of voice and visual cues can stimulate a working relationship. Open and honest body language and tone of voice will make people want to listen.
Consider Your Mindset
One shortcut to appearing enthusiastic is to be enthusiastic. You may have seen sales reps or public speakers get into the zone by practising talking, standing up, or getting into a certain frame of mind. When they do this, it goes straight to the core of who they are, to the point where they are not playing a role but are instead embodying a certain behaviour. You need to put yourself in that emotional state before delivering your pitch. Some people do this by exercising, and others practice visualisation, but the reality is that you should do what works for you.
Prepare for Objections
Rather than following the natural ebb and flow of a conversation, you need to rehearse every possible permutation, including any form of objection. Selling to somebody is about providing helpful solutions to their problems, but if this individual prospect is putting up barriers throughout every part of the conversation, you need to prepare for the most common objections. These can include:
- Avoiding eye contact.
- Defensive body language.
- Cutting you off mid-sentence.
When you identify the most common objections and prepare solutions to them, you must rehearse them to the point that they become second nature.
How Do You Sound Convincing in Sales?
The notion of being convincing in sales is not about an “us versus them” approach. Rather than thinking that you need to go into battle, some of the most important psychological tricks include the following:
Mirroring the Tonality of the Prospects
When cold calling potential customers, mirroring is an excellent technique to overcome barriers, where you mimic the customer behaviour by adopting their body language, speech patterns, and attitude. It is something that humans do to connect with each subconsciously. If you become in tune with your language, pattern of speaking, and tone of voice, mirroring your prospects will help build rapport more quicker.
Use Specific Terms
We have talked about how you say things, but it’s also important that you understand the impact of specific words. There are commonly used words that are red flags in a sales pitch. For example, “should” and “would” point people towards “yes” and “no” answers. When you ask questions, you should start with who, what, where, when, why, or how, as this will open the conversation.
Avoid Complicated Language
You may attempt to stimulate the fear of missing out on your potential customer, which may persuade them to buy your product or service in fear of losing out on an opportunity. However, it can make the salesperson feel like they need to mythologise the product more and start using unnecessarily complicated terms. You should know your product inside and out, and while you may feel the temptation to describe a variety of technical features, this can make things too complex, resulting in a subconscious barrier. Keep the language simple to the point where you could explain it to a 5-year-old.
Be Genuine
Rather than thinking about the sales, if you convince yourself that you want to help the other person rather than yourself, this builds trust and stops you from being pushy, resulting in a greater sense of rapport, and will very likely result in more receptive follow-up calls.
Consider Sales Training, Courses, or Programs.
Sales training can provide you with additional techniques to help you learn how to convince people to buy in sales. The goal of these programs is to train or certify individuals on the basics of selling and persuading.
When it comes to the sales process, many people are of the opinion that to entice future prospects, you must be full of bluff and bluster. The reality is that even if you don’t think you are selling, you are still selling something, which is why these tactics can help provide a comprehensive framework, resulting in an amazing sales pitch that helps you build that all-important notion of customer trust with new or current customers.
“The way neuroscience and neuro-linguistic programming helps your sales is by allowing you to better understand your prospects’ thinking and their motivation to buy your product. This means more satisfied purchasers for your product.”
~ Chandell Labbozzetta
What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming?
Neuro-Linguistic Programming is the study of how the human brain receives and processes information. If you study the speeches and tools used by influential leaders from the earliest stages of recorded history, you’ll find the essence of NLP techniques and principles inside.
NLP is frequently studies to elevate communication skills, improve negotiation, and generally help people to understand others better. Since successful relationships are at the heart of human happiness, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a very powerful tool for everyone. It is an especially popular field of study for salespeople who want to understand their customers better and deal with the challenge of discovering whether what they are selling would serve them or not.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming can be broken down into three parts:
Part 1: The Neuroscience of Sales:
To understand the neuroscience of sales, we first have to look at the brain. The brain is an intricate network of neurons, or nerve cells. The neurons communicate with each other by firing electrical impulses through “synapses.” They also connect with other neurons in an area called the “cortex.” These connections are like pathways. They can be reinforced through habitual behaviour and altered by creating new behaviours or patterns.
Part 2: The Neurons:
The brain processes information through triggers, which is why Neuro-Linguistic Programming incorporates several techniques that enable you to auto-trigger new behaviours to replace existing ones. It also explains why you can have a visceral response to a person without any overt reason – it could be based on remembered associations and experience (positive or negative).
Part 3: The Linguistics:
Language is a complex system. Even though it is responsible for only around 7% of the information we receive, understanding how language works and the ability to interpret what others are really saying, as well as to grasp how they are hearing our words not only improves your relationships at home and work but also helps salespeople understand what their prospects are thinking and when they have made up their mind to say, “No,” but are too polite to actually articulate that.
Neuroscience and Neuro-Linguistic Programming in Sales and Why I Love Neuroscience!
The reason I love neuroscience and neuro-linguistic programming in sales is because it is so fascinating to watch different areas of the brain light up in response to stimuli and to recognise that just as you can re-program your own thoughts and responses, you can also use that knowledge to better connect with your prospects by understanding their emotions, feelings, and motivations.
