Have you ever pitched to someone and you never heard back from them with a firm YES?
Maybe you were asking your boss for a raise, pitching your products to be in retail, or running paid ads that don’t seem to work.
What if I told you there is a world where you can not only get the answer “YES,” but also an emphatic “BOO YEAH!”
PRINCIPLES: “A Confused Mind Says No”.
People say “let me think about it” because they are confused and “A Confused Mind Says No”. Without CLARITY – every human’s brain will prefer to take the path of the least resistance by avoiding a decision or sometimes taking no action at all.
There are three types of confusion your customer or client can have which you can easily fix:
They are the wrong person.
People want to be understood. People will assume you understand your customer since that’s your business. If you don’t communicate clearly enough their needs in your sales presentation, they will assume they are a wrong fit and therefore so is your offer. They won’t make a purchase or invest.
The only way to find out if they are the right person AND confirm to them that you see them as a good fit… is through questions. They will be listening for the words that show you understand them, have experience and a trustworthy solution.
You must understand who they believe they are as a customer through defining their needs and resources so you can communicate how they are a fit for what you’re offering and close the sale.
Confused by the scope of your offer.
People want to feel guided. They don’t understand the scope, process, limits, terms and timeline of what you just offered them. How do I buy it? How long does it last? How long will it take? What are you offering me? Why is this worth it? What does this mean if I agree to this?
The don’t believe the benefit is better than the cost.
People want to buy something more valuable to them than what they paid. There is almost always a budget available to pay for something a person believes in, wants, and needs. Obviously YOU think your offer is good but it’s possible you are communicating the benefits from YOUR perspective and not theirs. Have you made your offer clear and enticing enough that a person will know this is worth the investment… In fact, do they think it’s a deal?
PRINCIPLE: “Clarity Creates Action.”
In contrast to the fact that “A Confused Mind Says No,” people take BOLD ACTION when they have clarity because “Clarity Creates Action.” If your customer has clarity about what you’re asking them to buy or invest in and how it will help them resolve a real pain point – they will say “Let’s go!”
YOUR PROCESS TO A SOLUTION:
Your path to MORE empathic communication and clear client “YES!’s” starts with you. YOUR CUSTOMER’S clarity starts with YOUR clarity.
1. RE-FOCUS YOUR SALES PRESENTATION ON THEIR PERSPECTIVE
The easy fix is to WORK ON your sales presentation from the perspective of the buyer so you help them see you understand them. Clients will have enthusiasm to hire you if you talk to them and you can prove you deeply understand these three things:
✔️THEIR PROBLEM – Where are they now and what is their pain point? What is bothering them? Sometimes they will tell you multiple issues – but can you ask another question to help them prioritize and clarify which problem is the most painful and urgent for them?
✔️ THEIR GOAL– Where does your ideal customer want to be? This is why they searched for you online, hired you as an employee, agreed to this meeting or what they worry about. What questions can you ask them to understand deeply what is on their mind? What is the outcome they wish they had right now that is bothering them – the most?
✔️ YOUR SIMPLE PLAN – Your simple plan to help them get there
PRINCIPLE: An effective offer MUST provide clarity of the problem, goal, solution from the perspective of the person who wants to buy.
YOUR NEXT STEPS: Have you taken the time to think about your sales presentation from the perspective of your customer? Are you clear on what they need to be clear?
The best idea is to do this not for ALL customers but for your ideal customer (hint study your 80/20) and define their PROBLEM, GOAL and your PLAN… in simple terms. The faster and more accurately you describe this, the more effective your sales presentation will be.
You can learn more about this idea from the awesome book “My Brand Story.”
2. USE THEIR WORDS
✔️ ALL EFFECTIVE PRESENTATIONS START THE SAME, ASK QUESTIONS – You must start your SALES PRESENTATION with asking, listening and repeating things back to them using THEIR words. For example, after you ask about their problem, goal and desired solution you know everything you need to communicate MORE clearly about your simple plan to help.
✔️LISTEN – People’s minds give unique definitions to words based on their perspective. A solution to you might mean something different to them. You won’t know unless you ask what they define it to mean. If you’re using YOUR beliefs about the customer or your own words to describe their problems – including industry speak or assumptions they know about your business, or words you feel summarize or diagnose their problems – you could be failing to communicate.
✔️USE THEIR EXACT WORDS – The exact words and solutions for an effective sales presentation must involve your customers perspective, values, needs and priorities and the good news is they will tell you exactly what they are if you ask questions and listen. The magic will be hidden within the EXACT words they use to describe their problem, goal and desired plan.
YOUR NEXT STEPS:
Write a list of important questions to understand the clients PROBLEM, GOAL, and desired PLAN so you can use their words and pain-points.
Don’t guess, use real data.Write down their exact words and spend time after the conversation thinking about the words they chose to use to communicate with them. They chose those words over others and they have a significant meaning to their mind. Use these words to talk with your customers and to explain your services or solutions to increase comprehension.
CONCLUSION:
You can control your clarity… and increase the clarity for your customers… creating more YES!
The executive summary is that YOU CAN CONTROL your own clarity on your sales presentation and increase the chance you get what you want from your business or career. But it starts with putting yourself in the shoes of the person you want to communicate with. Every moment you spend better understanding your customer’s perspective with empathy and understanding… you will be investing in increasing the probability you get the results you want of them agreeing to buy, invest and reward you… faster. PLUS you will enjoy the benefit of that person being HAPPY about it.
Emily Anne Page
