Unlocking the Secrets of Ethical Sales Persuasion (GymCon Day 3) Pt. 1 Ep 565

In this insightful discussion, the speaker, who is building a billion-dollar venture with acquisition.com, delves into the psychology of sales and the fine line between helpful persuasion and manipulation. They emphasize the importance of intention in sales ethics, arguing that selling should be an educational process aimed at helping clients make beneficial decisions. The speaker criticizes lazy selling, which relies on personal stories, and advocates for a more logical approach that caters to a broader audience. They provide frameworks for overcoming common sales objections related to time, value, and self-doubt, highlighting the necessity of belief in the product and trust in the sales process. The speaker also underscores the power of sales as a tool for influence and change, urging salespeople to prioritize the prospect's well-being over the sale itself.

• Speaker A discusses the impact of "powerless statements" on people's emotions and purchasing decisions.
• Being a victim of one's own life is equated to the use of powerless statements.
• These statements are detrimental to both personal empowerment and sales effectiveness.

"This is what causes emotional disturbance in people. This is also why people don't buy. These are all powerless statements. So this is basically the victim handbook."

The quote highlights how powerless statements can create emotional disturbance, prevent people from making purchases, and contribute to a victim mentality.

• Speaker A expresses regret that prominent figures like Bezos, Musk, and Buffett did not document their journeys.
• He is documenting his own journey through acquisition.com to compensate for this missed opportunity.
• The goal is to build a billion-dollar business and share the process with others.

"I always wish Bezos, Musk and Buffett had documented at their journey. So I'm doing it for the rest of us."

This quote conveys the speaker's desire to provide a documented roadmap of success akin to that of famous entrepreneurs, aiming to inspire and educate others.

• Different sales styles are acknowledged, with a focus on understanding the psychology behind persuasion.
• The speaker criticizes reliance on personal stories in sales, as it limits the audience one can effectively sell to.
• Speaker A introduces the ethical dimension of sales, emphasizing intention as the differentiator between help and manipulation.
• He stresses the importance of honesty and belief in the product being sold.

"The difference between help and manipulation is intention."

The speaker underlines the ethical line in sales, where the intention behind influencing behavior determines whether it is helpful or manipulative.

• Speaker A identifies as a logical closer and advocates for logical closing as a means to achieve long-term customer satisfaction.
• He suggests that relying solely on emotional appeals can lead to buyer's remorse or a lack of commitment.
• The presentation aims to provide frameworks for decision making in sales, emphasizing logic over emotion.

"I tend to lean towards being a little bit more of a logical salesman, if you want to call it that. And I think it served me well."

This quote indicates the speaker's preference for logical over emotional sales tactics, suggesting it has been beneficial for him.

• Speaker A references Charlie Munger and the moral responsibility to be rational, applying this concept to selling.
• The speaker acknowledges the existence of both logical and emotional buyers and the need to adapt sales strategies accordingly.
• He observes that higher levels in the business world tend to have more logical buyers.

"Charlie Munger, big hero of mine, he said, we have a high moral responsibility to be rational."

The speaker quotes Munger to emphasize the importance of rationality in selling, suggesting that it carries a moral weight.

• Speaker A shares his beliefs about selling, including that people inherently want to believe and buy, and the seller's role is to help justify the decision.
• He differentiates between selling and closing, handling obstacles, and the normality of receiving a 'no' from prospects.
• The importance of setting the right expectations during the sale to influence long-term customer relationships is highlighted.
• Selling is framed as helping prospects make decisions that benefit themselves, with the prospect's interests as the priority.

"Selling is helping prospects make decision to help themselves."

This quote summarizes the speaker's belief that sales should be about aiding prospects in making beneficial decisions for themselves.

• The discussion transitions to closing techniques, maintaining curiosity, and viewing closing as a dance rather than a fight.
• Selling is described as a transference of belief over a bridge of trust, emphasizing the necessity of belief in the product for successful sales.
• Speaker A stresses the power of belief in sales and the importance of a sales team's belief in the product.

"Selling is a transference of belief over a bridge of trust."

This quote encapsulates the speaker's view of selling as an exchange of conviction and confidence between the seller and the buyer.

• The speaker emphasizes the importance of genuinely believing in the product you are selling.
• A lack of belief in the product will negatively impact the ability to sell.
• Demonstrating belief is not just about saying the leads are good, but about taking actions that show you truly value the product.

"If you believed, you would have been like, dude, these leads are so good. Right now I'm studying for my real estate exam so I can start taking these leads."

This quote illustrates the speaker's point that true belief in a product is shown through actions and commitment, not just words.

• Trust is built when the salesperson genuinely wants to help the customer.
• Humans are adept at detecting insincerity, often referred to as "commission breath."
• The focus should be on prioritizing the human aspect over the sale itself.

"You can only build trust if you generally want to help."

