Advanced Sales Technique to Get Over Decision Maker Obstacle Ep 202

In the latest Gym Secrets podcast, the hosts discuss a sales technique known as 'labeling' to overcome decision-making obstacles in fitness transactions. They emphasize the importance of associating a positive attribute with the action you want the customer to take, reinforcing their desire to appear consistent with that attribute. The technique is detailed through an example of preemptively addressing the need for a spouse's approval in a sale, using tonality and rapport-building to cement the customer's self-perception as a confident decision-maker. The hosts, including the main speaker, caution against using this technique to manipulate and stress maintaining a neutral, curious tone to avoid pressuring the customer, ensuring the conversation remains a dialogue. Additionally, they encourage listeners to share the podcast to support entrepreneurs and end with a reminder to use labeling effectively in sales to avoid bringing up decision-maker objections later in the call.

• Individuals strive for consistency in their actions and self-perception.
• People avoid appearing inconsistent as it can affect their self-image and how others perceive them.

"And so they want to maintain consistency." "Because people do not like appearing inconsistent."

These quotes highlight the psychological need for consistency in one's actions and beliefs. The relevance is that maintaining consistency is a driving force behind decision-making and behavior.

• The podcast focuses on acquiring customers, increasing customer value, and retention in the fitness industry.
• It shares experiences, failures, and lessons learned in the journey of running a gym business.

"Welcome to the Gym Secrets podcast, where." "We talk about how to get more customers, how to make more per customer, and how to keep them longer, and the many failures and lessons that we have learned along the way. I hope you enjoy and subscribe."

These quotes serve as the podcast's introduction, outlining its purpose and the type of content listeners can expect, which revolves around business strategies in the fitness industry.

• The technique discussed is used to navigate common sales objections, particularly in fitness sales.
• The obstacle often encountered is the prospect needing to consult with a spouse before making a purchase.
• This sales technique was first introduced to Speaker B in a psychology class and later by Frank Kern in sales training.

"It advanced sales technique to get over decision maker obstacles." "So one of the big obstacles you have in any selling situation, especially in a transactional sale like fitness, is I have to talk to my spouse."

Speaker B introduces a sales technique designed to overcome objections, specifically the challenge of a prospect needing to consult with a spouse. This quote sets the stage for discussing a method to address such sales hurdles.

• Labeling is a psychological technique used to influence behavior by associating positive attributes with desired actions.
• It leverages the desire to reinforce positive self-perception and can be used in both sales and personal contexts.
• The technique involves complimenting someone on a positive trait and connecting that trait to an action you want them to take.

"And so it's called essentially, and I'll tell you a quick story about how I used it in a non sales situation, and you can use it in your life as well. But labeling has nothing to do with the obstacle overcome, but it is the technique that makes it work." "And so basically what you want to do is label someone with a positive attribute and then associate that attribute with the action that you want them to take."

Speaker B describes the labeling technique, explaining how it can be applied beyond sales to influence behavior by linking positive attributes to specific actions. The explanation of the technique demonstrates how it functions as a persuasive tool.

• Speaker B provides an example of how to use labeling to encourage a behavior, such as daily outreach tasks.
• The example illustrates the application of the technique by reinforcing a positive trait (work ethic) to motivate consistent actions (doing reach outs).

"So, for example, if I said to you, it's awesome that you've been crushing the program, you're definitely someone who has lots of work ethic and is a successful person. And because of that, that's why you're always doing your 100 reach outs every day."

This quote gives a practical example of how labeling can be used to promote a desired behavior by affirming a positive characteristic and linking it to an ongoing action. It demonstrates how the technique can be implemented in a real-world scenario.

• People desire to appear consistent with how they are labeled or perceived.
• Labeling can influence behavior, especially in sales.
• Affirming someone's positive self-perception can make them more likely to act in accordance with that perception.

"A conversation, people want to be consistent." "With a positive attribute that you've labeled them with."

These quotes highlight the psychological desire for individuals to remain consistent with the positive attributes assigned to them by others. This is particularly relevant in social interactions and sales tactics where such labels can influence decision-making.

• Labeling is used as a technique to overcome objections in sales.
• The strategy involves preemptively asking if the person needs to consult with someone else before making a decision.
• When the person asserts their independence, the salesperson reinforces this self-perception with a positive label.

"And so it works extremely well in selling situations." "So, hey, before we get going, do you need to check with anyone, your husband, spouse, et cetera, to make a decision to help your health?"

Speaker B discusses how labeling is effective in sales by preemptively addressing potential objections related to decision-making authority. By asking if the customer needs to consult with someone else, it prompts them to assert their independence, which the salesperson can then affirm with a positive label.

• The salesperson reinforces the customer's assertion of independence by associating it with a strong, positive identity.
• This reinforcement is designed to make the customer more committed to that identity and thus more likely to follow through with the decision.

"So you're like a strong, confident woman, just like my wife. I would know. I married one. She always makes her own decisions. So that's great that you are that way."

Speaker B demonstrates how to reinforce the customer's self-perception by comparing them to another strong, independent individual, thereby validating their decision-making ability and encouraging them to maintain this self-view.

