Don’t be this guy…
Yesterday we talked about how people love to buy, but hate to be sold and the first thing you should sell is yourself.
What does that mean… put a price tag on your ear and get you ready for auction?
The person you’re trying to sell something to needs to trust and like you. If they don’t like you, your chance of getting the sale drops dramatically. If they don’t trust you, your chance of making a sale is pretty much zero.
How do you sell yourself?
You need to show the person that you are genuinely interested in their wants and needs. In other words, put them first. Ask questions that will help you get a better understanding of who they are and how they work.
Treat them as a person, not just another prospect.
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People – Stephen Covey.
- Every person’s favorite word is their name.
- Every person’s favorite topic is about them and what they can do or do know.
- Everyone likes people to like them… (Except for stalkers, they’re scary… especially when they leave crazy notes on your car and call so much you have to change your number and move.)
If you show genuine interest in what a person is saying, it will form an instant bond with that person.
If you learn what a person’s wants and needs are, you can cater what you are going to say to fill those wants and needs. I know people who get involved with MLM have more than a 95% chance of failure… I know there is an 80% chance they will try more than one MLM Company. I know Network Marketing sucks.
But that is knowing my market. Every person is different… So it’s important to get to know each individual’s wants and needs.
Here are a couple of things you can do right now…
- Be confident with what you are saying or writing, if you don’t speak or write with authority, you won’t be believable.
- When you are speaking to a person face to face, nod your head up and down like you are nodding “yes.” Don’t bob your head up and down like you are having a seizure, just do it real casually… And when you’re making your point, do the same thing.
- Use the phrase, “To make sure we’re both on the same page, what you’re saying is (paraphrase what the person just said), correct?” (wait for the person to respond) followed by “That makes perfect sense, please continue…”
- “You’re right, I agree with you…” People love to be right, if you agree with them, let them know.
- Don’t B.S. People can and will see right through it, there are a LOT of people who have made a LOT of money BSing people… You can make money that way, but it’s more of a “customer for a day” mentality.
- Don’t kiss ass… Agreeing with someone and kissing someone’s ass are two different things. Stroking someone’s ego isn’t kissing their ass… If you don’t agree with something someone says, they should respect you more for saying you don’t agree with them as long as you present yourself rationally with a solid basis for your disagreement. The best way to disagree with someone is to say, “(their name), I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with you because… (your argument).”
- Don’t take things personally… People aren’t always going to like what you have to say, like your product or service… or like you. Who cares? You shouldn’t.
Apply these basic principals and tips to how you are doing business and you will see an immediate improvement in your interactions. BTW, this works in day-to-day life as well.
What are some other things you can do to help sell yourself?