Once you’re aware of this, you don’t need sophisticated brain monitoring equipment to gauge how prospects are responding to your sales call, you just need to use your eyes, ears, and intuition. You’ll quickly recognise the difference between genuine objections, and the excuses of a person who has already made a decision, and you’ll understand the best way to respond to help them choose wisely.
Unlike what you may have seen on TV or in movies, there is nothing in NLP that removes your prospect’s freewill and self-determination. Your skill in using NLP will only help you understand your prospect’s true concerns.
NLP Sales Techniques to Increase Your Sales
Here are 5 NLP sales techniques that you can use to increase your sales.
- Understand Buying Strategies – everyone has a specific ‘strategy’ for buying (as well as almost every other area of life). NLP helps you discover exactly what each of your prospect’s unique buying strategies is and how to use the knowledge appropriately. This is especially important for selling high-ticket items.
- Improve Your Timing – based on your understanding of each prospect or client’s buying strategy you can build a flexible sales system that enables you to meet their needs for information, alternatives, and spacing of calls. This way, your prospect always feels as though they are in control of the buying decision.
- Build Rapport – by showing genuine interest and enthusiasm for the person you are talking to and by reflecting their preferred communication style in your choice of language. Focus on being interested, rather than being interesting.
- Empathise – with customers by understanding their feelings and motivations. When you understand these – and demonstrate that understanding – you can better help them make a decision.
- Promote your sales – by reminding yourself and your customers why you sell. This can include using reminders, journaling, and imaging to keep the value of the product or service front and centre.
Understanding NLP & Neuroscience Gives You More Control in Sales
Zig Ziglar famously said, “Timid salespeople have skinny kids.” This is often misunderstood. It’s interpreted to mean that effective salespeople need to be pushy and sell people ‘stuff’ they don’t need and can’t afford… But that is certainly not what Zig intended. As much as anything, Zig’s point was about developing your communications skills so that you help the other person recognise what they really want and see their objections either as genuine reasons why they don’t need what you are offering or as an excuse that is preventing them from getting the outcome they desire.
The real advantage that honing your NLP skills offers salespeople is the ability to gain insight from the language and non-verbal communications of prospects about their real attitude. That enables them to tailor their presentation to the preferences of the prospect and meet their needs.
What Will You Do With This Information?
The internet has completed the democratisation of knowledge.
What you know has much less power than your ability to use that knowledge effectively: that is, having the skills and discernment to use your knowledge for good. As a Master Trainer of NLP and one of Australia’s most effective sales trainers, I know that transformation and skill development is about practice and habit-building… And sometimes removing old habits that no longer serve you. This is especially important in a tight economy where your prospects are more cautious about their investments and expenditures. That’s why NOW is the time to develop and hone the communication skills, of your salespeople and all those in leadership positions.
If you know you need some help, why not explore our Ready Set Sell Program which teaches you to build the habits and skills you need over 30 days? We promise you won’t regret it!
“When it comes to making sales… The simple truth is that we do business with people we like. That’s why relationship building in sales is so important.”
~ Chandell Labbozzetta
When you’re trying to build your business and make sales, it can be difficult to come across as genuine and friendly. You don’t want to seem fake; you just want people to see the value in what you sell. That’s why I believe it’s important to work from the inside out and build relationships rather than rely on tricks and techniques. Your prospects have a BS antenna, just like you do. Luckily, there are plenty of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and communication tools to make building relationships in sales an integral part of your personality instead of a conscious facade. Read on for six simple ways you can work on building relationships to make more sales by being more self-assured and authentic.
Be a Confident Sales Person
Many people find it difficult to be confident salespeople or they don’t know how to convey confidence in themselves and their sales abilities to others. They can come across as over-assertive or pushy and that is never a good look.
The challenge is to communicate genuine confidence, not the fake kind. You can boost your confidence by thinking positively, doing a little exercise, and practicing to make yourself feel better.
The problem is that positive thinking takes will-power, and sometimes we’d rather just drift along. That’s where a specific NLP technique can get you back on track and keep you from getting down when things aren’t going your way, and it also helps you stay enthusiastic when things are going well. Even if you don’t understand NLP, here’s a habit that anyone can develop:
- Write down three things you are good at as a sales person – (your notes app on your phone is a great place to do this)
- Also write down three things you are not so good at.
Every time negative thoughts start to pop into your head, add to both these lists by writing down another three things you are good at and three things you are not so good at.
Over time, you’ll collect a robust list in both of these areas. That way, instead of worrying about the things you cannot control, you’ll be focused on the things you can control. Here are a few more tips that can help boost your sales:
Speak from Your Core Values
If you want to make meaningful connections with people, you have to speak from your core values. When you do this, people feel a stronger connection with you, are more likely to value your products and services, and want to get to know you.
A great way to boost the number of people who understand and appreciate your core values, is to start by telling your story in a more personal way. This doesn’t mean that you spend hours talking about yourself, though – that will just make people think that you are self-absorbed. Instead, find a simple way to connect your story to your core values using metaphors and analogies.
Your team members should also speak about their core values – and hopefully they share your esteem for the business you all work in. It’s ok to acknowledge that your product or service doesn’t suit everyone – in fact, that’s a great way to frame your questions and dig deeply for information about the person you are talking to. If you ask the right questions, just about everyone (except for undercover ASIO agents) likes talking about themselves.
