Finding the Hot Button: Eliciting Your Prospect's Criteria
by Kenrick Cleveland
"People are generally better persuaded by the reasons which they have themselves discovered than by those which have come into the mind of others." --Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662)
What do we need to accomplish or meet in order for our client or prospect to take action? We need their criteria.
Your clients or potential clients, as you discuss your service or product, is creating an image in their head of how life will be after they've purchased this product or service. Don't interfere or violate their image because you may end up removing yourself from it thereby ruining the sale.
Persuasion is our very powerful advantage which we can use to show our clients or prospects that their "marriage" of our service or product with their criteria was created in their own thoughts. Fortunately, that's exactly where this image was created and we are able to move forward with full integrity.
Using criteria correctly will boost your sales, increase your earning potential, and tangentially, if you're doing it right, will improve all aspects of your life.
Without first eliciting your prospect's criteria, you're pretty much hoping that you'll eventually hit on something, anything, that they might need. This is called 'features and benefits' and it's outdated and old-fashioned and the quickest way to expose yourself as an amateur. Why work with 'hit or miss' when you can zero in on exactly what your prospect wants and needs?
Instead of directing everything you say like a laser at what they want, you're hoping you'll say something that will make them stop and go, 'Wow, tell me more about that, would you? That's really why I'm here. In fact, I'm so glad you said that because now that you've said that, I know that I want to do all of my business with you.'
All industries, and all interpersonal endeavors in fact, are enhanced by the process of criteria elicitation. If you're working with someone who won't accept this elicitation (and this is a rarity), then you really simply need to stop presenting to them. The simple question, 'Why are we here today?' opens a huge door to the internal workings of your client or prospect.
So why does eliciting criteria really work? Well, number one the prospect doesn't understand what they're really giving us. They think they're just telling us basic stuff. They don't realize that they're literally opening themselves up much like a book and allowing us to see deep within them and if they did, they may not give it to us. From time to time you'll find people that don't want to give this to you. That's an indication of your lack of rapport should that happen. If that happens, there's little reason to proceed. Stop immediately and get rapport.
You might have the ability to turn this around, but odds are, if you don't immediately have the respect of your client or prospect, you're not going to get it at this late point. Chalk it up to experience and move on to your next prospect this time gaining the proper rapport from the start.
Your prospect might not understand that they are giving you valuable, deep information, but nor will they put up much of a fight. Many professions such as health care providers, attorneys, consultants, all elicit a certain amount of criteria prior to commencing business relations.
When was the last time your sales process stalled out because you lacked the proper rapport necessary? When did you know it was going to go bad? Did you have the ability to go back and get the rapport you needed in order to move forward?
Kenrick Cleveland teaches strategies to sell to affluent prospects using persuasion. He runs unique public and private seminars and offers home study courses, audio/visual learning tools, and coaching programs in persuasion strategies. You can get a unique content version of this article.
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