Seven Signals that a Prospect Likes What You are Saying (Part 2)
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This is part two of a two-part series. You can read part one here.
In part 1, I spoke about why you should never oversell by talking too much or about something irrelevant to the prospect. But when you do see a buying signal, it’s a cue they want to move on. Use a trial close like, “Does this seem like the right approach?” or “Do you like this idea so far?”
Here are three more subtle cues that a prospect likes the solution you are presenting.
The whistling teapot
Having watched hundreds of hours of video on buyer behavior, prospects will invariably lean forward in their chair or toward you while standing when they accept your ideas. The “whistling teapot” is one buying signal indication that they are ready to commit. If you see them suddenly move forward, they are indicating a change in behavior. That change is your buying signal cue.
About 20 years ago, I spoke at a Canadian sales conference in Edmonton. I made the mistake of admitting that I was a guest speaker to the Canadian immigration officials. Unfortunately, the officials detained me for over four hours claiming that, without a work permit, I was taking jobs away from Canadians. Ironically, if I was a terrorist asking for asylum, they would have released me immediately. They only delay was waiting for the next flight back to the U.S. to deport me. One immigration official said the meeting planner could have found a local Canadian speaker, although he didn’t know anyone off-hand.
About an hour earlier, the officials allowed me to go out past immigration, to tell my host, who had been waiting to pick me up, he could come in to see me. After two hours of negotiation, I finally was able to convince the inspector that a speaker on sales psychology, who was a past pro tennis player and the author of 17 books, would be hard to replace at midnight for a meeting the next morning with 600 attendees. As I said this, the immigration official leaned into the whistling teapot buying signal. I stopped talking and said, “What do you think?” The official immediately mentioned that there was one area of the regulation allowing a foreign speaker to present for less than an hour over lunch, as long as it was a free speech. I jokingly said, “That’s me.” He smiled back.
The problem was my host meeting planner. He sat quietly with me up to that point, decided that he had taken enough crap from these immigration thugs. The timing couldn’t have been worse. The meeting planner missed not only the buying signal, but also the even more obvious verbal cues. The official then leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms and legs. He told me again that he was going to deport me. It took me another two hours to get the official back on my side.
The sitting tremor
Like the whistling teapot, the “sitting tremor? is also displayed by moving forward or leaning toward you. Your prospect is signaling, “Stop talking already, let me buy!” There is a difference. If your prospect sits forward from the beginning of the meeting, their back may just be sore. But if you suddenly see him move forward, you better trial close.
Verbal cues
Verbal buying signals are more obvious. You have heard them over the phone or in person without even knowing it. These buying signals are, “When can we get this started? Is there something to sign?” And, “What are the next steps?” All of these are obvious signals that your prospect has heard enough and wants to engage you.
Like non-verbal cues, you should trial close after you hear a verbal buying signal. I watched one advisor spot a buying signal and then trial close. The prospect said, “Great, let’s do it.” She then startled me by saying to the prospect, “Are you sure?” The prospective client then said, “I don’t know, shouldn’t I be?” Then she was off to the races trying to recover.
Getting commitment and implementing a financial plan is all about probing for needs, providing solutions that work, and then getting your client to accept your recommendations. Most of the time, your clients will show and tell you when they are ready to buy. If you miss those cues, you may miss the sale. Good luck and pay attention!
I would love to send you a free video of “Buying Signals.” Write me at [email protected] or call 714-368-3650. I will send the video after we spend a few minutes talking about your goals for increasing business this year.
Dr. Kerry Johnson is “America’s Business Psychologist.” He is the best-selling author of 17 books including the recently released, How to Recruit, Hire and Retain Great People. He is also a frequent speaker at financial conferences around the world. Peak Performance Coaching, his one-on-one coaching program, promises to increase your business by 80% in 8 weeks. To see if you are a candidate for this fast-track system, click on www.KerryJohnson.com/coaching and take a free evaluation test. You will learn about your strengths and what is holding you back. Or call, 714-368-3650 for more information.
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