Show Yourself and Your Team in Real Life
One of the best ways to convey your core values and build relationships in sales is through non-business-life examples.
We all know that people have a life outside their work, and when you can communicate that you often find unexpected links and connections with your prospects. I’m a keen golfer and as long as I don’t talk about it too much with people who have no interest in golf, it’s a great way of developing a relationship with people who share my interest.
It’s the same for your team members. Encourage them to engage with prospects appropriately and build rapport via non-business interests in pets, hobbies, etc. You should always remember that everyone has a human side no matter what their role in the company.
Stay Flexible and Adaptable
One of the core principles of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is that “The person with the most flexibility controls the conversation.” In sales, it’s your responsibility to make adjustments to the conversation and offer so that you highlight the factor that whoever you’re speaking to is most concerned about.
It’s important that you don’t let these adjustments lead to you losing control of the sale and letting your prospect dictate the terms of the sales and delivery. If you aren’t getting the results you want, you and your team should gather information and discuss it carefully. Businesses need to adapt to market conditions, competitors, and prospects’ needs and you should be prepared for this kind of adjustment.
This is also true when you’re having a conversation. Just because you’d planned to spend more time discussing a particular benefit of your product, if you realise that your prospect has not interest, then move on and find the point of pain where they are really interested. If the point you wanted to make was critical to their buying decision, you can circle back to it later using a lateral chunk.
Help People Feel Good About Themselves
If you want to build lasting relationships in sales with prospects and clients so that you keep doors open for further deals, then you’ll need to make a concerted effort to boost the amount of time you spend helping others get what they want. Zig Ziglar used to say, “You can get anything you want in life if you spend enough time helping others get what they want.”
That is an important principle to keep in mind. Figure out what your prospect wants and find a way to position your product or service so that it helps them achieve that. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time, but it will not only help others, but it also helps you feel good about yourself.
NLP Can Help You Build Better Relationships in Sales
There’s probably a reason why NLP didn’t become a formal discipline until the 1950s. It’s most likely connected to the fact that up until the early twentieth century people lived a lot closer to each other and were far less mobile.
That meant that you already knew most of the things you had in common with the people you did business with, and you didn’t need to work so hard to build trust. The chances are that others already knew you from school, family, and church settings, and that you had had plenty of opportunities to develop your communication and conversation skills over time.
It’s different now, which is why people who want to excel try to enhance their understanding of how people think, act, and react… And why NLP tools and techniques are important to help us build relationships in sales.
At Life Puzzle, we are proud to offer the best NLP courses in Australia. Our courses are guaranteed to improve your or your team’s sales skills as we offer a mix of both theoretical and practical NLP sales training. Our NLP courses are designed to provide you with all the tools and techniques you need to be a successful salesperson.
We cover everything from understanding the psychology behind why people buy, to learning how to build rapport and connect with people in a practical way. Our NLP courses are suitable for both beginners and experienced salespeople as we offer a range of courses that cater to all levels. If you are looking for NLP training in Australia, then contact us today to find out more about our NLP courses.
“What differentiates effective sellers from wannabes today is their ability to listen to others, think laterally, and bring fresh ideas and angles to the problems their prospects are facing.”
~ Chandell Labbozzetta
When you think of the concept of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) sales training, its very title tells you that it’s about the relationship between our brain and our language. It’s actually a twentieth century formalisation of the communication and persuasion tools that leaders and change-makers have used and documented for millennia – tools that were embedded into the education systems of Egypt, China, Greece, and Rome. That systemisation makes the concepts easier to grasp and implement.
Given this background, it is not surprising that NLP is one of the favoured tools of sales trainers all over the world – and that influencers and salespeople use its techniques even when they don’t name them as such but, here are some surprising benefits of NLP training our clients have experienced…
Benefit #1: NLP Sales Training Increases Confidence in All Areas
Professor Dumbledore told Harry that “magic leaves clues” – and so does confidence.
The clues to confidence include a measurable improvement in success in whatever venture you’re engaged in – especially in sales results. This confidence that NLP sales training generates acts like a rolling stone: the more genuine confidence you project, the more sales you close.
Benefit #2: NLP Sales Training Improves Resilience
How do you respond to –
- Negative feedback?
- Bad news of any kind?
- Failure?
- Trauma?
Some people quit.
Some people just go through the motions.
Some people are driven to learn from their experience and to work harder and smarter until they succeed.
The difference is your level of resilience that enables you to keep getting back up, applying the lessons you have learned, and refusing to give up because you are committed to the outcome you are aiming for. NLP sales training can help improve your resilience which in turn will make you a more efficient salesperson.
Benefit #3: NLP Sales Training Enhances Creativity
I will never forget the first time I was introduced to Quantum Linguistics – one of the most powerful tools for both problem-solving and creativity.
I watched my trainer draw out truly unique and powerful solutions to problems that participants had been wrestling with for months, just by asking the right questions appropriately… And I determined to master that skill myself.
I was surprised and disappointed to learn that most NLP trainers don’t use this technique because “it’s too hard to teach” – I’ve never had that problem with my students or clients. The enhanced creativity that NLP sales training can provide is truly priceless.
Benefit #4: NLP Sales Training Nurtures Relationships
Given that NLP is mostly about communication, observation, and listening, it should come as no surprise that NLP sales training nurtures relationships, but it really does surprise people when they discover after a few training sessions that both their work and personal relationships are growing deeper.
