For me there are 3 stages to ‘selling’. Now, don’t think I am about to launch into a "How to close in 3 easy steps" guide here–so not my Thing when it comes to sales. What I am talking about instead is the 3 stages people (by people, I mean ‘prospects’ if we’re doing sales speak) go through when they are buying.
Or, at least, this is how I see it...
Stage 1. They say "Yes" to ‘FIXING THE PROBLEM’
When you’re having a conversation (or writing) about what it is that you do, the first stage you want people to say "Yes" to is fixing the problem they have. So I want people to say "Yes" to finding their Thing, or "Yes" to getting famous for it. You might want people to say "Yes" to growing their business, getting healthier, organising their social media, getting a new website, developing themselves, etc, etc. The way I see it, this is always the first "Yes" (note I’ve not mention You yet). Your conversation or copy must always set out to get this "Yes" first–the "Yes" to the fix. There’s no point having the conversation about ‘your’ fix if they haven’t said "Yes" to ‘the fix in general’. When they say "Yes" to the fix, you can start talking about You.
Stage 2: They say "Yes" to YOU
Now, this isn’t where you get all technical and reel off all the details about your offer–this is a higher-level conversation, and honestly, sometimes it’s one question that’s a variation on the theme "Would you like me to help you with that?" that being the problem that they’ve by now said "Yes" to fixing. Get them to say "Yes" to you 'in general terms' before you launch into how you’re going to work them.
Stage 3: They say "Yes" to your OFFER
Now you can have a conversation or write about HOW you do your Thing, and what you recommend to them. This is the "Yes" that results in a sale... so at this point, if you’ve been paying attention during the first 2 yeses, you’ll know which of your products or packages is going to be the best option for the person you’re speaking with, or the crowd you’re writing for. Now that they've said "Yes" to ‘fixing the problem’ and "Yes" to ‘fixing it with you’, you just need a "Yes, that’s how I’d like to do it". It might mean sharing a couple of options and explaining the benefits of each; it might mean explaining why you’re only presenting one option. But this is the "Yes" that results in a sale.
So if you’re currently skipping straight to the number 3 line of questioning–getting people to say "Yes" to your offer–and it’s not always working out... I’d see where you can get the other 2 yeses first, and see what happens. I’d expect you’ll end up with a lot more sales that you did before.
And, of course, if you’re not getting yeses to ‘fixing the problem’ in the first place, you don’t waste any time trying to convince anyone you’re the person to help, or to buy what you have to offer. Big conservation of your time and energy right there too :)
Want to talk more about this?
Leave a Reply