Whether you realize it or not, you’re selling something every day.
You’re selling your personal training business, relationships, family…
You’re even selling people when you talk about a movie you really enjoyed.
Everything is sales and persuasion.
People think selling is slimy. When you think of a salesman, you probably imagine a guy in a suit with a big toothy grin ready to lie his way into your wallet.
But really, it’s the most genuine thing you can do. So today we’re going to break the myth and show you why selling isn’t as bad as people think.
Listen to the Wants of Your Prospect Clients
Don’t be that guy or gal who talks over your prospect’s wants and needs.
Not listening to what they’re saying is the quickest way to lose a sale. You may think you know what’s best for your prospect clients, but you don’t.
If your client is telling you what they want, give it to them.
For example, I’m building a gym for my team just down the street from the HQ.
So one day I was talking to the contractor to figure out the flooring, ceiling adjustments, etc. This guy came referred (and as I’ve said before, referrals are usually hot sales), but ironically, he talked me out of the sale because he kept making suggestions I didn’t want.
He didn’t listen to who I am or what I want. He was treating me like I was just some regular guy opening a gym, unaware that I’m actually in the fitness industry.
He ended up talking himself out of a $200,000 sale.
The Biggest Mistake People Make in Selling Personal Training
The biggest mistake fitness business owners make when making a sale is transference of feelings.
If you feel like your personal training program is too expensive and you don’t think they’ll be able to afford it, then you start subconsciously talking yourself out of the sale.
Or, you can be like that contractor and think that you know what your prospect wants better than what they tell you they want.
These transference of feelings/misinterpreting what the person wants is the worst thing you can do because you’re making assumptions without validations.
Remember this phrase: when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me.
Go In Hot!
One of the best ways to go into a sale is to come in warm or hot. People are automatically more interested in what you’re offering when they’re referred by someone they trust.
You have to come off as likeable and authentic.
Ever noticed how you can meet someone and feel like they’re your new best friend, and then you meet someone else and they make the hair on your neck stand up?
You have to be self aware. The more talking you do, the more you talk people out of a sale.
Most people think if they do enough talking, they’ll say something that resonates with you and you’ll buy. That’s not the case.
Our job as the closer is to ask enough open ended questions to talk them into the sale, and there’s three specific things you need to ask:
- Where are you right now in your life?
- Where do you want to go between now and a given period of time?
- What are your pains and frustrations stopping you from getting there?
Because this is a touchy area for a lot of people, you have to make them feel understood. Say “I understand, I’ve felt the same way before.”
Don’t come off as perfect. Perfect equals cold, and vulnerable equals warm.
They’ll see how they can identify with you, and find these golden threads to hold onto.
So that’s what you gotta do. Stir the pot with questions, and then give them those golden threads to build that relationship.
If you want to know how to close more clients and make more money, click here to sign up for my Close Clients Program!
Committed to your success,
Bedros