Tag: 5 Pillars of Influence Series

If you’ve done any sales conversations at all, you know that the number-one objection that prospects present as a reason not to buy your product or service is money.

You get to that point in the sales conversation, and they say, “I don’t have the money,” “Our funds are allocated elsewhere,” or “We’ve got medical bills or tuition or too much debt.”

No matter how they phrase it, the solution for banishing that problem forever from your sales process is the same.

Don’t Buy Into Their Lie
The first key to dealing with any kind of objection that prospects present is to discern the real ones from the excuses.

The real objections are challenges, so you deal with them as such. Excuses are lies or beliefs in a false reality.

“I don’t have the money” is a lie.

How do you deal with this lie?

Well, first, you have to apply Pillar 1 and influence yourself.

You have to accept that money is never the problem. The problem is always urgency.

For instance, imagine a homeless drug addict, somebody who is really down and out. That person is a lost soul, trapped inside a reality that the addiction has created.

Have you ever heard of addicts who can’t get the money to buy their next fix?

No, because they always find a way.

Now, don’t get into the judgment of how they do it. That doesn’t matter. The point is that they do. And that homeless addict’s reality is much more dire than any prospect’s you’re going to be talking to.

They come up with the money, because the urgency is so great. They’ll do anything to get the money for their next fix.

So, when prospects tell you that they don’t have the money, remember that drug addict, and don’t buy into that excuse.

Instead, work on your prospects’ sense of urgency, because the urgency isn’t great enough for them to do what they need to do to get the money.

Whether that’s negotiating with their spouse to reallocate savings or getting a loan or raising their rates.

If you deal with their objection from a money place, you’re dealing with it from their reality.

And you will never influence them from their reality, because their reality says that they can’t get out of that reality.

So how do you influence them?

Remember Clarity?
You bring them clarity, which, in turn, will create urgency.

So when you encounter the money objection, ask your prospects this question:

“What’s going to happen if this problem doesn’t change?” and have them see what the exact outcome will be.

Whether that’s facing the health consequences of diabetes, or poverty as an elder, or the loneliness of remaining single if they don’t want to.

Remember, part of the problem is that they’ve pushed this negative scenario into some nebulous future, where they don’t have to deal with it.

By bringing it to the present, they will face it.

And that clarity will bring them the urgency to change the outcome.

They’ll realize that they don’t want to tolerate their problem one minute longer, and, all of a sudden, they’ll find a way to get the money for the solution they need.

And, if they really are your ideal client, the solution they need is yours.

If you’ve been following this series, you now know how to close 80-100% of your ideal prospects in 15 minutes.

Knowledge is vital, but to actually start closing those sales, you have to apply what you’ve learned.

To inspire you to do that, here are all five of the pillars again:

Pillar 1: Become Your Own Pillar of Influence

In the context of sales, influence is the art of equating in the mind of your ideal clients the fact that you have the solution they need.

Influence, not pressure, is your best sales tool, because your ideal prospects already want or need your product or service. They may not realize that yet, however, because they’re in a prison of their own situation.

Your job is to bridge the gap between that prison and their solution. But in order to coax someone out of his or her prison, you first have to coax yourself out of yours.

In other words, in order to harness the power of influence, you must first influence yourself. Here are three ways to do that:

1. Get real.
Be honest about any ideological prisons that you’re in. For instance, are you telling yourself what you can’t afford? Or why your clients won’t pay high fees?

Negative beliefs directly impact your bottom line, repel those high-paying clients, and blind you to opportunities.

2. Talk to yourself.
Every sales conversation needs to begin with a conversation with yourself to be sure that you are coming from a place of “influence energy.”

Before every sales call, spend 10 minutes, asking yourself questions like these:

“What is the desired outcome of this call?”
“What energy state do I need to be in, in order to be influential?”
“How will I help this person get out of his/her prison?”
“How am I going to influence him/her?”

3. Gain knowledge at the level that you want to be, not where you are.
Be willing to stretch your mind, invest in trainings, and travel to events. If you won’t invest in trainings for yourself, how can you expect your clients to invest in yours?

