7 STEPS TO THE INTROVERTS EDGE
Based on the book by Matthew Pollard
The crux of the book is a seven-step formula to selling for introverts:-
How can someone, who by personality type is principally concerned with their own affairs and always in-ward looking, push their wares to the undesirable outside world?
Step 1: Trust and Agenda
This step is based on connecting with the other person (potential buyer) on a personal level, and mapping out the conversation you will have with them.
The book provides a list of ways to enter into a non-salesy conversation to build rapport and trust, without losing control of the conversation. There are tips on how to advance the chat but stay on track toward the goal of closing the sale.
Step 2: Ask Probing Questions
Learn how to use questions that reveal the potential buyer’s pain point. Pollard recommends thinking like a doctor, who uses past experience with patients, and a pressing around the wound or injury, to identify a cause. The treatment required is then offered. This section is also about listening to understand your potential buyer.
Step 3: Qualification
Don’t waste time on the gatekeeper, but speak with the decision-maker. You may wonder why this is step three when it would be useful to know if you’re dealing with the right person from the get-go. Pollard deems it important to build rapport and get to know the other person first, to avoid any offense or irritation when it comes time to as “are you the right person?”
Step 4: Story-Based Selling
This step outlines the science of storytelling to support sales, using the paint points already exposed to tell a story of comparison. It demonstrates the stages to creating your story as (i) the problem (ii) analysis and implementation (iii) outcome (iv) moral of the story.
Step 5: Deal with objections
Understand what the objections to purchasing might be, and have a story or stories ready to sidestep them. The beauty of storytelling in this step is to avoid a “right or wrong” scenario and provide a story that doesn’t require a yes or no answer.
Step 6: Trial close
There’s a great quote that comes at the beginning of this step. “Never test the depth of the river with both feet.” – Warren Buffett. If trying to close a sale feels aggressive or uncomfortable, use the trial close concept is an important section. So would package A or B work better for you?”
Step 7: Assume the sale
The advice here is to work on a script that doesn’t allow the other person to say no. Ask questions that must have a yes answer … all the way to receiving the payment. It also encourages you to keep to your own style or conversation at this point, with no need to push or increase in aggression.
