Why that person didn’t close...and how to use this one unstated fact to give you the upper hand in the sale Ep 45

In this sales-focused discussion, the host emphasizes the importance of establishing a 'gap' between a potential customer's current situation and their goals to effectively close a sale. The host asserts that customers often fail to purchase due to a lack of rapport and pre-framing, but the core issue lies in not highlighting the discrepancy between their past efforts and desired outcomes. By eliciting emotions tied to past failures and reinforcing the need for the product or service offered, salespeople can anchor the sale. The host uses examples from weight loss and gym ownership to illustrate how to draw out customer admissions of needing help, thereby leveraging the inherent advantage of a customer-initiated interaction. The underlying message is that successful selling is about serving the customer by helping them realize the necessity of the solution being offered.

• Speaker A dislikes the poor reception in their neighborhood.
• Poor reception causes disruptions in Facebook Live sessions.

Because the one thing that I do not like about my neighborhood is that the reception sucks.

This quote indicates the speaker's frustration with the technical difficulties caused by bad reception in their area, which directly affects the quality of their live broadcasts.

• Rapport and energy between the salesperson and customer can affect purchasing decisions.
• Lack of a proper greeting or pre-framing can deter a sale.
• Not establishing a "gap" between the customer's current situation and their goals is a key reason for not closing a sale.

So a lot of people don't buy because the rapport is off, the energy's they didn't get greeted. Right. There's no pre frame.

Speaker A discusses the importance of building a connection and setting the stage for a sale, suggesting that failure in these areas can lead to lost sales.

• Marketers and salespeople have an advantage when a person shows interest by signing up or walking in.
• Understanding the customer's goal is crucial for closing a sale.
• Salespeople often forget the basics of persuasion when excited about closing a sale.

The biggest advantage every single marketer has, every single salesperson has, is that the person signed up, the person walked through the door.

Speaker A emphasizes the inherent advantage salespeople have when a customer has already shown interest by seeking out the service or product.

• Clarifying the customer's goals is the first step in the sales process.
• Asking direct questions helps to understand the customer's objectives.

The first thing you do is you have to clarify where they're trying to go, which is like, why'd you come in today?

Speaker A highlights the importance of identifying the customer's purpose for seeking a product or service as a starting point for a sales conversation.

• Discussing past efforts and investments helps elicit emotional responses from customers.
• Establishing the gap between past efforts and current goals is crucial for persuasion.
• The sales pitch should emphasize that without the product or service, the customer would continue facing the same challenges.

But the second reason is because we need to establish a gap of what they have done and where they're trying to go.

Speaker A explains that understanding the customer's past attempts and failures helps to create a sense of urgency and need for the product or service being sold.

• Demonstrating that the customer's lack of success is due to not having the salesperson's "secret sauce" is an effective sales strategy.
• Making the customer realize that their signing up indicates a need for the product or service helps close the sale.

The biggest way to nail them with this, the gap wise, is that you wouldn't have signed up today.

Speaker A suggests that pointing out the customer's need for a solution, which led them to sign up or walk in, is a compelling argument in the sales process.

• Speaker A provides examples of how to apply these sales techniques in different contexts.
• By understanding the customer's previous methods and their limitations, the salesperson can position their offering as the necessary solution.

So if a gym owner signs up for something, like our thing, I would be like, okay. Well, it's clear, right?

This quote indicates that Speaker A is about to illustrate how to apply the discussed sales principles using specific examples, implying the importance of contextualizing the sales approach to the customer's situation.

• Speaker A emphasizes the importance of identifying the customer's dissatisfaction or gap in their current situation.
• The process involves asking probing questions to uncover the real reasons behind a customer's decision to seek a solution or service.
• Speaker A demonstrates this by using an example of someone signing up for a service to improve their marketing.
• The goal is to establish that the customer's current methods are not yielding the desired results, creating an opportunity for the salesperson to offer a solution.
• This technique is applicable to various scenarios, including weight loss, where the customer's past failures are used to highlight the gap.

"We have to establish the well, you know, I'd like to have more. I'm like, okay, so you're not content with where you're at."

This quote captures the initial part of the conversation where Speaker A begins to identify the customer's lack of contentment with their current situation, which is the first step in establishing the gap.

"Because would it be safe to say if you had a really effective marketing method that was like printing you cash, you wouldn't have walked in today."

