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In the past few weeks, I've started to take my two sons Toby and Nathan to Aikido classes.
Aikido is a Japanese martial art based on diverting an attacker's energy to resolve conflict.
Surprisingly, it has tremendous synchronicity to what I teach my Unlock The Game Inner Circle members.
I've just picked up Aikido again, bringing my kids along, after taking a break from it for a year or so.
As I've begun to re-acquaint myself with the techniques and the philosophy of the power of diffusing conflict, more and more similarities are emerging to my philosophy about selling. |
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You see, if you're selling the old way "going for the close" and "playing the numbers game", you can't help but to be create conflict with the very people you are hoping to sell too.
Sales pressure and the reaction to it, rejection, is triggered by the person initiating the sales relationship.
The more you use old-school sales techniques and sales thinking, the faster your prospect's guard goes up, and then you hit what I call "the wall". It's a painful place to be.
And if that's the only way you've been trained to sell, then it's not your fault.
Because all you know, is what you know.
That's why shifting your mindset to a place of being centered, where you care more about the person you're helping than the commission you're after, is the center of the calm.
It's the center of power and trust.
When your prospect feels genuinely understood by you, and that you truly care about solving their problems, then you are much closer to making a sale.
The more you enter a conversation thinking from your point of view, and talking about what you have to offer, the more sales you lose.
Good news is, if you're truly an open-minded person, you can make the shift. If you're not, you'll have no choice but to continue believing there is only one way of selling.
I'm going to share with you what I call the "10 Keys to Making The Mindset Shift".
These 10 principles are the core behind the Unlock The Game Mindset.
Toby and Nathan having fun learning their first Aikido rolls 1. Shift your mindset away from 'making the sale' towards whether the fit exists or not. Look for what the other person is thinking and whether there is actually a real possibility of a fit. Do not assume they should buy what you have. Aim to connect, not force or persuade.
2. Be a helper not a "pitcher". Help your prospect solve their problem, instead of referring to your features and benefits - this centers the conversation on the other person.
3. Focus on the beginning - not the end. Be sensitive to the early interaction with your prospect - keep your mindset stay in the present moment and avoid pushing forward (where you want to go - which you can only guess at best).
4. Avoid chasing prospects - behave with dignity. Create a pressure-free atmosphere - set a tone of equality and mutual respect - strive to be regarded as a helpful human being instead of a typical sales person.
5. Connect with your prospects rather than work through a list. Focus on how to make a true connection with each prospect - this naturally helps build trust - think about and discuss their issues, not yours.
6. Creating trust with your prospect is your primary goal - not making the sale. Creating genuine trust is the essence of building real relationships -- real relationships turn into more sales.
7. Diffuse any pressure that you sense in the sales process. By diffusing the tension and pressure in the sales process between you and your prospects, you bring both of you closer to an honest and truthful conversation.
8. Change your languaging away from 'sales speak' to natural languaging that connects with people. By using phrases like 'would you be open to' instead of 'would you be interested in', you immediately set yourself apart as someone who is patient, open minded and willing to listen.
9. Understand your prospect's problems deeply so that they feel 'understood' by you. By having a deep understanding of the problems that your prospects experience everyday, the easier it will be for you to really feel that you know and care about their situation.
10. Use the Unlock The Game Mindset - both in your business and personal life because relationships are the same in both worlds. By also applying these principles in your personal life, with people you care about, you'll begin to see a deeper trust being built that can strengthen your relationships for the long term.
If these keys resonate with you and your values, then join our Inner Circle of active Unlock The Game members. We are the only sales community that believes and practices on a daily basis the principles of creating trust to make sales happen.
To your success,
P.S. Feel free to add your comments below.
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