In the same way that confused buyers don’t buy, confused (or confusing) communicators don’t have many close relationships.
Benefit #5: NLP Sales Training Develops Self-Awareness
We improve our results and our relationships largely by working on ourselves.
BUT… In order to change ourselves we first need to acknowledge and define the problem we are trying to solve. The beauty of NLP sales training is that it provides us with tools to do this in a non-threatening way and then enables us to identify current strategies and replace them with more positive ones.
Benefit #6: NLP Sales Training Creates Prosperity
This should come as no surprise after the previous 5 benefits I’ve outlined but I want to spend a few minutes here anyway. Like ‘success’ and ‘happiness’, everyone has their own definition of what prosperity means to them, so everyone’s life can look quite different and they can all call themselves ‘prosperous’.
I happen to think that it’s important to feel that you are prosperous – even if you are regularly shifting the goalposts on your definition of success as you reach one level… and the next… and the next.
Just think about it… If you are
- Confident
- Resilient
- Creative
- Relatable
- Self-aware
… Then how can you NOT be prosperous? And NLP sales training helps create prosperity in all of these areas.
“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.”
~H.L. Mencken
Businesses Large & Small are Doubling their Investment in Sales Training with NLP Sales Techniques
Businesses getting their team trained in NLP sales techniques is a strategically proactive move designed to ensure that they have the deal flow and cash flow to expand as the economy tightens and new opportunities present. It’s a well-established fact that investment in sales training is one of the biggest drivers of resilience during economic turbulence, which is great news for sales training organisations.
The questions I have for you are:
- Will you be left behind?
- Are you getting the sales training you really need?
Many organisations keep offering their sales teams (and these days everyone from receptionists to account executives to implementers are part of your sales team and should be trained) the same tactical sales training over and over again. The reality is that what most people need to heighten their sales skills is sales training that focuses on elevating mindset, communication, and interpersonal skills – the basic scripts and tactics are good starters but the highest performing salespeople are those whose prospects feel that, “My concerns were heard and responded to and I am convinced that this is an excellent decision.”
That makes sales training both easier and harder to design and deliver. It’s simple because your primary goal is to ensure that you focus on taking their mindset, communication, and interpersonal skills to the next level – the principle at the heart of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP).
It’s hard because while you can make dramatic progress almost instantly and accelerate your sales, it takes time and practice to heighten those skills and make them habitual so you can get dramatic results in a 2-3 day (or even hour) training, but it takes consistent reinforcement for most people to make them stick.
Chandell is a Best-selling Author, Master Sales Trainer and a Master Trainer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Experience has taught her that Sales is the #1 Life Skill and that anyone can master it: without this critical skill, your relationships, opportunities, health, and finances all suffer. Take a look at my NLP sales training courses today.
The Danger of Echo Chambers in Sales Training
It’s part of human nature to spend most of our time listening to the same people (usually those with whom we agree, sometimes those who make us angry).
BUT… It’s incredibly dangerous to do this in a rapidly changing world!
As the proverb says, “If all you have is a hammer, then every problem is a nail.” This is a particularly effective strategy for a carpenter, but it’s a disaster for a business owner or salesperson because it makes them ignore the reality around them and often means they miss the opportunity that is staring them in the face.
We all have our preferred mentors, experts we follow, and strategies we adhere to… And that’s essential. If we didn’t, then we’d go crazy jumping from one strategy to the next and never give anything a chance to work.
At the same time, it is also important for each of us to make sure we protect ourselves against the dangers inherent in our own echo chamber by exposing ourselves to other opinions and perspectives especially when it comes to sales.
Listen to Different Perspectives to Boost Your Sales
I have certain people and communities that I’m part of who have an enormous influence on my decisions, and I believe listening to these different perspectives is a great way to boost sales. One of the reasons why NLP is such a key tool for sales professionals is its emphasis on training people to set aside their assumptions and hear what is really being said.
In addition, I also schedule time every day to explore and listen to these different perspectives of people in all areas of life and thought – people who challenge my point of view because they force me to clarify and learn from them.
I encourage you to do the same and make a habit of listening to people who hold different points of view.
Stepping Out of Your Sales Echo Chamber
No matter how valuable your existing community is, you should also really listen to people on the ‘other side’ (and have an open mind as you do so) because it will help you clarify your views and expose weaknesses in your existing sales processes. You may think that you have everything sorted out, but there are always ways that you can step up your effectiveness.
As a business owner or sales professional, you need to pursue a definite goal and follow a clear path if you want to accomplish anything, but you also need to recognise that there are other possibilities for achieving the same aim – and some of them may enhance what you are already doing.
I always challenge my students to choose one area in which they hold strong views and listen to the opposite point of view presented by a credible adherent on their own terms.
Let’s be topical here and talk about sales training:
- There are multiple views on how to conduct a sales call and I’m sure you have one.
- Find a credible expert who holds an opposing view and listen carefully to their argument and supporting facts.
- You don’t need to change your own sales process, just acknowledge that the other side does, in fact, have a reasonable argument with which you disagree.
- You can go one step further and identify why you disagree with the perspective.
- You can be truly courageous and ask what can I learn or apply from this approach.