Pillar 2: Put Yourself in the Position to Influence

If you want to be able to turn your prospects’ objections into commitments, you have to put yourself into the correct position to influence them. Here are four ways to do that:

It will keep them going when they falter, and sustain them during those dark moments when they confront what they need to confront in order to change.

1. Make it inbound.
Create situations where your prospects come to you. This positions you as an expert who is in demand.

For instance, have your prospects call you for strategy sessions versus you calling them. Speak at conferences, where a host will introduce you as an expert who has helped hundreds of people in the past. After your talk, your ideal prospects should flock to you.

2. Dress the part.
To be seen as a person of influence, dress to impress at business or networking events. Wear clothing that is appropriate to your niche or style, but that makes you stand out and brings out your best.

3. Polarize the conversation.
Rather than responding to introductory questions, ask your own questions to quickly determine if the person you’re talking to is your ideal client or not.

For instance, when someone asks me what I do, instead of answering, I say, “Let me ask you a question. If your annual income suddenly became your monthly income, what in your life would change?”

For more details about how to polarize conversations, or to read any of the other articles in this series, please see my blog.

4. Bring an assistant with you.
Having an assistant with you at networking events positions you as a high-level expert, while also freeing you to move on to the next person, as your assistant puts the prospect into your calendar and builds excitement about your work.

Pillar 3: Attract Your Ideal Client

Your ideal client is someone who already wants or needs your product or service, and is demonstrating an urgency to change by actively seeking a solution.

They’re buying books and going to conferences, seminars, and workshops. Even better is if they’re willing to travel. When people are willing to deal with the inconvenience and expense of traveling to events, they are serious about change.

The key to attracting your ideal clients is to determine exactly where they are demonstrating the want and need for what you do, both online and offline, and go there.

For instance, what online groups do they belong to? Who do they follow? What seminars do they attend? Where do they gather?

Pillar 4: Ask Questions During a Discovery Conversation

You can’t tell your prospects that you’re the right mentor for them. They’ll just get defensive and resist. You have to influence them so that they have that thought themselves.

As you ask your prospects the four questions of the discovery conversation, and lead them to connect powerfully with their own truth, this should happen automatically.

Those four questions are:

Question 1: “What are you looking to accomplish?”

Tailor that question to your specific business, product or service, and then listen to their response. They will tell you what you need to know.

Question 2: “What is the biggest problem in your business (or life) right now?”

With this question, you’re finding out what they want and need, but, more important, they’re beginning to get clear about their problem. They’re also bringing it from some nebulous future into the present, where they can finally face it and see their solution.

Question 3: “Why do you think you have that problem?”

If their answer to this or any of these questions is incorrect, don’t tell them that or argue with them. You’re not going to draw clarity out of them if they feel defensive.

You want to listen, but more than that, you want to really hear them.

If you can hear what they’re saying with your own feelings, and then express that empathy while asking the fourth question, you will influence them every time.

Question 4: “How badly do you want this to change?”

If you’ve asked this question with empathy, while also conveying a tone of authority, your prospects should feel permission to be authentic and tell you the truth.

This will likely elicit emotion, which means that they’re committing to you emotionally.

With their laughter or tears, they’re asking you for a directive as to what to do.

Secure the Sale and Create Momentum.
What you do then is solidify the commitment. While staying emotionally connected to them, say, “Let’s get this going,” and ask for their credit card number, or tell them you’ll be turning them over to your assistant, who will get the number and get them started.

In either case, before you get off the phone, create momentum by giving your new clients an immediate taste of the transformation that’s to come, such as by assigning them an exercise to complete.

And then, apply the last pillar.

Pillar 5: Transference of Belief

The sale is your new clients’ first step toward finally having the life of their dreams.

Believe in their greatness and be excited for them, so that they will be excited as well.

Your belief in their greatness will help keep their own doubt at bay and will sustain them during dark moments.

And while you hold the vision of what’s possible for them, you begin to see that much more is possible for you too.

As you apply these 5 Pillars, and work with your new clients, you step beyond prison bars you didn’t even know were there, and begin to walk your own path of greatness as well.

The 5th Pillar of Influence is short but profound: believe in the greatness of your new clients, so that they can believe in it too.

If you have reached this final Pillar of Influence, you have just secured a sale.

Congratulations! You have much to celebrate.

