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How To Avoid Being The "Convincer Salesperson"

Does this ring any bells for you? Your customer tells you that that he is losing money in the market and is very upset about it. You tell him he's got to change, that he might lose more, and that his whole retirement is at stake - a potential financial disaster. Then you put together a great plan, present it, and go for the close expecting your customer to jump up and buy from you - his hero! But no! He digs in and says that he's going to wait for the market to go up. You cannot believe what you're hearing. Both you and the sale are lost! What went wrong here? What can you do better?

Steve's Selling World
As financial professionals we see problems, issues and solutions that our customers are often unaware of. Our natural helping instinct is to warn, show and tell people precisely what we see, what they can do about it, and how to fix it. The problem is, everyone sees things differently and may not be too easily swayed . So, we often get into the role of the 'convincer salesperson'. This is the selling professional who, with all good intent, tries to convince his customer of the wisdom of making the changes he recommends and using his product.

Trying to convince customers of anything is a sure road to selling disaster. It takes too much energy and almost always ends in a 'think about it' stall. I would much prefer to have my customers do all the work - convince themselves - spend their own energy, while I sit back and relax waiting for time when they look at me and say, "Steve, let's get the paperwork out and do this."
It's easier than you may think.

First, stop trying to convince your customers of anything. Here is a simple rule to always keep in mind: What you say, your customer will not believe; what your customer says, they will always believe. The trick is to get your customer to say all the things you would like to say to them - then they will believe it and make the change.

So, instead of trying to convince your customer to change, how about convincing them to not change, i.e. to keep your customer on the same road he is on. Now that may sound crazy, but the more you try and keep your customer on the same road he is on, the more he will want to get off it. Bottom line, your customer sells himself. Here's an example:

Customer: I'm losing money in the market.
You: Sorry to hear that. It'll probably come back.
Customer: That's easy for you to say, it could go down further.
You: Some of the pundits out there are saying it will go up.
Customer: Well, they didn't get it right a year ago.
You: Maybe what you own will buck the trend.
Customer: What I own looks like hell.
You: You've sat through losses in the past, you could get through it again.
Customer: Yeah, tell my wife that.
You: She's handled it OK up until now.
Customer: Well, not really .... Uh....I haven't really told her the whole story.
You: Hmmmmmm.....I'm sure she has confidence in you.
Customer: If it goes down further I'm duck soup.
You: Better than bean soup!
Customer: I can't handle this.......what do you recommend?

That's the way my meetings go. Instead of me telling my customer what's wrong, they tell me what's wrong. Eventually, they just say they can't stand it anymore and need to make a change. I relax, they do all the work, I make the sale. That's the formula.

Steve's World
The first part of any seminar needs to be an investigation of the road people are on combined with the development of the emotional connection to that road. Here, let me give you an example using income and inflation:

You: Folks, if you're living on $50,000 today you will need about $74,000 in 10 year to buy the same things you are buying today. Now are you all on fixed income or growing income plans.
Attendees: Fixed income.
You: So, let's go forward 10 years. You need more income to maintain your current lifestyle but you don't have it. What are your options? Attendees: Cut back on living; dig into assets; go to kids or government; go back to work.
You: Now, are there any other options other than leaving this world?
Attendees: No.
You: So, here we are, 10 years from now ... I'd like you to write down which of these you would pick ... just write it down....and you must pick one, isn't that so?
Attendees: Yes.
You: Now, what does the conversation with your spouse sound like when you choose one of these?
Attendees: Horrible.
You: Well, that's the road you're on. What do you think you need to do now? Attendees: Change the road.

Conclusion
By taking people down the road they are on, but further than they have gone or are normally willing to go, into the darkness of their road, they will naturally desire to change and look to you, the person taking them on their journey, to facilitate that change. Now, when you show them a better way they will be all ears and run to do the paperwork. In other words, they truly sell themselves.

© Brent, All rights reserved. www.DesigningFutures.tv

Submitted on Feb 22, 2008