by Laura Camacho
You probably were not aware of this when you started your business but now you know. Thriving businesses must sell. A lot. Ideas. Solutions. Products. Services. Add ons. Contracts. Upgrades. ROI…
When I first started my communications skills training firm a decade ago, I thought my biggest problem would be what to do with all that money I was going to make from solving such an obvious business problem: poor interpersonal communication. After all, everyone complains of being left out of the loop, or being misunderstood, pointless meetings and boring presentations.
Fortunately, I was too stupid to quit once I realized that I actually had to sell my services to people. What was obvious to me, is not obvious.
To make a sale, you need a “yes.”
You may have noticed there are people who don’t deliver the “yes” to your proposal. There are things called “yes blockers” that get in your way. Once you see them in high definition, you can address them and smash them.
Top Three Yes Blockers: the things that are missing in your messaging:
Emotional involvement
If you’re an analytical thinker as I am, this is really tough to accept. Put on your scientist’s jacket and observe how people make decisions based on emotion (my friends will literally turn green with envy) and then justify their decision with logic (it’s safe for children.)
How can you tap into emotions when talking about your product or service? How does what you sell make people feel?
Trust
You’ve heard “trust is everything” and it’s true. But what does that really mean?
For a client to buy, there has to be sufficient trust on 3 different levels.
Trust in you as the business owner or supplier
Trust that what you’re selling actually works
Trust that they will be able to implement your solution.
Timing
Sometimes, it’s just not the right time. People get sick, unexpected expenses drop in, family from afar decide to move in.
Knowing what the yes-blockers are, now you can go about investigating the specifics of each “no” you get. Soon enough, you’ll be transforming those rejections into big, juicy “yeses.”
Laura Camacho, MBA, PhD, PMP, is an executive coach, trainer and speaker who opened Mixonian Institute in 2009 to rid the world of boring business communication. She has created innovative training programs for local and international companies, related to leadership effectiveness, excellent feedback, growth mindset and emotional intelligence. Multilingual, Dr. Camacho’s career highlights include facilitating The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (in Spanish,) being editor of the leading management newsletter in Venezuela. For 10 years she taught communication classes at ECU and College of Charleston. www.mixonian.com
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As a leader, telling people what to do is easy. I love it. The only problem is it doesn't work. Asking questions engages the brain at a deeper level than simply listening. Questions also foster co-creation, build better relationships, and spark new ideas.