You accomplished this sale by carefully applying the first four pillars, which were:

• Pillar 1: Become your own power of influence so that you can influence others

• Pillar 2: Put yourself into the position to influence

• Pillar 3: Attract your ideal client

• Pillar 4: Ask questions during a discovery conversation

Believe in Them
The sale is your new clients’ first victory. It is their first step toward the change that they need to make in order to have the life of their dreams.

You want to be excited that they have stepped beyond the bars of their prison to begin this process of transformation.

You want to be excited about it, so that they will be excited as well.

Your Belief Sustains Them
If you’re nervous, they will be nervous too, which will cause doubt to fester in their mind.

Doubt will stop their transformation in its tracks, and they’ll probably go into buyer’s remorse.
Your belief in their greatness is a cloak that will help keep their doubt at bay.

It will keep them going when they falter, and sustain them during those dark moments when they confront what they need to confront in order to change.

They Have Chosen You
I’m sure you know from personal experience that change is not easy, and we all need help.

From the time we are born ~ utterly dependent upon our caregivers for survival ~ we learn how to determine if a person can help us or not.

Your new clients see in you the hope for their new life. They have chosen you as the person to guide them.

Isn’t that an honor and a privilege to take with utmost seriousness?

And isn’t that why you’re in business? To create positive outcomes in people’s lives?

Of course it is.

Pillar 5 Cuts Both Ways
Well, here’s the other wonderful thing about Pillar 5. It goes both ways.

While you are holding the vision of their greatness and what’s possible for them, you begin to glimpse your own greatness as well.

You begin to see that much more is possible for you than you realized.

And as you take this journey of change with your new clients that these 5 Pillars have allowed you to take, you are transformed.

You step beyond prison bars that you may never have known were there, and walk your own path of greatness as well.

In this series, I’ve been showing you how to close sales in 15-20 minutes. That’s how long it should take you to ask the four main questions of the discovery conversation, which I shared with you last time.

If you asked the fourth question, “How badly do you want your situation to change,” with a compassionate authority that encourages your prospects to be authentic, they’re likely to have an emotional reaction.

They may be in tears. They may be excited. Or somewhere in between. But however they respond, by that response, you will know whether or not they’re in.

Secure the Sale
Let’s say they are going to buy. That’s the outcome I’m fully expecting you to experience as you apply these five pillars.

With their authenticity, with their laughter or tears, they’re saying to you, “Yes! This is what I want. I’m committing to you emotionally. Give me a directive as to what to do.”

In a moment, I’ll demonstrate the wording to use, but what you need to do at this point is secure their commitment. Ask them for their credit card number.

Ideally, you can turn the call over to an assistant, who can get the number, give the person a contract, and get him or her on your calendar.

But whether or not you’re the one taking their details, it’s crucial that after you secure their commitment and before you get off the phone with them, you take the next step of creating momentum.

Create Momentum
Creating momentum means that you give them something to do that gives them an immediate taste of the transformation that’s to come.

If you don’t create momentum for your clients right away, if they have to wait weeks before your event or program begins, they’re very likely to go into buyer’s remorse and start wondering if they’ve made the right decision.

So give them a step of their solution immediately, perhaps an exercise to do, and at the end of the call, briefly describe the powerful outcome the client should expect.

Commitment + Momentum = Powerful Outcomes for All

For instance, I might say:
“That’s great, Helen. Give me a credit card, and let’s get this going. I’m so excited for you right now that you’ve made this decision. Your life is going to be so different over the next year that you’re not going to believe it.

“I’m going to pass you on to Liz, now, who is going to get every call for the year set up for you and give you the first exercise I want you to do. So we’ll be set up for our very first call, and I’ll talk to you in a couple of days. Sound great? Perfect.”

That’s it.

Don’t go fishing for doubt by asking them if they have any questions. Any questions they have can be dealt with after the call.

Leave them on that high note of feeling that they’ve gotten what they wanted.

Let them relish in their commitment and the beginning of the powerful momentum that will take them where they’ve been wanting to go for a very long time.

Your goal during discovery sales conversations is to bring prospective clients to clarity about their situation, so that they can face it and feel the urgency to change.

You accomplish that by asking them four main questions.

