Low Profile Selling
By: Tom Hopkins

How do your clients perceive you? Do you come across as competent and professional? Or, is your selling style such that it appeals to a limited number of clients?

Today's consumers are better educated and more sophisticated than those of just ten short years ago. You can say all the right things and some still won't make a buying decision.

Many times it boils down to the fact that customers simply don't like or trust salespeople. Sales professionals are learning to diffuse potential customer biases and win their trust by adopting non-sales-type personalities. By coming across differently than all the other "typical" salespeople, the pros are earning the respect of their clients and higher incomes. They are able to build long-term relationships and establish solid business bases through referrals.

Your selling style affects everything...especially how you close sales. Here's an excerpt from my book, "Low Profile Selling" on that subject. Enjoy!

How to Consummate the Sale

What do salespeople really do when they consummate sales?

When I wrote the book "Low Profile Selling," I wanted to get away from the term "closing" because it's considered by some as too hard-sell. So, I decided to use the word consummate.

In the dictionary, the word "consummate" means "perfect ending." I like the sound of that and the image it brings to mind. It's the perfect ending--everyone is happy. The new client is happy with the benefits they'll receive. You're happy because you now have a new client. Your manager will be happy because you moved product. Everyone is happy.

So, how do we go about consummating more sales?

In doing your job right, you need to determine your potential clients' specific needs, then show them how your product or service fulfills those needs. Then, psychology comes into play. Even when they see the value of your offering, they will have to rationalize the decision logically before they'll make that final commitment.

When you see that your potential client is heading toward a stall, you'll know that they have not yet rationalized that having the product is worth more to them than keeping their money. They'll lean toward procrastinating and postponing the decision. If you let it go far enough, they'll actually begin to feel fear about the decision and freeze about making any decision at all. (It's that "deer-in-the-headlights" thing.)

They may say something like this, "Tom, I'm not sure about the quality of this product." Or, "I don't know if we're ready to go ahead." When you hear things like that, you know you need to move into an even more helpful mode.

Begin gently by trying to find out specifically what's holding them back. Say these words, "John, obviously, you have a reason for saying that. Would you mind sharing it with me?"

Let him expand and elaborate. He'll usually give you the information you need to help him rationalize. Or, in some cases, a spouse might jump in and help you overcome the objection. I've had situations where the other decision-maker jumped right in and closed the sale because he or she had already reached a point of rationalization.

The key is to help them see that the benefits outweigh the investment they're making. Until you do, they may be feeling a little bit of pressure. This will be internal pressure--nothing you've exerted on them. However, you will have to be the one to relieve that pressure if you want to move ahead.

I teach three gentle ways of relieving pressure in this book. Here's just one: Whenever you hear things like, "I don't know if we should," "I'm a little worried," "It's not in the budget," etc. there are five key words you must use. They are "I understand how you feel." Those five simple words will go far in softening them up to listening to your rationalization. With those five words, you're saying, "I'm on your side. This is not a battle. We are walking the road of ownership together--side by side." This will help lower the defenses created by any fears that arose, keep them open to discussion and allow you to consummate the sale.