When it comes to making sales, sometimes the prospect is indecisive. As a business owner or salesperson, you want to get the prospect to move the sale along, but either the prospect is dismissive, saying they know something you know they don’t, or they are just fearful of taking the leap and choose to procrastinate. Phil M Jones is a master of influential communication. He wrote a book called Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact that I have read several times. The following are four sets of powerful words that every business owner or salesperson can use to get an indecisive prospect to commit one way or the other.
What do you know about…
Most people are not receptive to any kind of change, even if the change will have positive results. Many small business owners or salespeople will hear this common refrain when pitching a cold prospect: “I know all about it.” Most of the time, the prospect uses that phrase to disengage from the discussion. The sale is doomed whenever you get an “I know all about it” type of response. The prospect has placed a stake in the ground that makes any future discussions feel more like a direct challenge. Any further efforts will often cause the prospect to take a side and dig in, which can only result in an argument.
But what if there was a way to avoid this situation altogether and allow you to maintain control of the narrative? Well, there is. Open with a question like “What do you know about…”
The problem with doing any kind of cold pitch is that even if the prospect does not reject the pitch out of hand, by launching into your pitch, you lose control of the conversation. As every seasoned salesperson knows, “Ye who is asking the questions is the one that is in control.”
So, rather than opening with presenting your solution, engage the prospect by asking them, “What do you know about…” first. Opening a sales discussion with a question doesn’t just encourage the prospect to search the recesses of their mind to formulate a cogent response but allows you to control the conversation and invites the prospect into a dialog.
Moreover, even if the prospect does have some knowledge about what you are pitching, the opening question, “What do you know about…” moves the prospect from a position they believe to be certain to a position where there is now some doubt making them more receptive to your pitch.
A couple of ways you might think about using the powerful words “What do you know about…” could be:
What do you know about our company and its mission?
What do you know about how things have changed in the oil industry since the introduction of fracking?
What do you know about the benefits of human growth hormones?
By leading with “What do you know about…” followed by a series of other related questions, not only do you maintain control of the sales process, but you can inject doubt, which makes the prospect much more likely to be receptive to your offer.
Don’t Worry…
Many prospects are nervous or uncertain about making decisions and, as a result, become incapable of making a decision. This is especially true when dealing with a highly stressful situation where failure can have grave consequences. By saying, “Don’t worry,” you can provide instant relief to the prospect. The words “Don’t worry” convey that you have everything under control and you’re there to help them navigate to the next step.
Growing up, children are often fearful. Maybe it was fear of the dark, fear of falling off their bike, or a host of other fears. As parents, we reassured our kids by telling them, “Don’t worry. I’m here to protect you.” Over time, the words “Don’t worry” have become an antidote so we can overcome our fears.
A couple of ways you might think about using the powerful words “Don’t worry” could be:
Don’t worry. I know you are nervous, but that is why I’m here to help you.
Don’t worry. I felt just like you when I was in your position and look at me now.
Don’t worry. This is exactly why we developed a detailed onboarding process to make sure we cover all the bases.
Including the powerful words “Don’t worry” takes a lot of the pressure off the prospect, making them more receptive to hearing what you want them to consider.
Most People…
Indecision and procrastination are what prevent many deals from moving forward. The biggest cause of their indecision is that the prospects are afraid of making a bad decision. One of the seven principles of persuasion is to provide social proof. Our brains are psychologically wired to look for shortcuts. As a result, people have an innate tendency to follow the actions of others when making decisions vs. expending mental energy to weigh the pros and cons. Moreover, many of us feel that others may have more knowledge than we do. Therefore, most people take social clues from people around them.
One way to create a degree of social proof is to share the powerful words “Most people…” Consumers take confidence in the fact that other people before them have made the same decision and that it’s worked out fine. When they hear the words “Most people…” they internally say, “Hey, I’m most people.”
Remember those days in high school when you went to a dance? At first, nobody was dancing. Then one brave couple went out onto the dance floor and started dancing, and boom, the dam opened, and soon everybody was dancing.
There is safety in numbers. So rather than saying something like, “Here’s what I think you should do,” which can come off as somewhat obnoxious, instead, use the powerful words “Most people…”
A couple of ways you might think about using the powerful words “Most people…” could be:
Most people in your situation complete the credit application at this point in the process.
Most people place a small order to start with to see if it works for them.
Most people in your circumstances would take advantage of this opportunity before it is gone.
It is human nature to be lazy in our decision-making, and a common mental shortcut is to see what others are doing. They figure that if many other people are taking action, perhaps they have knowledge they do not have and decide to just follow the crowd.
…Enough?
During most sales processes, the client likes to be led. As a business owner and salesperson, you should take advantage of that and lead them. Often, what you sell involves quantity, whether it’s service hours or widgets. Your goal, as a business owner and a salesperson, is to help that client aim just a little higher in terms of quantity compared to what they could do on their own.
If you just leave it up to the prospect, there is a good chance that they will select one of your smaller quantity options. However, by leading them toward your higher quantity offer, you stand a better chance of convincing them to buy a little bit more.
Maybe they will still go with the lower quantity item, but more likely, they will go with the higher one you suggested if you include the word “Enough” after your suggested amount.
A couple of ways you might think about using the powerful word “Enough” could be:
Option to buy 1 or 2 bottles of your hot sauce “Are two bottles enough?”
Option to buy a 5 or 10 lbs. bag of your organic peaches. “Will a 10 lbs. bag be enough?”
Option to buy a 10- or 20-hour consulting plan “Will the 20-hour plan be enough?”
Essentially, you want to guide the prospects to consider a quantity just a bit higher than they might choose if left to their own devices.
How can you use one of the four sets of powerful words to deal with indecisive prospects?