Last time, I shared the first two: “What are you looking to accomplish?” and “What is the biggest problem in your business right now?”

Here are the other two questions:

Question 3
With the third question, you’re assessing their awareness while helping them get clear. You ask, “Why do you think you have that problem?”

Again, don’t argue with them or challenge their perception.

You’re not trying to show how wrong they are or how smart you are.

You want to draw the clarity out of them, which isn’t going to happen if you’re making them feel defensive.

You can tell them what’s wrong with their business until you’re blue in the face. But until they see it for themselves, there’s no sale.

So even if you think they’re wrong, listen to what they’re saying.

The Art of Listening
In order to listen, you have to be out of your own head.

If you have a clatter of mental noise, if you’re thinking, Is this person going to buy? or What do I say next? you’re only listening to yourself.

You want to listen to them, but even more than that, you want to really hear them. Remember, we listen with our ears, but we hear with our emotions.

If you can hear what your prospective client is saying with your own feelings, and then give that empathy back to them in the form of the fourth question, you will influence them every single time.

Question 4
When you ask the fourth question with empathy, your prospects will feel permission from you to be authentic, and to tell you the truth.

At the same time, you want to convey a tone of authority, so that they feel confident in you as well.
So energetically, you lean in, and with that compassionate yet authoritative tone, you ask:

“How badly do you want this to change?”

If you’re compassionate and they’re authentic, the question will elicit emotion. There may be tears. There may be anger. There may be excitement.

And you will know instantly if the person is ready to make the change. If they are ready to buy.

Don’t respond by, then, going into a lot of detail about your product or service. People are not buying based on what your product or service contains.

They’re buying the outcome that they finally feel is possible for them.

If you start going into the details, you’re going to destroy that urgency to change that you’ve been building over the entire conversation.

Like sticking a pin into a balloon, the urgency is gone, and you’ve lost the sale.

What you want to do is stay present with them and solidify the commitment. Begin the relationship that will enrich both of your lives.

I absolutely love sales. It totally lifts my spirit, because it is the first step to change in a person’s life.

Without the sale, nothing happens.

The prospects just sit in their prison cells, never realizing that the life they want is attainable, if they’d just shift their perspective and reach outside their bars.

Fortunately, they have you.

Clarity Brings Urgency
When you’re successful during a discovery conversation with a prospective client, you’ve brought them to clarity about their situation, which, in turn, gives them the urgency to change.

Let me say that again, with clarity comes the urgency to change.

Part of the reason that people stay stuck is they’ve pushed their problem so far into the future that they can’t see it. One day, they’ll make enough money to take vacations. One day.

The problem is, “one day” will never come. Your prospects will stay stuck until they finally realize that there is only now.

If they want to increase their income, if they want the life of their dreams, now is the time to act.

To help guide them to that clarity, which, again, they have to realize for themselves, you want to ask them four simple questions. Here are the first two:

Question 1
The first question you ask during the discovery conversation with a prospect is some version of “What are you looking to accomplish?” It’s plain, simple and direct.

You do want to tailor that question to your specific business, product or service. For example, if you’re a financial planner, it makes sense to ask, “How much money do you want to make?”

Regardless of the wording you choose, after you ask the question, be quiet. Just listen, and they will tell you what you need to know about them.

Question 2
Next, you want to ask, “What is the biggest problem in your business (or life) right now?”

With this question, you’re finding out what they want and need, but, more important, they’re beginning to get clear about their problem.

After you ask the question, again, don’t say a word. Let them tell you what they think their problem is.

If you think that they’re incorrect about the nature of their problem, don’t tell them that or argue with them, because that does no good.

In fact, almost everyone’s answers to one or more of these questions will be wrong. That doesn’t matter.

What matters is that they’re starting to get clear in their minds that they have a problem, and they’re bringing that problem from some nebulous future into the present, where they can finally face it.

Look at it this way, if you have to tell them what their problem is, they haven’t accepted it yet in their mind.

And if they haven’t accepted it yet, if they’re saying, “I want to think about it” they still have unanswered questions. And, if that’s the case, there’s no way they’re moving forward.

In order to bring them to clarity and urgency and clinch the sale, you need to ask them two more questions. You’ll find those here next time.