Speaker A uses a hypothetical successful marketing method to illustrate the gap between the customer's current situation and where they could be, reinforcing the need for the service being offered.

"And so I'm starting to do is break the beliefs of explain why they lost."

Speaker A discusses the strategy of breaking down the customer's previous beliefs to explain their past failures, which helps to further establish the gap and the need for a new solution.

• Speaker A outlines how to handle potential objections from customers who believe they can achieve their goals on their own.
• The conversation technique involves getting the customer to admit their dissatisfaction and the inability to maintain sustainable results.
• By acknowledging their past attempts and failures, customers are led to realize the need for a different approach or assistance.
• Speaker A suggests that once customers own their problem, they are more likely to be receptive to the solutions offered.
• This approach is particularly useful for more challenging sales where the customer may not immediately recognize the need for the product or service.

"So if you have one of those types of people, then you're like, well, listen, I mean, you came in today because you're trying to lose weight, right?"

Speaker A demonstrates how to confront a customer's objection by reminding them of their purpose for seeking help, which is to lose weight, and thereby subtly highlighting their current dissatisfaction.

"Okay, cool. So you haven't figured out a way to make it sustainable."

This quote is an example of how Speaker A gets the customer to acknowledge the lack of sustainability in their past efforts, which is a critical realization for the customer to reach in order to consider a new solution.

"And it's because they don't have what they want. And you just need to get them to say that. You need to get them to admit it."

Speaker A emphasizes the importance of getting the customer to verbalize their unmet desires, which is a crucial step in the sales process as it signifies the customer's ownership of the problem and opens the door for the salesperson to present their solution.

• Sales conversations focus on the portion of potential customers who are undecided.
• It's important to address the pride and ego that may prevent people from admitting past failures.
• The goal is to tease out the reasons why previous attempts didn't work for the customer.
• Highlighting that the customer has sought out a solution by showing up is a key point.
• Emphasizing the lack of a solution in the past reinforces the need for what's being offered.
• Sales advantage is gained when the customer acknowledges they have a problem and are actively seeking a solution.
• The concept of "selling against the alternative" is used to block exits by reminding customers of past unsuccessful attempts.

"You have to fight for them a little bit. And it's just because people have pride, they have egos, right? And so they don't want to admit they failed."

This quote explains that a salesperson must engage with potential customers who are hesitant to admit their previous solutions didn't work due to pride and ego.

"Because if you did have everything you would have needed, you'd already have the body you want and you wouldn't have walked in today."

This quote is a strategic statement used to remind the customer that their presence indicates a need for a new solution, implying that past efforts were insufficient.

"If you already had the marketing mechanism and sales tactics or whatever to get people to acquire customers at will and make as much money as you needed, you wouldn't have applied and you wouldn't be on the phone with me right now."

This quote suggests that the act of seeking advice or a service is itself evidence that the customer's current strategies are not fulfilling their needs.

"Because somebody be like, dude, I don't need your shit. I don't need it, right? But if someone applies, then it means they raised their hand."

This quote contrasts cold selling with the situation where a potential customer has already shown interest, indicating a pre-existing acknowledgement of their problem.

"So you always have that upper hand. So have that in the conversation."

This quote advises salespeople to maintain awareness of their advantageous position when a customer has sought them out, indicating a need for help.

"Well, you have to sell against the alternative. Well, what are you going to do?"

This quote introduces the strategy of "selling against the alternative," which involves questioning the viability of the customer's other options, focusing on why those haven't worked.

• Acknowledging that a portion of customers will be supportive regardless is essential.
• The focus should be on those who are undecided but have shown interest.
• The act of a potential customer reaching out is a significant advantage in sales.
• Entrepreneurs must leverage the fact that customers have admitted a need by applying or showing up.
• The conversation should revolve around the customer's acknowledgment of their problem and the lack of a solution.
• Reminding customers of their unsuccessful past attempts can prevent them from reverting to ineffective solutions.

"The biggest advantage you have is that they walked in today."

This quote emphasizes the importance of the customer taking the initiative to seek a solution, which is a critical moment to leverage in sales.

"No one is coming to save us. It's just us."

This quote, while not directly related to sales, implies a broader entrepreneurial mindset of self-reliance and the importance of proactive action.

"They said, I really would like that solution, which gives you the ultimate upper hand in the sale because they already admitted that they have a problem and they don't have the solution."

This quote highlights the psychological advantage gained when a customer has actively sought out a solution, thereby admitting to their need.

