You might not think you’re ‘in sales’, but all professional services are in the selling business. You might be selling a product, a service, an idea, a message, or even yourself. Every time you’re selling, you need to speak. When you’re speaking, every moment could make or break the sale.
If that sounds like a lot of pressure, that’s because it is. Many people respond by putting that pressure onto the person they’re selling to. This is when they start to annoy people. Now, you could be one of those tenacious sales people that thrives on saying whatever it takes to get the sale. But me? That’s just not my style. I don’t like to annoy people. I used to think that someone like me could never be good at selling. Years later, when I was certified as a World Class Speaking Coach, I learned a new method to selling: SWAP. It stands for “Sell Without Annoying People.” There are twelve different elements of SWAP, but we’re going to talk about just one today.
Here it is: Sell the results. Whatever you’re selling, you always know more about the product than the person you’re selling it to. When you get nervous and tongue-tied, it’s easy to start rattling off facts and figures. Resist the urge to info dump on your potential customer.
Instead tell them what it will be like for them when they have made the purchase. In other words, tell them about the results.
For example, imagine you’re a realtor showing your client a house. You could say: “This house has the three bedrooms you asked for, separate washrooms for the kids, and a fireplace with a home theatre.” This is accurate, but dull and uninspiring. What you’re saying is “Well, this one checks all the boxes.” Not that exciting, is it?
On the other hand, you could interweave the results of buying the house: “Imagine sitting on the couch with your two kids by the fireplace. You’re watching your favourite movie and eating popcorn. And then, picture yourself a little later walking upstairs and checking on your kids as they brush their teeth before bed. This house is that exact type of home.”
You may have noticed that the second version gives all the same information while being a lot more interesting. But why is that? When you sell based on the results, you sell the emotion behind the purchase. The client isn’t buying a house because they really like houses. They’re buying a house to make a home for their family.
If you want to sell the results, the first step is to stop thinking about the product first.
Instead, think about your client first. Of course you can’t do this well unless you know your client and what is important to them. Once you do, make that desire the focus of your sales pitch.
Your clients will feel heard and will be much more likely to give you that sale.