Today’s society is more polarised than at any time in recent history. We run the risk of becoming the kind of global society that condemned Galileo because he didn’t bend his thinking. You can spearhead the shift by opening your own ears to other perspectives – or you could start a movement by offering your sales team powerful training that transforms their ability to really hear what people have to say.
The Most Effective Sales Technique is…?
The most effective sales technique is that which makes your salespeople better listeners and communicators and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) sales techniques are the way to go. There’s no question that merely being exposed to NLP sales techniques improves communication skills.
BUT… Very few NLP sales training courses reinforce those skills and reteach them until they become habitual patterns – and very few individuals have the discipline and commitment to keep studying and practising them on their own. This is one of the distinctive characteristics of Chandell Labbozzetta’s NLP Sales Mastery Academy and one of the reasons why international companies invite her back year after year to train everyone from executives to receptionists.
“Selling is about being face-to-face with a customer, truly hearing what they say (not merely ‘listening’) and responding appropriately. When you’re selling by phone or virtually, you need your skills to be more finely honed, not less – that’s how you can use NLP to boost your sales.”
~ Chandell Labbozzetta
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Sales Training = More Important than Ever
As the world shifts back to face-to-face interactions, you’ve probably realised that some of your communication skills are just a little rusty. If so, you’re part of the honest majority who acknowledge the problem and have decided to do something about it – which is where neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) sales training comes in.
Maybe you’re making an effort to attend in-person networking events and conferences or go to the office a couple of days per week rather than work from home. Perhaps you’re going out to restaurants more or hanging out in a coffee shop… But when you look around you realise that there a lot of people who seem to be struggling to communicate and interact.
I get that.
Conversation is like music, a foreign language, dance, or any other practice-based skill. You use it – or you lose it. The first step is to acknowledge that you have a problem and not just pretend things are ok.
The next step is to recognise that this is an opportunity for you. Rather than merely regaining your previous level of expertise in conversation (as opposed to chit-chat), you could choose to become a deliberately skilled communicator. NLP sales training allows you to present your ideas (as well as your skills and products) persuasively in ways that resonate with your audience whether that is one person, a small group, or an auditorium filled with eager listeners.
At Life Puzzle we have a distinctive focus on actually practicing the techniques with precision, understanding the psychology that makes them effective, and exploring real life applications at an appropriate level. If you’d like to find out more, check out our NLP sales training page today.
NLP Sales Techniques Help When Subject Knowledge Is Not Enough
Of course, you know what you are talking about. That’s just your entry card, though.
The key to influence is understanding how your audience sees the subject and its relevance to them. Whether you’re having a conversation or making a speech, you need to make the connections for them – and that’s a skill that Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) sales techniques can help you develop.
You see, all successful salespeople know their product and can explain its relevance and benefits to the user, but the ultra-successful ones know how to read their audience and deliver group presentations that appeal to people with a range of communication styles. Using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) techniques, these same master communicators and salespeople are also great conversationalists in both large and small groups because of their ability to listen to others and shape their responses to appeal to them.
When it Comes to NLP and Sales, Congruency is Key
NLP and sales go hand-in-hand, but some people think it is manipulative.
I have two responses to this:
- All communication is manipulative – it springs from the desire to inform others and shape their thinking and actions. That’s true, even if it’s as simple as asking someone to take out the rubbish bins, shut the door, or do their homework. ‘Manipulation’ as a pejorative term is a misuse of human character.
- What is your intention? Are you trying to achieve your own goals or to help the other person? Do you speak from a place of genuine conviction and concern, or is your intention purely self-centred?
I really hate the idea of ‘fake it till you make it’ or taking a position because you believe it will give you an advantage even if you don’t really believe it. If you’re in sales and you aren’t getting results, my #1 question is always:
“Tell me about the product you are selling. Do you believe it represents value for your customers?”
NLP teaches us that our words are only around 7% of our communication – that’s true even on the phone. If you are making sales calls and not getting results, you are either talking to the wrong people or you have a problem with congruency… No amount of sales training, NLP, or anything else will help you sell a product that doesn’t serve its purpose – but NLP sales training can help you develop and communicate congruency around the value you deliver and the price you charge.
The Results of Using NLP in Sales
James knew his product statistics inside and out. He could recite the features and highlight the benefits it would deliver to the buyer. He was personable and motivated, but he wasn’t really getting the sales results his manager wanted even when he was speaking to qualified customers.
He attended an NLP training session I presented on “Confident Closing” and was able to identify the underlying problem that was strangling his sales. Then, using the NLP skills he had learned in that short period, his sales results picked up significantly, and his manager was delighted.
James had also enrolled in my NLP Sales Mastery Academy which I designed to give people a chance to both learn and apply their NLP knowledge in a deep way. There are real advantages of immersing yourself in an intensive NLP training course (and I love delivering those and seeing the transformation), but so many people go home from their intensive and forget to use all the resources they gained!
As James learned the NLP communication (and self-mastery) tools and was challenged to apply them in new ways, he went from a successful salesperson to a master salesperson and superb communicator in just twelve months, and his career blossomed.
If you want to be like James and become an NLP Sales Master, contact us today.
“When Marla stopped thinking that other people needed to change to fit in with her preferences and accepted that she was the only person whose transformation she could control, opportunities sprang out of nowhere and came rushing to her.”