This quote underlines the necessity of having a genuine desire to assist customers in order to build trust and succeed in sales.

• Belief and trust are not binary but exist on a spectrum.
• The depth of belief in your product and the level of trust from the prospect are crucial factors in sales success.
• The language used around belief and trust should reflect their continuous nature.

"It's how much do they trust you? How deep is your belief?"

The quote stresses that the degree of trust and belief matters more than simply having them, and this influences the ease of making a sale.

• Engaging in difficult conversations is necessary for both team and customer relations.
• The ability to have these conversations with your team will make it easier to do so with prospects.

"The person who cares the most about the prospect wins the deal."

This quote suggests that genuine care for the prospect's needs is a key determinant in securing a deal.

• Documenting sales is crucial for learning and improvement.
• The speaker regrets not having a record of past sales which could be valuable today.

"Record all your sales. Always."

This quote is a straightforward directive emphasizing the importance of keeping a record of sales interactions for future reference and learning.

• Closing is about helping prospects to make a decision, not just to make a purchase.
• Sales teams should be rewarded for facilitating decisions, regardless of the outcome.
• The ability to influence decisions is a form of power in sales.

"The goal of closing is to get someone to decide not to buy."

This quote reflects the speaker's belief that the true objective in closing is to assist in the decision-making process, rather than pushing for a purchase.

• Sales is equated with the power to influence and direct people.
• Those who are uncomfortable with power should examine their reasons.
• Power can be used for positive impacts, such as building hospitals, or negative ones, like building bombs.

"Sales is power. And if that makes you feel queasy, then I think you should check yourself and think like, why do I not want to be powerful, right?"

This quote challenges the listener to consider their relationship with power and its role in sales.

• Selling happens throughout the entire process, from engaging to closing.
• The discussion focuses on the final stages of selling, the "last five yards."
• The ability to close is a critical skill, especially in competitive fields like fitness.

"Everything you have to do after asking for the sale to get someone to buy."

This quote defines closing as all the actions taken after the initial sale pitch to secure a purchase.

• Approximately 10% of prospects will never buy, and 10% will buy regardless of the sales effort.
• The remaining 80% of prospects need help in making a decision, which is where training comes into play.

"80% of people need help deciding, and this is why we train."

The quote highlights the importance of training to address the majority of prospects who require assistance in their decision-making process.

• The speaker views decision-making as an exercise in power.
• People often give away their power by blaming external factors for their circumstances.
• Empowering individuals to make decisions can lead to them taking actions to improve their lives, including making purchases.

"You're only one decision away from changing your life forever."

This quote encapsulates the transformative potential of decision-making and its significance in the context of sales and personal empowerment.

• Ethical selling involves keeping the prospect's goals at the center of the decision-making process.
• Salespeople should be happy with the prospect's decision, even if it does not result in a sale.
• This approach to sales ethics positions the salesperson as untouchable because they do not need anything from the prospect.

"Helping someone make a decision help themselves does not mean buying from you."

This quote conveys the principle that ethical selling prioritizes the prospect's best interest over the salesperson's desire to close a deal.

• The speaker encourages the audience to apply decision-making frameworks to their own lives and to use them to empower prospects.
• Understanding and practicing these frameworks can increase personal power and effectiveness in sales.

"Use these frameworks to help prospects help themselves and then finally just become more powerful yourself."

The quote advises using decision-making frameworks as a tool for self-improvement and to assist prospects, thereby enhancing one's own power and influence in sales.

• Obstacles occur before presenting an offer; they are limiting beliefs that hinder decision-making.
• Objections are expressions of disapproval or opposition after the offer is presented.
• The goal is to eliminate as many obstacles as possible before the close.
• Addressing obstacles puts you in an offensive position, giving you control over the situation.

"Obstacles happen before you present the offer. Objections happen after."

This quote explains the timing of obstacles and objections within the sales process, emphasizing the importance of addressing obstacles early on.

"We want to destroy as many of these obstacles as we possibly can."

The speaker underscores the proactive approach to dealing with obstacles, aiming to clear as many as possible to smooth the path to the close.

• The customer must desire the goal and believe in the product's ability to achieve it.
• They must trust in the support they will receive from you and others.
• Proof is essential to convince customers that it is more reasonable to believe in the product than not to.
• Testimonials and evidence of success are used to build this trust.

"The person has to really want the goal and believe that, one, the product will get to them to their goal."

This quote emphasizes the necessity of the customer's belief in the product and their goal for a successful sale.

"You have to provide proof that it'd be more reasonable for them to believe than to not believe."

The speaker highlights the need for providing compelling evidence to the customer to overcome skepticism.

• Richard Feynman's philosophy: understand principles, not formulas.
• Learning frameworks enable lifelong skills in handling high-stakes decisions.
• The focus is on understanding over memorization for effective communication.

