“Every person is the architect of their own fortune.”
Appius Claudius • Roman General and Governor of Cilicia • (53 B.C.)
79. Have a Game Plan.
Your objective in The Yes stage is twofold: first, to have your customers say yes and then for them to acknowledge and appreciate the value of their wise investment decision. It’s not the time to beat them into submission! To wear them out! To have them yell “uncle”!
To effectively secure The Yes, you should have a game plan. Have you ever seen a professional football player carrying his playbook? It’s easy to understand why he often tips the scales well in excess of 250 pounds, he needs that much muscle just to carry a playbook that weighs about the same! But the playbook is more than a series of X’s and O’s. It’s actually a “strategic plan” that sets forth not only a team’s specific actions, but also their anticipated responses to the other team’s actions.
In essence, it’s a lot like the business strategy of getting others to commit to action by saying The Yes. Just like a well-trained athlete, you too, must be disciplined with not only your actions, but also be prepared for, the actions of others.
However, like the playing field, the business arena also has specific rules. Here are eight guidelines that should be followed, to maximize your likelihood of hearing The Yes:
- All decision-makers should be present.
- Anticipate objections and be prepared with appropriate, persuasive and profitable answers.
- Remember, customers never invest in what something is, but instead, they invest in what it will do for them.
- The purpose of The Yes stage is to not only put more dollars in your pocket, but to first help some body else attain a more favorable future.
- Never lose sight of the fact you’re dealing with another human being who makes decisions logically and emotionally.
- A “yes” only occurs when you have a decision-maker with a motivated need. Therefore, be sure to focus on this particular buyer’s motivation(s).
- Realize that “no” often means “not yet.”
- Anticipate a “yes.” Positive expectations bring positive results.
As you may recall, during the Reveal stage (see Chapter 8), you began asking a series of trial questions. This same crucial strategy should also be used, here in The Yes stage. Once again, trial questions elicit opinions, feelings, responses, attitudes or gut reactions to your product or service and its features and benefits. Trial questions should be simple and open-ended. For example;
- How do you feel about…
- What do you think of…
- What’s your reaction to…
- In which ways will this help you…
- Your opinion toward this would be…
At this point in the business development process, trial questions allow your buyers to offer both logical and emotional reasons or explanations as to why they want to own, use, enjoy and benefit from your products or services. Every time decision-makers give you positive responses, that’s your signal to move closer to The Yes and an eventual sale.
© Blackman & Associates, LLC
Jeff is a Hall of Fame speaker, best selling author, success coach, broadcaster and lawyer. His clients call him a “business-growth specialist.” If you hire speakers, please contact Sheryl Kantor at: 847.998.0688 or [email protected]. And visit jeffblackman.com to learn more about his other business-growth tools and to subscribe to Jeff’s FREE e-letter, The Results Report. Jeff’s books include; Stop Whining! Start Selling!, (an Amazon Bestseller), and the new, revised 5th edition of the bestselling Peak Your Profits. You can also stay connected with Jeff via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter: @BlackmanResults