~ Chandell Labbozzetta
You Are Getting the Results You Deserve!
Last week I was talking with a friend whose partner (let’s call him Adam) owns a transport business.
You probably know that there are some major issues within the logistics and transport business at the moment, especially in Australia where interstate border closures have made transporting goods a little complex.
Anyway, apparently Adam’s business is doing really, really well and he hasn’t been plagued by any of the driver strikes or difficulties that other companies are facing. When he talks to colleagues in the industry, they’re all complaining about their situation, and when he says he hasn’t experience any of it they ask, “So, what are you doing?”
It sounds as though they really, truly want to know the answer.
Until he tells them what he’s doing… And the disbelief and objections start to flow.
Adam isn’t hiding his secret, nor is he lying about his results. It’s just that his colleagues and competitors aren’t willing to do what he is doing.
They’d rather live with the results of their decision.
The reality is that they are getting the results they deserve.
I’m Really NOT Being Mean… Just Honest
Craig is a friend who runs a very successful manufacturing business. He’s the kind of person who wants others to succeed, and who believes that the economic pie is infinite, so he even coaches and advises his competitors.
Last year, one of his competitors called and asked Craig if he would buy his business because he was sick of struggling. They went for a drink at the pub and Craig asked some more questions about what was going on… when he heard the story he asked the guy if he really wanted to sell, or whether he would prefer to turn things around himself.
“Tell me more…” said the guy. So Craig sketched out a comprehensive plan to turn things around in 90 days, just by calling suppliers and existing clients, contacting the ATO, and some other really basic steps that were within his control.
“Is that what you’d do?” he asked Craig.
When Craig said, “Yes, that is what I’d do, and it’s what I’ll help you do if you want me to,” he replied, “It’s all yours, mate.”
Ninety days later, the failing deadweight was already profitable, and it has since become immensely profitable as it’s own entity.
Craig is one of those people who are willing to do what other business owners are not. I bet you know both these types of people – all of them getting what they deserve.
It Happens in Sales, Too.
The difference between a star sales representative and one who is just surviving (or ready to quit) has very little to do with talent or opportunity.
Time and time again, I’ve worked with people who complained about the area they’d been given, or the product they’d been assigned to, and blamed external factors for their results. There are two common transformations that happen:
They follow my input-focused, action-oriented sales strategy and start making sales;
Their area or product is assigned to another sales representative who turns their ‘sales desert’ into a ‘sales oasis’.
Maybe you’re selling a dud product or service that nobody wants and you don’t believe people should buy – if that’s your situation then you should quit because you won’t be happy selling things in which you don’t believe.
If that’s not your situation, then I am 100% confident that the real problem you’re facing stares back at you out of the mirror each day.
The GOOD thing about that is that… YOU have 100% CONTROL over that problem… IF you want to solve it.
Once again… You’re getting what you deserve.
Are You Willing to do what Other People are not willing to do to get Extraordinary Results?
Maybe you need to…
- Change your sales strategy;
- Master new sales and communication skills;
- Find new sales networks;
- Solve your sales problems in different ways;
- Work hard now, to create more choices in a few months;
- Change your sales team;
- Use different sales materials and approaches;
Many people are stuck in their problems because they aren’t willing to step out of their comfort zone in pursuit of different results.
What would change if you accepted that you are getting the results you deserve right now and that if you want different results, you need to change your thoughts and behaviours?
“Neediness kills sales faster than anything else. Find out why you feel needy and deal with it!”
~ Chandell Labbozzetta
The Confidence Killer...
I was looking through some old presentation files the other day and came across a slide with the title, “The Confidence Killer” and an image of a vampire just about to bite a young man while he was in the middle of a sales presentation…
The notes on the slide reminded me that it was the story of Jake, a sales man I mentored during my corporate career. Everyone on the team had to make 100 appointment setting calls every second day, with the idea being that we’d get 10 appointments for the following day and Jake was constantly missing the target.
He’d start each day with his list of people to call and ease gently into the day, taking the time to get psyched up for each call. By early afternoon, he’d be burning through that list at speed hoping to get the appointments he needed for the following day. On average, he’d get about 5 appointments from his calls in the morning, and 0 in the afternoon.
On appointment day, he would make about 2 sales in the morning, 0 in the afternoon.
When you looked at his metrics, you’d see that his mornings delivered OK results, his afternoons delivered nothing.
Jake knew it. His manager knew it… And his job was on the line.
I’m not even sure why Jake wanted to stay in his role, but he did, and he came to me for help.
Never be Needy!
I listened to a few of his call recordings and it was fairly clear what was going on.
In the morning, he was relaxed (probably too relaxed) and friendly. By 1pm he’d realise that he was less than halfway through his 100 calls for the day and he’d be rushing to meet that quota and he’d also be desperate to book appointments for the next day.
The stress and neediness showed in his voice, in his abrupt responses, and in his inability to listen and really hear what prospects were saying.
During appointments, something similar would happen. I went along with him and it was clear that the prospect could sense his urgency and discomfort and wondered why he was being pushed into a sale.
It was a vicious cycle… The closer Jake got to a deadline, the more stressed and nervous he became, and the less likely it was that he would actually reach his goal. Neediness was killing his sales AND his career.