"If you can understand the frameworks I'm going to show you, then you'll be equipped to have these conversations with your prospects for the rest of your life."

This quote emphasizes the long-term benefit of understanding fundamental principles in sales and decision-making.

• Albert Ellis's three causes of emotional disturbance relate to circumstances, other people, and self.
• These causes also reflect the reasons why people don't buy, as they represent powerless statements.
• Understanding these causes helps navigate through layers of resistance in prospects.

"There's only three things that people get upset about, and they also are the same three things that people cast their power to."

This quote summarizes the core reasons behind emotional disturbances and decision-making challenges according to Albert Ellis.

• Circumstances, other people, and self are layers of blame that need to be addressed.
• Prospects may have multiple layers of resistance, and each layer must be peeled back to empower them to make a decision.
• Recognizing the layer of resistance helps in effectively addressing and overcoming it.

"When a prospect presents with a circumstance issue, then you are at the outermost layer of their in."

This quote explains that resistance based on circumstances is just the surface level, and deeper issues may need to be addressed.

• Time: "I don't have time for it."
• Value: "I don't have the money for it."
• Fit: "This isn't for me."
• Authority: "I have to talk to my spouse, partner, etc."
• Avoidance: "I need to think about it."

"These are the five... time obstacles, value obstacles, fit obstacles, authority, and then self."

This quote lists the five ways in which obstacles manifest, each representing a different type of resistance to be overcome.

• Macro: Addressing the belief that they can't be successful if busy.
• Micro: Showing that the issue is not about time, but priorities.
• Highlighting the ability to manage commitments even when busy is essential for lifelong success.

"Busy's the best time because that's when you need the most support."

This quote offers a counterintuitive perspective that being busy is the optimal time to start because support is most needed then.

"Do you think there's anyone else on earth who's had less time than you who's been able to make this happen?"

The speaker challenges the time obstacle by questioning the prospect's perspective on time, suggesting it's a matter of prioritization rather than a lack of time.

• Importance of using time effectively and eliminating unproductive activities.
• The concept of gaining time by cutting out activities that don't contribute to success.
• The possibility of success and staying in shape by having the right tools and approach.
• The importance of focusing on productive tasks to make more money and achieve better results.

"So you're going to actually gain all that time back. So it's going to be a net positive, because have you seen anyone else who's been able to be successful, do the things you want to do and stay in shape?"

This quote emphasizes the benefit of eliminating unproductive activities to free up time for more important tasks and the idea that success is achievable with the right methods.

• The fallacy of postponing actions until a certain condition is met.
• The necessity of taking action to achieve desired outcomes, rather than waiting for perfect conditions.
• The importance of making time rather than waiting to find time.

"It's like, well, your shit's not working. Obviously, you're spending all your hours doing it, and you're not making any more money spending time on the wrong stuff."

This quote highlights the inefficiency of waiting for the perfect moment to start something, suggesting that time should be made for important activities, rather than waiting for time to become available.

• The link between perceived value and willingness to invest.
• The idea that affordability is often a matter of perceived value rather than actual financial capability.
• The importance of communicating value effectively to overcome price objections.

"If you communicate enough value, the resources are never an issue."

This quote underscores the concept that when something is perceived as valuable enough, people will find the resources to afford it, indicating that the sales process should focus on conveying value.

• The principle of treating every potential customer equally, regardless of their appearance or circumstances.
• The idea that everyone deserves an opportunity to improve their lives, and it's a salesperson's job to facilitate that.
• The significance of building rapport and trust to have honest conversations about finances and priorities.

"I was an equal opportunity salesman. And I don't mean that in a woke political way. I mean, that it's like if every person who walked in the door is like, their money spends the same."

This quote reflects the speaker's commitment to providing equal sales efforts to all potential customers, emphasizing the ethics of not prejudging based on appearances.

• Techniques to address and overcome objections related to cost.
• The strategy of reframing the cost as a commitment to success.
• The importance of separating the price from the belief in the product's efficacy.
• The concept of not letting past failures prevent future opportunities.

"So then you can transition. It's like, hey, well, before I even close you on that one, would you even believe me if I said it was one 10th of the price, that it was going to do all the things I promised I'd be like, well, no, you're like, right, so you knew you're going to do this either way, right?"

This quote illustrates a technique to shift the conversation from cost to the customer's belief in the product's ability to deliver results, suggesting that the objection is not truly about the price.

• The inevitability of money being spent and the choice of where to allocate it.
• The idea that investing money in something valuable is better than spending it on unnecessary items.
• The concept of spending money to save time, as time is often more valuable.

"You're going to be buying the lessons from this program either way. The question is whether you want to spend time. We're going to spend money. You're buying them either way."

This quote discusses the inevitability of paying for the benefits of a program either through time or money, and the value of spending money to save time, which is a practice commonly adopted by wealthy individuals.