The Building Blocks of Persuasion
Hi Persuader,
One of the first things I teach to new students is the process of eliciting criteria. This is a simple process, but not necessarily easy. I am of the opinion that the greatest truths in life are the simple ones, are the clear ones, the ones that make the most amount of sense.
If you haven’t yet elevated the elicitation and utilization of criteria to one of the greatest truths in life, you soon will. For me, this ranks right up there with the law of gravity, the law of averages and the law of attraction.
Something came to me this week as I was creating a new lesson plan for my Elite Coaching Club. There was a change that happened in my life years ago that I’ve identified rather strongly now. I used to sell using SAD — the standard American diet of poor sales. I used simply regurgitate features and benefits, cross my fingers, and pray that the person wanted to buy what I was selling.
Then came the big shift: I began using criteria and everything changed. I didn’t have to cross my fingers anymore because I was selling, selling like crazy, selling like gravity, selling like averages, selling like magnetic attraction.
If you’re in sales, odds are you were taught this SAD way of sales. Think back to when you first started this. Do you recall times when your prospect would identify with something that you were saying and they would say, ‘Yes! I want what you have to offer.’
Do you recall the elation that you would feel? I hit on something they want!! I think we’re going to have a deal here!!
This didn’t happen as often as I wanted because this was before I understood the power of criteria and I would just get elated. I would think, I really figured it out this time.
The problem was that the elatedness I felt was transient because I didn’t figure it out, I lucked into it.
The fact is that we had successes in the past, but they didn’t happen with the regularity that we really wanted. So we began the process of working on developing ourselves. And if you’re involved with me, then the process of criteria elicitation has changed the way you sell.
There’s an assuredness that came over me which is something I wish for you too.
It’s a shift, an emotional difference was one of having the tools and the ability, and it’s a foregone conclusion that I would use them to the benefit of my clients and myself, to really ensure that I could do something to help them.
So to that end, I want you to begin to take on that emotional quality as you start to use the tools of criteria. It’s a foregone conclusion that you know how and will use these tools to help your client and you come to an understanding of what can be done. And as you do that, you’re setting in motion profound levels of rapport and belief in the mind of that client that will easily get them to give you all of the information you need to rapidly secure their criteria, and more importantly even, their high values.
Until Next Time,
Kenrick E. Cleveland