Scenario: Me, dirty, tired, exhausted from yard work. Needing to rest before going out for the evening. Hungry, too. Did I mention hungry? What else is going on? Let’s see… still somewhat upset about having to push my new book release date back, a little upset about an issue confronting an organization that I’m on the board of directors for, and looking forward to having a fun evening with my wife.
Other background: We live in a beautiful, old craftsman-style home, built in 1908. For this story you should also know that we have single-pane windows, and expensive winter energy bills. Insulation and window replacement have been an on-again/ off-again conversation for the last couple of years.
Knock, knock, knock: Front door. Salesman. He’s from a window company, and he’s offering “a free energy leak assessment, plus a $25 gasoline card.” I’m supposed to be resting, and trying to stop thinking about my book and about the board of directors.
This salesperson was polite, spoke well, presented well, looked honest. I needed, and had been thinking about, what he was selling.
Everything was right for me to say, “Yes.” Except that he forced me to say, “No.”
When you go around knocking on doors, whether it’s by mail, email, phone, or in person, give your perfect prospects something they can say “Yes” to. How?
Give them a choice. Sean D’Souza of Pyschotactics calls this the “Yes or Yes” factor. Give them two related choices, so they have some control. “Yes or Yes” is NOT “Will that be Monday or Tuesday for your free energy assessment?”
This is really critical to the success of your business. Most people in business, once they have a great product or service, just put it out there, without really taking a close look at who their potential customers really are, and what they are needing.
In the movie, “Hitch,” Will Smith’s character is “the Date Doctor,” helping men have successful dates with women. He’s giving advice to one of his clients: “Don’t stare at her mouth, listen to what she is saying. Then, when it’s your turn to talk, you’ll be able to say something more interesting than ‘You have a beautiful mouth.'”
This goes way past simply creating a quality product or service. That’s a given. For you in your business, don’t simply stare at your customer’s need as it relates to your product or service. See your prospects as a whole people with full lives, who have more going on than just the problem you solve. You do, and I do, and they do, too.
If you can allow your heart to see the whole person, then you can create a “Yes or yes,” choice that takes into account the reality of of their lives.
For instance, with the poor guy who forced me to say “No.” He’s going to encounter three types of people: People who don’t need what he’s offering, people who are ready and willing to make an energy assessment appointment, and people, like me, who are interested but are incapable or unwilling to make any kind of time commitment at that moment.
A great “Yes or yes” for our intrepid gumshoe would have been: “Two choices: You can have us come out this week for a free energy leak assessment and get a free $25 gas card, or you can let us mail you an article that will help you do your own self-assessment, and we’ll let you know by mail from time to time of other information and offers.”
And, if he was really seeing me, he could have said: “Wow, you look really tired. I’d love to give you this gas card and make an appointment for you this week, but if all you want is our article in the mail, I’ll understand.”
Most of the time, your heart is going to be dead-on with what your prospect really needs. If you’ve taken the time to craft an offer that really works for them, you’ll be able to give it to them, and, consequently, hear “Yes,” a lot more often.
Keys to How to Get a Yes
• What kind of a product or service do you sell? If it’s a quality item, it’s probably not a snap decision. In that case, you need to help your customers feel comfortable with you, and you also need to take into account how your customers decide to buy.
Try interviewing some of your ideal customers, and finding out:
– How long did they think about it before buying?
– How long did they know about you before buying from you?
– What was most helpful to them in making the decision?
• Be upfront about the decision-making process, and about what your customer probably already knows. I knew the salesguy was trying to sell me windows. The free “energy assessment to find out where you are leaking energy” doesn’t sound that interesting to me- I already know that we lose a lot of heat through our windows.
What would have been more interesting is if he had been more upfront: “Look, you know and I know that you are losing a lot of heat through your single-pane windows. If you’re curious as to how much you are losing, what that is costing you, and what it will take to do something about it, we can come out and show you.” THAT might have gotten me to say Yes, even through my fatigue.
• How does your product or service affect other areas of your customer’s life? To replace windows, especially in rainy Portland, seems like a big hassle. Two big questions I have, aside from price: 1) Is installation going to disrupt my business and our lives, since I work out of the house. 2) Are the materials toxic at all, meaning are glues or plastics involved that are going to outgas, making us sick (we’d had a bad experience before in a rental house- we had to camp in the backyard before we moved.)
If your heart can see the broad spectrum of your customers’ lives, it will give you vital clues on how to deliver your fabulous offering in a way that doesn’t force them to say No, when they really want to say Yes.
