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Who says Follow the Leader ended in elementary school?
Adults play the game daily behind sales desks and in store aisles. Every savvy salesperson wants to be the leader and have the incredulous customer become an eager follower.
Taking the lead takes more than a silver tongue and a killer sales script. The best way to get a prospect to follow you into the sales funnel is assumptive language.
In my experience, this is the most powerful sales technique I’ve ever learned. But it takes practice. It’s hard to project the necessary confidence to assume the sale.
Getting into the assumptive mindset
Assumptive sales language assumes the customer will buy; it does not leave room for ifs or buts. Why use assumptive language? Because the seller/buyer relationship is one of push and pull, and whoever exerts the most force wins the tug-of-war. This is standard business practice and, in fact, markets could not function without it. Assumptive language places sellers in a position of leadership and authority. At the conclusion of a sale, the salesperson has made an undeniably sensible case, and any smart customer should go along.
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10 basic assumptive phrases sales tips
These questions and statements are phrased to eliminate subjective words such as “if,” “were,” “would,” “could,” and to replace them with active words such as “when,” “where,” and “will.”
“Let’s move forward.”
This phrase encourages the seller and customer to work together to finish the purchasing process.
Both the phrases “What’s the next step?” and “When should we start?” assume that there must be a next step, and force the customer to make a progressive decision.
“Where should I forward this contract?” and “Would you prefer to pay by credit card, cash, or check?” both assume simple pertinent facts: the contract must be written and the product bought.
“How do you think _____ will look with this _____?”
Tie with shirt? Rims with car? Mixing-and-matching products make for an enjoyable and engaging consumer experience.
“Since this product is almost out …”
In other words, “Everyone wants this product, and you – the lucky customer – have a limited opportunity to get one.”
“What other products have you considered?”
This simple question can garner valuable information about competitors that cannot be gleaned by stale quarterly statements.
The query, “What questions do you have?” compels the customer to ponder the sales pitch and consider its benefits.
“What motivated you to use our services/buy our product?”
An invaluable sales tip, this question makes a customer recall the initial reason why he or she chose the product.
And always remember the cardinal sales tip of closing: He who speaks first loses.
This is Bill Rice again…
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