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Foot In The Door Technique Is Terrible Advice

Foot In The Door Technique Is Terrible AdviceFoot In The Door Technique is one recommended by many so-called "experts". Essentially, the idea is to use a small sale to develop a relationship, trust and experience with a new customer so that you can sell them something larger later on. Sounds smart, doesn't it? Yet it is terrible advice, and I will show you why.

The Foot In The Door Technique Disempowers You

One of the first really important things to realize about selling is this:

You have the same number of hours in the day as everyone else.

That billionaire has 24 hours.

That homeless person in the street has 24 hours.

You have 24 hours. No more, no less. And what will you choose to spend your time doing?

A "secret" of sales is that it takes the same effort to sell a low ticket product or service as it does to sell a high value one. So you can put your time in for small paydays, or larger ones. Which would you rather do?

Constantly struggling, trying to make small amounts of money at a time, is disempowering. Frankly, it's not exciting. After awhile, you're going to wonder why you are doing this. The struggle simply doesn't have a big enough payoff--and you'll give up.

The Foot In The Door Technique Positions You Poorly

If you're trying to find customers for a low-ticket item, something they kinda-sorta-maybe could use, something they could almost certainly get elsewhere...who are you attracting?

Risk-adverse, play-it-safe prospects who don't have any money.

Certainly NOT the movers and shakers you really want to be dealing with.

If I have to struggle to get $200 out of someone, they aren't a fit. I've done something wrong. The solution I've brought to the table isn't a true match for their problem. Or they don't have a problem big enough to make it worth my time to solve (I qualified badly).

If they can get what I'm offering for cheap from somewhere else, why should they deal with me? Where's the commitment from their side? Even if they do buy, how easily can I be replaced?

Tell me, does this sound like the game you want to be playing? Banking your financial life on?!

The Foot In The Door Technique Makes Selling More Difficult

Those who push the Foot In The Door technique make it sound as if selling is easier because of it. But what is the truth? You're going around trying to push some dinky solution on poorly qualified prospects, in the hope that their interest will be piqued.

Again, the people you'll end up talking to are broke, scared and indecisive.

Curious. The Foot In The Door technique actually says more about how you're feeling about yourself than anything else, doesn't it. You're attracting people who feel like you do. If you were confident your product or service was a real winner, you'd get out there, find big problems to solve with it, and get paid at the right level for it!

So now we have a nervous salesperson trying to get a weak prospect interested in a loss leader. Does this inspire confidence from anybody?

As soon as you tell the prospect what this foot in the door thing is, they'll either a) brush you off, because they are serious and want a real problem fixed, or b) find out all about it from you, then go and look for it at the lowest price if they decide it's worth the risk to implement. Remember, those who are attracted to Foot In The Door Technique offers are scared and cash-poor.

Not a situation that screams decisiveness.

Instead of this nonsense, get good at fulfilling something that solves a big problem for serious people. That's how to develop trust. Spend your precious time selling that. You'll be a lot more excited, attract better prospects, complete bigger projects, and make far more money.

>> Want Jason's help in figuring out what product or service you should be concentrating on? Click here to apply. Was this info helpful to you? Please Like, Share or Comment to let others know. Thank you! <<

4

How to Be a Salesman

how to be a salesmanWhat does it mean to be a salesman or saleswoman in our new era? The requirements of how to be a salesman have changed. While they may remain the same as 20 years ago in individual companies, what being a salesperson is has totally transformed in the most critical place--the mind of the customer.

Interestingly, the public continues to have the old view of how to be a salesperson: backslapping, guffawing, baloney-talking money grabbers. Your typical consumer has not met a professional salesperson. I don't even tell members of the general public that I'm a sales trainer, because the reaction I got was very negative. They thought I showed people how to screw other people out of their money.

And so on the one hand, the public views salespeople as slimy tricksters who will say anything to get an order, while most B2B businesses are well aware that how to be a salesman or saleswoman and be successful today is a completely different point of view and skillset. Are many businesses still directing their sales staff to sign up customers for whatever they can get out of them? Sure. The mental image of used car lots is a typical example, whether deserved or not. However, such businesses are today losing the reputation battle. And that kills sales.

Let me share some stats with you that clearly tell the tale...Prospects today believe:

95% of salespeople talk too much

82% of salespeople fail to differentiate themselves

86% of salespeople ask the wrong questions.

(stats courtesy of The Sales Board)

Holy...cow.

Those are some huge stats. They show a massive gulf between what prospects expect and what the great majority of salespeople are actually doing. Clearly, the large majority don't know how to be a salesman today.

How can you be a more effective salesperson?

How To Be a Salesman Today

Listen more than you speak.

Stand out positively to the prospect.

Ask better, more insightful questions.

(Except at the beginning and ending of your sales conversations, when you must speak more to lay out the ground rules, you should be speaking 30% of the time and listening 70%. Are you?)

(Are the words that come out of your mouth and appear in your marketing carbon a copy of everyone else's in your industry? "...long list of satisfied clients...best in class...amazing features..." If so, change them now!)

(Are your questions Yes/No, or open-ended?)

Genuinely trying to understand your prospect's world is the key. Your prospect doesn't want a list of features and benefits. They don't want a demo. They want out of their terrible, unbearable situation RIGHT NOW, if only they can find a trustworthy solution! And what are you doing to help them succeed in that effort? Do you think giving a presentation as soon as you can will accomplish this?

Customers today want a problem solver, not a product pusher. That's how to be a salesman now.

>> For more on how to be an effective, ethical salesperson, get the free SALES ON FIRE video training series. Want more? Get this FREE report on getting better customers and more money right here! <<