"Why didn't they buy?" After meeting with President Kennedy to request support for some legislation, a visitor was disappointed when JFK later did not approve of it. The visitor asked the person who had been the referral to meeting with the president, "What happened?!" and the referral-giver subsequently asked JFK.
The president responded that unfortunately the visitor had mistaken a warm smile and a friendly handshake for a guarantee of support.
Keep this in mind.
Prospects are afraid of getting ripped off by bad salespeople. Consequently, they're cautious. They will act friendly, and say things that will give you the impression they are about to buy. All they are doing, however, is fishing for a free education and unpaid consulting--from you.
Don't be an unpaid consultant. What you know is valuable. Just because a prospect behaves in a friendly manner, and tells you how great of a person you are...how knowledgeable you are...how everyone should know about you...doesn't mean a darn thing.
These behaviors are called "strokes". Be watchful for strokes. "Wow, I've always wanted to know about that! And boy do you sound like you know what you're talking about! Tell me all about it!" That's a stroke. Notice it. Notice the demand for free consulting at the end of it.
When a prospect compliments you, it's probably a stroke. Watch for the request for free consulting right afterwards.
Your job is not to give away your expertise for free. Your job is to get paid for sharing your expertise. When you identify a stroke, smile. Say, "I appreciate it," and then direct the conversation back to finding out why they want to know what you know. "I'd be happy to tell you about it. Can I ask you a question?" Wait for the OK. "What is it that makes you ask?" You want to find out what's going on in their world. Is there a problem you can solve? Make sure you get paid to solve it.
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