2. Avoid assumption language Assumption language means words and phrases that cut off your inquiry and announce to the other side in any negotiation that you think you’ve got them pegged. Nobody likes that feeling. Almost worse, assumption language cheats you, as the person trying to make the sale, because you’re rejecting the chance to learn things that might make your pitch more potent. Examples of assumption language: • “I get it.” • “I know how you feel.” • “Yep, I had the same problem, and here’s what I did...” As sociologist Charles Derber suggests, this kind of language leads to “shift responses” instead of “support responses. People with high emotional intelligence remember that if they catch themselves using phrases like these, it almost always means they’ve jumped too far ahead and overestimated their own knowledge. It’s a red flag that means go back to trick No. 1 above and ask more questions. 3. Be very, very patient. Anyone can sell things when you’re in control, and conditions are in your favor. Classic example: They say it’s better to sell aspirin than vitamins because when someone has a headache, they want relief immediately. But it’s when you’re not in control—when you’re selling vitamins which are good for you but don’t fix an immediate problem—that you really need to exercise tactical patience. There are times when, if you push for a closing, you’ll likely lose. So don’t push. Not yet, anyway. Sometimes, that means using silence. Psychologist Namkje Koudenburg of the psychology department at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands figured out that the turning point in conversational silence -- the instant when people begin to think that there is something wrong and often try to fill it -- is a mere four seconds. “Even when people are not consciously aware that there is a silence, they immediately sense that there is something wrong,” Oldenburg explained.
The Bonus Up until now, we’ve talked about how to leverage other people’s emotions by asking questions, listening to the answers, avoiding assumptions, and being patient. But leveraging your own emotions is just as important. Sometimes that means avoiding tunnel vision, perhaps by recognizing that perhaps selling this pen to this person is just too hard and not worth the effort -- especially when there are lots of other pens out there and lots of other people. If that’s hard to see, try all the points above on yourself. Ask yourself why it seems there are so few options, avoid making assumptions, and give yourself time to find the answers. As I write in my free e-book, 9 Smart Habits of People With Very High Emotional Intelligence, the most useful definition of emotional advantage is the learned ability to leverage emotions, both yours and other people’s, in order to make it more likely that you’ll achieve your goals. In sales, especially, improvement is a process. There are no guarantees. But leveraging tactics like these can make your desired outcome a little bit more likely. Coaching Emotional Intelligence Guiding your sales team to excellence takes a lot of effort, but one thing that can help is for your sales team to understand the customer’s perspective. With 40 combine years of retail management experience, our senior management team used mystery shoppers to drive their sales teams to excellence. Using shopping reports to inspire, not degrade, a sales team is a very positive driving force. We’re here as partners in your success. Reach out; we’re here to help.
Business Evaluation Services, PO Box 507, Arroyo Grande, CA 93421, 888-300-8292
Premier Flooring Retailer D3 | 2024 23
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator