Two letters that will increase your 4-speed selling effectiveness

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No. Every two year old knows how to wield those two letters with ninja skill. So, what happens between then and adulthood? At some point we pansy out and forget how to say no when it counts most. 

Say yes to everything is saying no to yourself

You only have so many hours in each day to work with clients. By focusing on alignment and its six degrees of connection, choosing 4-speed selling clients with whom you work is made easier---if you're willing to say no. 

The inverse rule of PITA

The less a client spends, the greater the hassle they generate. There are few inviolable rules in life. This is one of them: bazillion dollar clients aren't the ones who will drive you up the wall. It's the nickel-and-dime ones that will have you standing on a ledge looking into the abyss.

When to just say no

When you accept a client's business, you accept all that comes with it. So, doesn't it make sense to only accept those clients with whom you enjoy working? 

Urgent robs from important

Sooner or later, you'll be successful enough that you have to juggle priorities. At this apex of success, you'll see the wisdom of saying no. It's in this rarefied air if high performance that noisy clients will demand disproportionate attention. You'll think, "it's okay, my big client will understand." They won't. Why should they? 

When one client causes you to contemplate compromising doing what you know needs doing for another client, one of them will lose. Chances are the noisy client will prevail. I'll bet the farm the biggest noise comes from the smaller of the two. 

That's the day you fire the small one. Yes, fire the client. Just say no to compromising what you do best. Commit yourself to doing your best work for the best clients. 

Say no is saying yes

Only a moron would try to hang on to every piece of business. You don't get the choice by becoming successful. You become successful when you make that choice in the first place. 

Say yes to your best clients and yourself. Just say no to customers who don't qualify to work with you. 

Alignment frames every successful sale

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Your ability to understand what someone wants hinges to a large degree on how well they know what they want themselves in the first place. Filtering that through language, perception, and personality style provides a glimpse of why being aligned from the start is critical to effective salesmanship.

How you spend the first ten minutes of the 4-Speed Selling process will increase your success rate and often save you time. Partly because you will understand the customer's needs better. More significantly, though, because you'll know if you can take them where they want to go.

The four C’s of alignment

Alignment works both ways. You and the prospect have to match up in four critical areas to achieve alignment.

• Connection: You understand the prospect; the prospect understands you
• Competency: You have demonstrated ability; they have the business sense
• Capability: You have the necessary skills; they have ability to approve and execute
• Cost: The prospect can afford what you're offering and you can live on what it generates.

You can't do a wrong thing right

Investing effort with a prospect who doesn't meet these baseline alignment requirements is like starting a long drive with an empty tank of gas. 

It's your responsibility to know what it takes to do business and say no to those who can't swing the hammer. You're not being cold. Quite the contrary, it's a matter of respect--for the prospect and yourself. 

Getting under the hood for better selling

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Reaching a worthy goal is seldom a non-stop trip. That's especially true with 4-Speed Selling.

There are wrong turns and detours, gas stops and rest stops. What seems a delay, though, is just another step on the path to success.

I've been under the hood doing what needs doing. It's taken longer than I ever could have been anticipated. It's getting there, but more needs doing. 

Some of the changes are more obvious than others. More will follow soon. Every one of them is intended to make this a better tool for you.

Thank you for your patience as the work of building 4-Speed Selling's online portal goes on. 

  Learn more about the revolutionary selling  system

  Download my free 10-page guide

What Myers-Briggs can do to increase your conversion

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Decisions follow a predictable four-stage process identified in the development of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). These four stages, S-N-T-F, are the basis of Four Speed Selling.  Understanding which stage your prospect is in points the way to conversion. Before exploring the process, though, you first need an understanding of the wiring tying it all together.

This seems a detour, but it’s a shortcut

You probably couldn’t find a less likely source of a sales tool than the mother-daughter team of Isabel Briggs Myers and Katherine Briggs. Their years studying personality types produced a highly respected and predictive personality assessment tool now recognized around the world. Myers-Briggs’ interpretation of Carl Jung’s personality types brings real-world application to the psychologist’s years of study.

This probably seems a detour from a course on sales, but it’s actually an important shortcut. If you’re hoping to find simple technique-driven sales ticks, stop now. There are already volumes teaching scripted response selling for those seeking to merely peddle wares. Four Speed’s principles, on the other hand, free you from time-worn and easily detectable technique. A Four Speed Seller understands the stages of conversation and manages them to achieve alignment—an outcome with long-term residual benefits far beyond selling.

