Conquering Your Fear of Yes
Podcasts can be an invaluable resource for anyone in any business. I became addicted to podcasts after my husband and I both received ipods as wedding gifts last year. Initially, my podcast addiction was fairly limited – particularly to my favorite NPR shows that I like to listen to while walking the dogs. Within the past couple of months however, I have begun downloading and listening to any podcasts I can find on selling in general, and direct sales in particular. The series I am currently listening to is called “Sales Warrioir” and the most recent podcast sparked the idea that led to this article.
As someone who coaches sales people, I have often used the phrase, “people are terrified of the word ‘no’.” What this podcast made me realize is that sales people are not afraid of the word “no,” they are actually afraid of the word “yes”! Anyone who is in sales knows exactly what to do when they hear the word “no.” “No, I don’t want to book a party,” “no I don’t need any additional product,” “no, I’m not interested in joining the business at this time.” In these situations you say “no problem, I completely understand. Thank you very much for your time and is there anyone to whom you could refer me who might be interested in a party or in the business opportunity?”
What this podcast said was that when people are caught off guard is when they hear the word “yes!” And I realized that is very true for direct sellers – especially those who are new to the business. We are so prepared to hear the word “no,” that we genuinely don’t know how to respond when we hear the word “yes!” This lack of knowing how to respond can be so paralyzing that it can actually prevent people from asking someone to book a party or join the business! Fortunately, I have a very simple solution (please note that while I talk about this solution in terms of booking a party – it can be applied to any situation where getting a date is required). When someone says “yes, I would love to book a party,” all you have to do is respond “fantastic, would a weekend or weeknight work better for you?” When the person answers, offer two different dates, approximately two weeks out. That’s all there is to it!
This technique is called an “alternative close.” An alternative close is simply offering someone two different choices. Think about yourself and your life for a moment. If someone said to you, “when would you like to get together?” Your mind is likely to conjure up every appointment and outing you have between here and next July. On the other hand, if a friend says “I would love to see you dinner are you free sometime this week or this weekend,” you can easily make that decision. Use this technique the next time you need to firm up a date on the calendar, and I bet you will be amazed at the results.