You can’t tell people that you’re the right mentor for them. They’ll just get defensive and resist. You have to influence them so that they have that thought themselves. If the idea to work with you is their own, they’ll listen to it.

If you position yourself correctly to your ideal clients (Pillars 1-3), and then apply the 4th Pillar, this will happen automatically, and they will want to do business with you.

How do you apply the 4th Pillar?

You ask them questions during a discovery conversation that lead them to connect powerfully with their own truth.

The Discovery Conversation
During this conversation, two things need to take place simultaneously:

1. Control. You must control the conversation. This is essential for influence.

2. Discovery. You need to discover where they are in relationship to what they want and don’t want. Where are they in relationship to the problem?

You accomplish both of those goals by asking questions.

If You’re Telling, You’re Not Selling
Notice that I said you’re asking questions. You’re not telling them what to do or how they should be thinking about their problem or even what their problem is.

The old adage: “If you’re telling, you’re not selling” is 100% accurate. There are very few times during a sales conversation when you tell the prospects anything.

The first is in the beginning when you set up the parameters of the conversation.

And the second is at the end, when you tell them that you need their credit card and a signed contract.

Now, a couple of times you may need to move the conversation in another direction. You have to give it a little jolt because it got off course.

Why Are Questions so Important?
When you tell people what’s wrong with them or what they need, they get defensive, like I said. They go into their stories, and try to escape.

That’s when you’ll start to hear “objections,” such as they can’t afford it or it’s not the right time or they need to think about it.

The real issue is that they’re not clear yet. They likely don’t understand what their actual problem is, and they definitely can’t see its solution.

But no amount of you telling them what that problem is will bring them to clarity.

Asking them questions, however, can.

When you ask questions, you’re in your power, and you also put them in theirs.

Your questions uplift them. They lift up in their mind a different way of thinking about their problem, and they begin to connect the dots.

If you’ve followed the 4th Pillar, as I’m laying it out, they can finally see the true nature of their problem as well as its solution.

So what exactly do you ask them?

I’ll share those four questions with you next time.

Mastering the art of influence can enable you to close sales at a ratio of 80-100% in 15 minutes ~ provided you are talking to your ideal client.

Remember, your ideal client is not just a personification of your target market. These are people who already want or need your product or service, and they’re demonstrating an urgency to change by actively seeking a solution.

So the key to attracting your ideal client, as I said last time, is to determine exactly where they are demonstrating the need for what you do, both on- and offline.

Easy, right?

It actually is. And if you did the exercise in the last article, you should have a long list.

Ignorance or Fear
If you don’t have a long list and you’re not finding your ideal clients, there are really only two reasons. The first is ignorance: you don’t know how to find them. We solved that problem in the last article.

The other reason is fear, which can mask as ignorance. So, if you’re not finding your ideal clients, you have to ask yourself if you’re afraid to do so.

Listen, if that’s true for you, I get it. I’ve been there, and everybody I’ve worked with has been there as well.

All you have to do is make a little shift in your mind, and my job is to help you do that. If you want help with this, just schedule an appointment with my team.

Easy to Find
Because the truth is, your ideal clients are easy to find ~ especially in the Internet age.

When I first started, all I had was a magazine with a list of 100 top sellers. That’s it. A list of names and the states they lived in. I didn’t even know what cities they were in.

But I had the urgency to push past my own fear, so I called information for all the phone numbers that went with those names. And then I called everyone in that state with that name until I found the right person.

You can imagine, for a common name like Smith or Jones, that could take 50 phone calls. I would literally ask, “Are you the John Smith that was just listed in such and such magazine?” If they said no, I kept going until I found the right person.
When I finally reached that person, you know what I said? “I just called 50 John Smiths to find you. That’s how important this call is.”

With just that one list, I filled an entire seminar.

If I can do that, you can find your ideal clients and fill your workshops and classes or work with them one on one.

So what are you waiting for?

If you haven’t already done so, brainstorm about where your ideal clients are meeting on- and offline, and come up with your list. And then meet me back here for Pillar 4.

When people talk about their “ideal client,” they sometimes focus on attributes and demographics.

While identifying those qualities can be helpful, you’ll be much more successful if you define your “ideal client” this way:

Ideal clients are people who already have the urgency to change. You don’t have to convince them that they have a problem. They know it.

