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How do you sell – a product, a service, an idea … without turning people off?
In this article, I break down an easy technique to persuade without force.
What Not To Do
Consider this sentence:
“Have a positive attitude, a can-do attitude. ‘Yes let’s try let’s make this happen’”
Good life advice. But it can come off as patronizing: “I know better, so this is what you should do…”
Or consider this sales technique:
“Buy our annual gym membership. Discount ends today”
Direct and straightforward. But it can come off as high pressure: “Buy! Buy! Buy!”
According to Self-Determination Theory, people are less satisfied when they are forced into a choice, and will seek to restore a sense of personal control.1 That’s why high-pressure sales tactics decrease consumers’ willingness to buy. And telling people what to do rarely works.
What To Do
Check out how Lung-Nien Lee, Country Officer for Citibank in Singapore, delivers this message. You only need to watch about 30 seconds from the video below to get a sense of Lung’s technique.
Lung says:
“Have a positive attitude a can-do attitude. ‘Yes let’s try let’s make this happen’ instead of ‘Cannot be done. Sure fail.’ No one wants that.”
Lung presents options instead of asserting one choice. You now have the opportunity to choose what you want and make an informed decision, giving you a sense of personal control.
Same principle applies for our gym membership sale. Instead of “Buy our annual gym membership. Discount ends today,” you could say:
“We have two membership options: monthly and annual. The annual plan saves you money and is best if you want to make consistent progress toward your fitness goals. The monthly plan lets you give it a try and leave if it’s not a good fit, but excludes the discount you receive on the annual plan.”
You understand the pros and cons. You have a sense of personal control because the decision is yours. I bet you’d be much more likely to buy.
Summary
To sell without ick and persuade people without force, give them options. Be clear and transparent in your explanation of those options, and let them choose. That’s the kind of sales that succeeds AND in an ethical way.
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