So… How Do I Stop Feeling Needy?
Jake had asked me for help, so I was able to ask him some questions and find out why he wanted to keep putting himself through this torture instead of looking for a job in something else. I quickly realised that he had powerful reasons for wanting to succeed, so we created an image that would remind him of his deep intrinsic motivation and put it beside his desk.
I taught him to look at that image, breathe deeply, and really focus on how a successful sale felt, then we worked on his call strategy.
The essence of what Jake discovered was that if he focused on his intrinsic motivation rather than his need to:
1. Make 100 calls;
2. Set 10 Appointments;
Then he was more relaxed and able to listen. He said it was as though his neediness just evaporated and he was focused on the person at the other end of the phone. As a result, he got through his calls in a timely fashion, and he started to book 15 or 20 calls each day.
When we applied a similar tactic to his appointments, his closing rate went through the roof and he become one of the most productive sales people in the company.
The Hydra of Neediness
Remember the hydra?
It was a horrendous monster and every time you cut off one head two more grew in its place.
Neediness is like that… You might feel pressured by:
- Performance goals
- Action goals
- Income goals
- Bonus goals
- Time goals
- Etc.
Whatever combination of these you face, as the time behind you gets longer and the time you have to complete the goal gets shorter your sense of neediness grows… And undermines the chance that you will achieve your outcome.
Neediness threatens your likelihood of achieving any goal, but it’s particularly dangerous when it comes to sales.
Do you have a strategy for leaving neediness behind you, even when you desperately need to achieve your income goal or results target?
“Researchers can predict who the winning bid will belong to without ever hearing any of the pitches.”
~ Chandell Labbozzetta
Why Does Confidence Affect Your Sales?
I was reading the work of some eminent US researches on Predicting Success and Personal Power and I discovered that there are tools and studies out there that objectively measure the impact of Confidence on success.
I wasn’t surprised by their findings, any experienced sales person knows that if you start a sales conversation assuming that it will fail, your assumption will almost certainly prove to be true. The thing that did surprise me was their ability to predict success or failure through a person’s conduct in social settings.
Further investigation of their findings cemented my belief that Sales truly is the #1 Life Skill – you see, your ability to Close Sales has everything to do with your Confidence, and your Confidence has everything to do with how (and even whether) people actually accept what you say.
The Three Sales that Matter
If you are selling a product or service you actually need to make three sales.
- Sell to Yourself: If you are not convinced that the ‘thing’ you are selling is actually valuable and works as described, then you are unlikely to persuade anyone else. This is like the man who was selling Internet services for a company but who wouldn’t dream of using that provider himself.
- Sell Your Prospect’s Need to Yourself and Them: If you don’t believe that your product or service will deliver value to your prospect and meet their need then it doesn’t matter how good you think it is objectively is, you will still struggle to sell it persuasively. Similarly, if they don’t believe they need it, they won’t buy. If you’re talking to someone who clearly is a PC user, then they’re not likely to buy Mac software no matter how good it is. Similarly, if you know they’re not interested in software development then Google XD won’t interest them no matter how cheap, powerful, and effective it is.
- Sell the Result: I didn’t wake up this morning saying, “I need a new mesh wi-fi system (or whatever).” However, I might have woken up thinking, “I wish the internet in my garden was as fast and reliable as the internet in my office.” Tell your prospects how whatever it is you are selling will make their life better and solve a problem that is bothering them.
Miss any one of these three sales and you chance of successfully closing the sale just dropped dramatically. Miss two or all of them, and the only people with whom you’ll successfully close a sale are those who were pre-disposed to buy… And you might even lose some of them!
So What…?
When you make all three of the sales that I just outlined, your Confidence skyrockets because you are talking and selling congruently and authentically.
When we communicate, only about 7% of our message is conveyed through words (even though our words are important), the other 93 percent is conveyed by our behaviour, posture, and the energy we project. If you have made those three sales prior to talking to a client, 100% of your energy is directed toward persuading them of the value of the product and nothing is left to distract your prospect or make him doubt.
I have listened to (painful) recordings of sales conversations where it is clear that either:
- The sales person doesn’t care whether he makes a sale or not; OR
- The sales person believes the product they are selling is a other over-priced or useless.
Don’t get me wrong, these people are using the scripts and they don’t speak a word that is out of line.
Listen to their calls, however, and you can unmistakably hear their conviction that this is not a good buy.
It’s Not Just About Your Business Either…
I was out to dinner recently (after lockdown ended) and I happened to overhear a conversation between two women at a nearby table. If you had transcribed the conversation there probably wouldn’t have been anything to tell you that they weren’t getting along, but when you tuned into the body language and energy it was clear that one of them wanted to be elsewhere. She was saying all the right things but communicating all the wrong ones.
In all my NLP training courses and my sales training courses I work with clients to help them control and focus their energy and state so that they can congruently achieve the results they want. Congruent Confidence Projection is a skill that can be learned and used to enhance your personal and business relationships as well as your sales results… And it’s a skill that not only increases your income and impact, but also your happiness and overall satisfaction in life.
“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”
~ Paulo Coelho
THEN… Your Energy and Confidence Will Drive Your Actions
As yet another challenging year draws to a close, it’s essential that we keep our focus on what we want so we don’t dissipate our energies in fighting things we can’t control.