You also don’t have to twist their arms to get them to spend money to fix their problem. They’re already doing that too.

Their Urgency to Change
They’re buying books and going to conferences, seminars, and workshops. They’re actively seeking information and guidance in order to change.

An even more powerful indicator of their urgency is if they’re willing to travel. The farther they get from their house to look for help, the more money they’re spending to fix their problem. Not to mention the impact of travel itself: the affect on loved ones left behind, the logistics involved in packing, arranging for housesitting, child- or petcare, the disruption of their work.

When people are willing to travel, they are serious about change.

And those people are your ideal clients.

Your ideal clients are not the people who say, “I would go to that event if it were in my city or town. I just can’t fly across the country.”

Those people are stuck in their own reality. They do not have the urgency to change. And they are not your ideal clients.

It Starts with You
The only question you have to ask yourself is which stance do you take? Will you look for help beyond your hometown? Or, do you feel that travel is just too difficult, too expensive. If so, you are not influencing yourself.

Remember, part of influencing yourself is being willing to stretch and gain knowledge at the level where you want to be. If you’re trying to gain knowledge at your existing level, you’ll never advance.

And, as I’ve said repeatedly, if you can’t influence yourself, you don’t have a prayer of influencing others.

Where Are They?
The key to attracting your ideal clients with that urgency to change is to determine exactly where they are demonstrating the want and need for what you do, both online and offline.

Online: For instance, what online groups do they belong to? Who do they follow? On the Internet, you can learn all kinds of things about people just by looking at what they’re posting, what they like and don’t like, where they’re spending their money, etc.

Now, eventually, you want to build your business so that you have systems to draw people to you. And that’s something we can help you with. But if you don’t have those systems in place yet, you can certainly start with public information.

Offline: What conferences, conventions, and seminars do they attend? What self-help groups do they belong to? Where do they gather?

Sit down and start brainstorming and you should come up with a good-sized list.

If you don’t come up with a list of possibilities, you have to ask yourself another question:

Are you the one with the urgency problem?

I’ll pick it up here next time.

From the time we are helpless newborns to the moment of our deaths, we need – and seek – help from other people.

In fact, one of the very first things we learn is how to determine if a person can help us or not, and, subconsciously, we never stop looking for that person who can help us advance.

If you understand that truth and position yourself as a person of influence who can help others, without even knowing why, prospects will be drawn to you.

So if you’re ready to become a magnet to your ideal clients, here are the two remaining keys to positioning.

1. Dress the Part

“When people walk into a room, without even thinking about it, they start judging the other people based upon what they observe.

If you’re dressed to impress at business or networking events, that first impression is likely to be that you are “different,” which, as I explained last time, is the first step to being seen as a person of influence.

Dressing the part affects you as well. You feel more confident and carry yourself more powerfully when your hair is done and, if you’re a woman and wear makeup, your makeup is professionally applied, and you have on great shoes. It’s the same for men.

Now, dressing the part doesn’t necessarily mean conforming to a corporate ideal. You have to be you.

Wear clothing that is appropriate to your niche or style, but that makes you stand out and brings out your best. Draw others’ eyes to you and be proud as they wonder, Who is that man or woman?

At Home Too.

You also want to dress the part while making sales calls from home. You may think that no one is going to see you, but you will feel the way that you’re dressed. As I’ve said, if you hope to influence others, you have to first influence yourself.

If you take the time and make the effort to dress well and then have that 10-minute conversation with yourself before you get on the line, you’ll likely be astounded by the difference in your results.

2. Bring an Assistant with You

Let’s say that you’re at a networking event and you look great. You’ve also taken my advice from the last article and polarized the conversation, and you have determined that the person you’re speaking to would be an ideal client.

After the prospect agrees to a follow-up phone conversation with you, the final key to positioning yourself is to have an assistant with you. Pass the prospect on to your assistant to put you in their calendar and vice versa, and free you to move on to the next person.

As your assistant handles the logistics and builds excitement about you and your work, the prospect will rightfully sense that everything is about to change.

Meanwhile, you are exactly where you want to be: perfectly positioned to influence that prospect to choose the life of his or her dreams.