The basics of MBTI

MBTI distinguishes four fundamental archetypes and describes interactions of the resulting sixteen personality types.  According to Myers-Briggs, each of us are a mix of these four dichotomies: Favorite world, Information, Decisions, and Structure

• Favorite world: Extroverts focus on the outer world, while Introverts focus within.
• Information: INtuitives tend to interpret and find meaning in information, while those focusing on facts and basics are Sensing.
• Decisions: Logic and consistency are the domain of Thinking types. Feeling types prefer looking at people and special circumstances.
• Structure: Judging types prefer getting things decided, while Perceiving types leave the door open to new ideas and possibilities.

Your preference in each is distilled into a four letter Myers-Briggs Type. For the record, I’m scored as ENFP. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any ISTJ in me. In fact, you and I are a mix of styles containing varying degrees of all the dichotomies. Confused yet?  Stay with me.

Being left handed doesn’t mean my right hand dangles useless at my side; I have a left preference. It’s the same with Myers-Briggs personality types. HIghly extroverted people have some introvert in them too. Knowing and using this awareness provides a stout advantage in living a productive life.

Styles aside: S-N-T-F is the route to yes

Regardless of style, when making a decision, we all journey along the same decision-making path. Your preferred type provides a clue into which stage you will place the most importance. Someone’s MBTI designation makes itself clear as their focus lands on the decision-making stage which best aligns with their preferred style. A strong iNtuitive, for instance, will value the N stage. T-types will focus on the T stage. And, so on.

My goal here is to give you a basic understanding of Myers-Briggs principles to align your sales GPS. Learning more would be wise, but not necessary for you to practice Four Speed Selling. We'll study the map next by walking through the four stages: S-N-T-F.

Are you allowing clients to vendorize your relationship?

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They look alike. They sound alike. But, they don't act alike. Knowing the difference between customers and clients is knowing the difference between investing effort and spending time. I'm assuming you're interested in building long-term, professional business relationships. Think of client relationships as the bricks in your business building effort. Customer-driven businesses, on the other hand, are more like tents on a hillside.

The dividing line between customers and clients

Customers pay you to do. Clients hire you to be. Customers seldom ask your help being anything except who they already are. In fact, customers value your expertise only to the degree you contribute to a plan of their making. Work another person's plan and any success is theirs. You get paid. They get success.

Beingness precedes doingness. You will never do anything without first seeing yourself doing it. You have to believe before you can do. Believing is abstract, conceptual, and resides in the mind. When being crosses into the concrete it becomes doing. The idea has form and is growing in justification.

Clients seek you out while still in the domain of beingness. When you're called to DO, you've arrived after the thinking is done. You're a vendor, a resource fulfilling what is already underway. No worries, though. There's a road back to being. More on that in a moment.

Which side of the arc are you working?

Decision Arc is a tool I developed to ascertain whether we're on the doing side for a customer or the being side with a client. There are quantifiable indicators that ring true every time.

When the conversation is about a specific solution, you're doing. When the conversation is about deadlines and timetables, you're doing. "We want to do a billboard," they say. What you need to hear is "we've done all the thinking and need you to DO this."

The road from being to doing leads through no

Think about the last significant decision you made. Before you took action, you had to convince yourself it would work. You had to pass through no to reach yes. You crossed over the decision arc.

When a possibility sparks your thinking, it's only an idea. Nothing happens until you see yourself doing it. Your emotional involvement then increases as you rise in the beingness of the outcome ultimately breaking through the NO barrier.

Whether you call an ad agency or house painter in this frame of mind, you're a customer. The deeper you go into the doingness of something, the less interested you become in alternatives. You're only seeking the best route to done.

Sliding toward yes, you burrow into doingness. You gather information. You shop for prices. You compare options. The decision is made, you're just figuring out how you'll DO it.

If that's how customers come to you, be afraid. A decided customer is a volatile thing. They may just as easily explode into buying behavior elsewhere. I've discovered a way of redirecting customers back into being with one single word.

The easy ride is to merely execute and move along. It's also a downhill ride for your relationship with a client. Professionals have clients. Wal-Mart has customers.

Your road back from doing to being

One word puts you back into the beingness of an idea and opens the door to a client conversation with a customer. That word is WHY?