• Sales strategies often involve identifying and leveraging customer pain points.
• The conversation should guide customers to realize why previous solutions failed.
• Using pain points strategically can help "block the exit" by eliminating the appeal of returning to failed solutions.
• The sales approach should focus on the customer's expressed desire for change and improvement.

"You say, because if you did have everything you would have needed, you'd already have the body you want and you wouldn't have walked in today."

This quote is a tactical use of a customer's pain point—failure to achieve desired results—to emphasize the need for what's being sold.

"We use the pain stuff so that we can block the exit."

This quote describes a sales technique where the customer's past failures are used to discourage them from considering going back to previous solutions.

• The host expresses the importance of listener ratings and reviews for podcast growth.
• Word of mouth is highlighted as a key factor for expanding the podcast's reach.
• There's a call to action for listeners to actively participate in supporting the podcast.

"The only way that podcast grows through word of mouth and this is you joining hands with me and helping as many entrepreneurs as we possibly can."

This quote conveys the importance of listener engagement and collective effort in growing the podcast's audience and supporting the entrepreneurial community.

• The act of selling is equated to serving, as it involves helping people see what they are often unwilling or unable to see themselves.
• Sellers must adopt a hardcore attitude to effectively convince people that they need help, which can be a sensitive issue as it may make them feel vulnerable or small.
• The conversation should focus on the failures of past attempts and introduce the seller’s product or service as the superior solution.
• Belief breaking is a technique used during the pitch to dismantle the customer's existing beliefs and make them receptive to the new solution being offered.

"if you really believe that you're trying to help this person, which is why selling is serving, you need to help them see what they can't see."

This quote emphasizes the idea that effective selling is about guiding customers to acknowledge their needs and problems, which they may be ignoring or denying.

"So you're like, listen, you've done all these things. It has not worked, right? This thing didn't work. Okay, cool. So would you be fair to say that right now you have yet to figure out what the contract is that makes it work?"

The speaker suggests that acknowledging the customer's past failures is a step towards presenting their product or service as the solution that the customer has not yet tried.

• When customers express uncertainty at the point of closing, it is crucial to address their doubts directly and remind them of their need and previous failures.
• The seller should reinforce the idea that the customer’s presence indicates an unsolved problem that the seller’s product can resolve.
• The conversation should pivot to providing proof of the product’s effectiveness, such as testimonials or financial success stories.

"And then you close and this is really kind of more of an obstacle overcome for people who at that close say, well, you know what, I'm not really sure."

This quote highlights the moment of closing the sale as a critical point where the seller must be prepared to overcome the customer's last-minute objections.

"You need to lose weight. You haven't done anything else that's worked. And the reason you walked in today is because you're trying to solve this problem, right?"

Here, the speaker illustrates how to confront the customer's objection by reminding them of their need and the ineffectiveness of their previous attempts to address it.

• Establishing credibility is vital; sellers should provide tangible proof that their product or service delivers the promised results.
• The use of before-and-after pictures, five-star reviews, and testimonials can serve as powerful evidence to support the seller's claims.
• Demonstrating a track record of success, such as turning gyms into profitable businesses, can convince potential customers of the value of the service.

"We have 200 billion testimonials of gym owners that we've turned their gyms around. Seven figure run rates."

This quote showcases the use of quantifiable success stories as proof to persuade potential customers of the effectiveness of the seller's product or service.

"have an entire wall of before and after pictures have an entire wall of five star reviews because you all got it. You don't even use it. Use it."

The speaker advises sellers to visibly display their success stories and positive customer feedback to build trust and credibility with potential clients.

• Reminding the customer that they sought out the seller is a powerful leverage point in sales.
• By establishing the customer's need and the seller's ability to fulfill it, the seller creates an advantageous position in the sales process.
• The seller should bridge the gap between the customer's need and the solution offered, reinforcing the idea that the customer has already taken the first step by seeking help.

"Make sure that you establish the gap. Remind them that they would not have walked in if they had the solution that you already have."

This quote underlines the importance of highlighting the customer's need and the seller's unique ability to provide the solution, thus creating a compelling reason for the customer to make a purchase.

"All right, you need to lose weight. I sell weight loss. Like, all you got to do is bridge that gap."

Here, the speaker simplifies the sales process by stating the customer's problem and the seller's solution, indicating that connecting the two is the essence of making the sale.