I’m noticing that many Australian business owners are feeling discouraged by the constantly changing business landscape and are deliberately lowering their sights and settling for ‘second best’. This dissipates the energy and confidence they feel and project around their actions and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
In the same way that ‘confused prospects don’t buy’, it’s equally true that ‘uncertain business conditions don’t encourage the planning, investment, and action’ that lead to tangible results.
It Starts with Focus
Paulo Coelho, the great 21st Century philosopher talks about the danger of getting so absorbed in fighting our enemies that we forget to make progress toward our own goal.
One of the things that I’m seeing is that people are afraid to focus on exactly what they want… Too many people are focusing on the enemy they don’t want (whether that is business challenges, health struggles, separation from family and friends etc).
Yes, sometimes you do need to stop and slay the enemy that’s standing in front of you…
BUT most of the time, your best course is to keep forging ahead towards your highest goals, without deflection.
Are You Settling for Second Best?
Every day – week – month – year… is a new opportunity to muster your energy and confidence and start afresh.
As I publish this we’ve just started the final quarter of 2021, but it really doesn’t matter when you’re reading it: the Call to Action is just as clear:
What are YOU going to focus on today?
Will you focus on the things that are standing in your way, OR your…
- Goals & Dreams
- Plans & Actions
- Energy & Strategy
Only the latter will help you achieve, believe, and succeed so you make progress toward your target?
The Truth About Confidence…
I learned many years ago that often the only difference between a “Yes” and a “Maybe” when it comes to sales is the threefold confidence of the sales person.
When I talk to a business, sales team, or individual who struggles to make sales, it’s often a question of confidence. In fact, if your team is not exceeding their sales goals and projections, changing the sales tools is rarely the solution: while changing the energy and confidence of the sales person transforms their results.
Do You Lack Confidence in Your Ability to Sell Consistently?
If so, you’re not alone.
Even when people are convinced of the value their product or service delivers, they often fail to project confidence in themselves. In fact, this leads to a downward spiral of results that you can see in quarterly or monthly sales figures: lack of confidence leads to fewer sales and fewer sales lower your confidence even further.
There is a Solution to Your Sales Dilemma…
It’s called practice and success.
The solution isn’t complicated, but it does take some discipline and commitment which is why I created Ready Set Sell, my 30-day sales maximiser.
It’s designed for people who don’t consider themselves natural sales people, or for people in a ‘sales slump’ who recognise the need for a helping hand to boost their confidence so that they can boost their results.
I launched this course a couple of months ago and the customer feedback I’ve returned has reinforced my thoughts about the reasons why people don’t get the results they want.
I strongly believe that this course can prove to anyone who is willing to do the work that they are:
Far better at selling themselves and their services/products than they thought possible;
Elevating your ability to sell and influence others makes life infinitely more fun; and
Able to generate far more income than they thought possible.
Sadly, I’ve noticed that there are 2 types of participant:
Those who not only invest in Ready Set Sell, and invest the time, effort, and energy to generate results from it;
Those who purchase Ready Set Sell and hope that mere possession will magically transform their results even if they don’t follow the process – this also includes those who ‘know’ all about sales, but don’t ‘do’ anything systematically to turn their knowledge into results.
There is a Solution to Your Sales Dilemma…
It’s called practice and success.
The solution isn’t complicated, but it does take some discipline and commitment which is why I created Ready Set Sell, my 30-day sales maximiser.
It’s designed for people who don’t consider themselves natural sales people, or for people in a ‘sales slump’ who recognise the need for a helping hand to boost their confidence so that they can boost their results.
I launched this course a couple of months ago and the customer feedback I’ve returned has reinforced my thoughts about the reasons why people don’t get the results they want.
I strongly believe that this course can prove to anyone who is willing to do the work that they are:
- Far better at selling themselves and their services/products than they thought possible;
- Elevating your ability to sell and influence others makes life infinitely more fun; and
- Able to generate far more income than they thought possible.
Sadly, I’ve noticed that there are 2 types of participant:
- Those who not only invest in Ready Set Sell, and invest the time, effort, and energy to generate results from it;
- Those who purchase Ready Set Sell and hope that mere possession will magically transform their results even if they don’t follow the process – this also includes those who ‘know’ all about sales, but don’t ‘do’ anything systematically to turn their knowledge into results.
You Are Far More Successful at Sales than You Will Ever Know…
Unless you choose not to succeed and decide to just think about the future you’d like to experience.
The power of confidence is that one level of success in sales leads to more success following the snowball effect. That’s why Ready Set Sell doesn’t just lead to your best month every, but leads to steady growth in what you define as best.
When you use my technique for focusing on what you want…
AND back that focus with decisive action…
AND reflect on what is working and the progress you have made…
THEN…
You become unstoppable!
Would You Like to Discover the Secret of Skyrocketing Sales?
Learn more about Ready Set Sell, my 30-day intensive course designed to help you focus on the sales you want and adopting the behaviours and mindset of a super-sales star at https://lifepuzzle.com.au/ready-set-sell/ to improve your sales success.
Through expert sales training, NLP coaching, and business development consulting, we’ve helped professionals refine their communications, accelerate their sales and supercharge their personal satisfaction and confidence. Do you want to be one of our success stories?
