This is about having someone else speak on your behalf. On my revamped home page, I listed some of the quotes from folks who know me and my work and included links to their Linked In profiles so you could see that these are REAL PEOPLE. (LinkedIn.com is also where most of the quotes came from too)
How to Sound More Credible and Persuasive
Greetings!
It was finally my turn in line at the Department of
Motor Vehicles. I was hoping the simple transaction
wouldn't take too long. The computer had other ideas.
While a clerk, a manager, and a person who, I guess,
is paid to simply observe such things and smirk tried
to sort things out, I figured I'd entertain myself by
watching what was going on at the other windows.
Next to me a slight confrontation was unfolding.
A woman trying to register her car apparently didn't
have the appropriate proof of insurance. Spread out
on the counter I saw an ad ripped from the Yellow
Pages, a piece of notebook paper with numbers
scribbled on it, and a refrigerator magnet with
an insurance agent's name. "Well, this is the
company I'm getting the insurance from," she insisted,
pointing to the magnet, " ... and here's what I'm getting,"
she said as she shoved the paper in the clerk's
face.
"Sorry, maam, I need actual proof of insurance."
Still not backing down, she was more insistent.
"Oh, come on. Look at this stuff. I have the
insurance. I just don't have the stupid piece of
paper with me that you want."
The guy behind the counter looked at her with
steely eyes, squinted them slightly, leaned
forward, and matter-of-factly said, "Lady, the
STATE OF NEBRASKA will not allow me to give you
a registration without actual proof of insurance."
She finally bought that one, and muttered something
about his, and his mother's genealogy as she stomped
away.
I guess she figured she could argue with this guy,
but fighting the entire state was over her head.
SALES POINTS
This illustrates a sales and influence point
we can and do use:
Absent third parties of authority usually carry
more weight than what we say, or can substantiate
what we say.
We use this in different ways.
TESTIMONIALS: You can say that your system can
increase productivity by 20%. But it's more impressive
to state that "Jan Halston at Allied Engineering
saw a 22% increase in production output which he
said was directly attributable to the system."
Action Step: Think of actual testimonials, case
studies, and success stories. Get permission to
use company and individual names. But even without
names this still carries weight by saying, "I had a
customer the other day who said ..."
==============================
INDEPENDENT INFORMATION SOURCES: I typically
roll my eyes when I hear, "We're the most
respected in the business," or, "We're the
leaders in ..." The skeptic in me is thinking,
"According to whom?" What really carries clout,
though, is something like, "According to
a study done by Widget News Magazine, we are
rated number one in customer satisfaction."
Action Step: Collect all the studies, news articles,
and other information mentioning your company and
products. Compile according to the categories and
situations you can use.
==============================
THIRD PARTIES OR ENTITIES: If a savvy customer
detects you can give him a lower price, he
will keep grinding, trying to extract it from you.
However, it's more difficult when the price is
set by the Corporate Pricing Committee, and is
based on a complex algorithm, market prices for
raw materials, and the phases of the moon. Of
course, your hands are tied in this case. You
get the picture.
Action Step: Think of the situations you encounter
where you are challenged. Prices, benefits ...
then determine if there are other people or
entities you can use to substantiate--not make
excuses for--the way things are.
Go and Have Your Best Week Ever!
Art
Quote of the Week
"The cure for grief is motion."
Elbert Hubbard
Contact: Art Sobczak, President, Business By Phone Inc. 13254 Stevens St.,
Omaha, NE 68137, (402) 895-9399. Or, email:arts@businessbyphone.com
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