Leave it to the Future
Hi Persuader,
In my Elite Coaching Club, we get into some things that are quite advanced. One of the recent techniques I’ve been talking about is called ‘future pacing’.
Future pacing is a phenomenal strategy that reminds your prospect of all the reasons they made the decision to purchase or sign up with you, and transfers all of those reasons to the future, reminding them why, through triggers and signals that you will have installed.
I do this every time I sell without thinking twice because it’s such a powerful way to help your prospect or client lock in the decision no matter what outside influences say or regardless of the second thoughts they may have themselves.
With that said, I’m not going to get into the technique too deeply, but I’d like to tell you a story about how I used this when I was a young man selling health spa memberships.
I had an eighteen year old guy come in and he wanted to buy a membership so I sold it to him. I didn’t even really have to ‘sell’ it to him because he was so eager to sign up.
After he signed the contract, I went through some future pacing and said, ‘Imagine if someone tried to tell you that you that signing up with us was a bad decision and how stupid are you to pay for a membership, what would cause you to stay with the decision anyway?’
And he said, ‘I want this and no one’s going to talk me out of it. I do what I want.’
I said, ‘Okay. Supposing you begin to doubt the decision yourself, what would cause you to stay with this decision?’
He explained, ‘I absolutely know what I want and I want this membership. I make my own decisions and that’s it.’
Later that day my phone rings. The young man’s mom is on the phone. ‘Hey, you sold my son a gym membership.’
I said, ‘He came in and bought one, I didn’t have to sell it to him.’
And she said, ‘Okay, he bought a membership. I’d like you to cancel it and send me notice that it’s been done.’
I said, ‘I’m sorry, can’t do that. He’s over eighteen otherwise I couldn’t have sold it to him. He needs to bring in the paperwork, as per the terms of the agreement that he signed, and we’ll be happy to cancel it. He has seventy-two hours to do it.’
‘Okay, she said, ‘We’ll be in tomorrow.’
So in they come the next day together. His head was hanging low and he said, ‘I need to cancel this, and I wanted to bring my mom in so she can see the club. Can I go work out today and show my mom through the club? And then I’ll stop by on the way out and I’ll cancel it?’
I said, ‘Absolutely. Go right ahead.’
So he went and worked out. Well apparently they drove separate cars if I remember the correctly and the kid ducked out and left his mom there.
She came up to me and said, ‘Okay, we need to get this canceled.’
I said, ‘Great. Give me the contract and I’ll be happy to cancel it for you.’
She said, ‘I don’t have it. He has it.’
I said, ‘I have to follow the terms of our agreement and I will be more than happy to cancel it, just bring me the contract within seventy-two hours.’
The next day the kid comes in, brings the agreement and says, ‘I’m supposed to give this to you, but before I do, can I just work out?’
I said, ‘Sure. Go ahead.’
So he worked out and left without seeing me.
The third day came. His mother dragged him in and said, ‘Give the man the goddamn contract.’ He handed it to me.
She said, ‘Cancel the contract.’
I turned to him and said, ‘Do you want it canceled?’
He said, ‘No.’ And he started arguing with his mother. He was ready to sever the relationship with his mother over this gym membership.
At this point, I took the membership and canceled it. I realized what had happened. I hadn’t given it a second thought until I saw this kid unable to hand back the agreement because he had made a decision and I had future paced it.
When you future pace something, you lock it into the mind of the person and I’m telling you right now that with the power of the strength of their own mind, you will have virtually locked them in.
For more advanced techniques such as future pacing, talk to Kim.
Until Next Time,
Kenrick E. Cleveland