• The aim is to solidify the customer's self-perception so that they feel compelled to act consistently with it throughout the sales process.
• People generally want to avoid appearing inconsistent, especially in social contexts.

"And so they want to maintain consistency." "Because people do not like appearing inconsistent in any kind of social situation."

Speaker A and Speaker B explain that once a customer has committed to a self-perception of independence, they are likely to want to maintain that consistency. This is leveraged in sales to encourage a consistent behavior pattern that aligns with the established self-perception.

• Tonality can greatly influence how a question is received and how likely a person is to respond affirmatively.
• In sales, particularly over the phone, the tone of voice can suggest the desired response to the customer.

"Mind you, the tonality you use in the question will dictate how frequently people give you a yes."

Speaker B emphasizes the significance of tonality in sales communication, suggesting that the way a question is asked can predispose the customer to respond in a certain way. This can be particularly effective when selling over the phone where visual cues are absent.

• Establishing a connection with clients is crucial in sales.
• Comparing the client to someone you care about can create a positive association.
• This technique builds rapport by highlighting shared values or experiences.

My wife's the same way. And so just like that, I also built some rapport because I drove a bridge between her and someone that I clearly would care about.

The speaker illustrates rapport-building by drawing a parallel between the client's behavior and that of a loved one, suggesting a personal connection and shared understanding.

• Assigning positive identity labels to clients can influence their behavior in conversations.
• Women, for example, often want to be seen as strong and confident.
• Affirming these qualities can lead clients to act consistently with the positive label.

So most women want to be perceived as strong, confident women. And so by giving them that label. They now need to live up to that label during the conversation, right?

The speaker discusses the strategy of ascribing a positive identity to a client, which psychologically encourages them to embody that identity throughout the interaction.

• The host does not run ads or sell products, relying on audience support.
• Encourages listeners to rate, review, and share the podcast.
• Audience engagement helps the podcast reach more entrepreneurs and can have a broader impact.

Guys, you guys already know that I don't run any ads on this and I don't sell anything. And so the only ask that I can ever have of you guys is that you help me spread the word so we can help more entrepreneurs make more money, feed their families, make better products, and have better experiences for their employees and customers.

The host explains the ad-free, product-free nature of the podcast and requests audience support through ratings and shares to extend the podcast's reach and positive influence.

• In sales, directly challenging a client's previous statements can be counterproductive.
• It's important to choose being successful over being right in sales situations.
• The sales process should be approached as a cooperative dance, not a confrontational fight.

That being said, if someone brings up the decision maker obstacle at the end of the call, here's the unfortunate thing about sales is that you can't bring up what they said earlier because you don't win sales by making lots. You don't win sales by proving someone wrong.

The speaker advises against confronting clients with their prior statements, emphasizing that winning a sales argument often results in losing the sale. The approach should be understanding and fluid rather than defensive.

• Using a curious, non-confrontational tone can be beneficial during a sales call.
• Adopting a curious tone can prevent the customer from feeling attacked and maintain their status.

"And so you have childlike curiosity in your tonality, which is like, oh, why do you think that is right? Rather than what do you mean right?"

This quote highlights the importance of using a curious and non-threatening tone when questioning a potential customer, as it can lead to a more productive conversation and prevent the customer from becoming defensive.

• Set expectations early in the call for a decision by the end.
• Avoid directly confronting customers if they hesitate to commit, as it can damage their sense of status and lead to disengagement.

"Hey, you need to tell me by the end of the call if you can make a yes or a no. If they say they have to think about it, you can't bring that up."

The speaker emphasizes setting clear expectations for a decision but advises against pressing the customer too hard if they are not ready to commit, as this could backfire.

• Maintain a neutral and light tone towards the end of a sales call to alleviate pressure.
• The goal is to keep the conversation feeling like a dialogue.

"End of the sale, you keep your tonality totally neutral, even more light during that period of time. So they feel like there's no pressure."

This quote advises salespeople to keep their tone neutral and light as the sale concludes to ensure the customer does not feel pressured, which could jeopardize the sale.

• Explore reasons behind customer hesitations to help them reach their own positive conclusions.
• Use past positive experiences to reinforce their decision-making.
• Introduce the concept of labeling as a sales technique.

"And you're exploring the reasons of why that may be and trying to pull out from them the reasons that you're going to eventually get them to come to their own conclusion about why their husband would support them."

The speaker describes how exploring the customer's reasons for hesitation and referencing past support can guide them to a positive conclusion on their own.

• Labeling can be used early in the sales process to set a positive preframe.
• It can help in handling objections and moving the sale forward.

"You can use it during your prefame and it will help you get more people to the end without bringing that back up."

This quote suggests using labeling as a technique to create a positive framework for the sale and to navigate potential objections without needing to revisit them directly.

• The speaker offers to provide more short, tactical sales advice if the audience finds it helpful.
• Encourages audience interaction through likes and comments.

"So anyways, use that in your sales. If you're struggling with that specific over, I'll make short, tactical things like this if you like it."

The speaker is offering further sales advice and tactics, indicating a willingness to tailor content to the audience's struggles and preferences, while also encouraging engagement.