A billboard? Why? Cancel television? Why?

WHY is your trusty ally when a client veers into customer-think. A note of caution: don't ask to challenge. Ask to better understand. Demanding justification is a storm-trooper assault and will trigger justifications. Seeking understanding is a slide toward alignment. The better you understand, the better you can do now and grow later.

You may still wind up doing in this case, but you've gained understanding into the customer's client thinking and demonstrated an interest in their well-being. Equipped with this access, you're on the road to being their side of future rides across the decision arc.

Quit talking yourself out of a sale

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The lane opens. Your destination within sight. You stomp on the gas. The engine sputters and dies. Rolling to a stop your mistake is clear: over-torque. Too much gas, not enough speed. You pushed too hard and killed the engine.

That’s what happens when you push too hard in the Four Speed Selling. Get a gear ahead of the prospect before he’s ready and you’ll over-torque and stall.  The good news: you’ll live to drive and sell another day. Just remember: You may have the wheel, but your client has the gas.

Failure to align is failure to sell

Forcing someone to go where they don’t want to is kidnapping. In sales, it’s suicide.

It happened to me last week. A productive uncovery session took an ugly turn when I got caught up in an idea, fell out of alignment, and turned down a dead-end road. I was pushing social media with a client who didn’t yet see the value.

You may experience temporary success “convincing” a client to adopt your idea. But, if it’s not an aligned idea, it will lead you to a Thelma and Louise canyon dive. Lincoln said it best, “a man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still.”

I want what’s best for my client. Don’t you? That’s why I was so lathered up that day about Twitter and blogging. I failed to notice my client’s eyes glazing over. I sure noticed when they narrowed and he leaned back. My throat tightened and two words flashed before my eyes: over-torque. I had jammed into third gear (presenting) without confirming alignment.

Over-torque recovery in three steps

Step one: Keep breathing. Step two: get out. Step three: get over it.

Ego and emotions seduce peddlers into remaining engaged, convinced it can be fixed. Not gonna happen; the customer’s disengaged, the conversation stalled. Running up the tach without being in gear gets you nowhere. When your client pops out, chances of lasting damage increase exponentially the longer you press on. Instead, find an upbeat moment to close, set an appointment three to five business days later, and withdraw.

Prepare to reengage

Time heals only if you don’t rip off the bandage.

Three to five business days lets the uncomfortable moment pass and lingering resentment subside. Resist the temptation to reconnect and explain during that time. That’s about you. Forget about justifying why you were going down that road in the first place; it’s your opinion, but it’s the client’s money.

Put yourself in a position to get back in gear:

• Review your notes.
• Gather points of alignment.
• Summarize the uncovery.

Once you have your thoughts organized, create a three-page summary presentation; summary means bullets only. No sentences. Page 1: aligning points, Page 2: uncovered opportunities, and Page 3: blank. I’ll explain what to do with that blank page in a moment.

Get your wheels turning again

When you return to see your client, start at the beginning: First gear—qualify and align. Are the goals still in place? Is the destination still on his map? If not, slowly work your way through the First gear process anew.

Slip into second—uncovery: summarize , or uncover from the new perspective. Confirm that you’re on the same page. Isolate the fast lane opportunity.

Before you pop into third, clarify how each opportunity uncovered aligns with the destination. Rank each of the uncovered opportunities and ask which of the top two are most important. Which is more immediately actionable? That’s the fast-lane opportunity.

You’re double-clutching; wheels are rolling and momentum is building, you’re minding the tach by validating alignment; you’re there to help reach the destination he’s chosen.

When you land in third gear and begin presenting, even if only conceptually, emphasize the relevant points of alignment and press on. By reinforcing Four Speed Selling principles, your client to concludes the over-torque was an aberration. And, it had better be. I’ve yet to see anyone recover from over-torque twice on the path to fourth gear: conversion.

Back in my real world

Arms crossed, he was leaning back as I began. First gear: Concerns about encroaching competitors. Check; arms uncross. Second gear: vulnerabilities, possible tools. Check; he leans into the conversation. Third gear: potential solutions. He picks one. Fourth gear: we pencil implementation on that blank third page and arrive at agreement. Sold.

Not one word of the earlier detour came from my lips. When he brought it up, I set it aside. “When the time is right, we’ll consider it again. Right now, let’s focus on the tasks at hand.”

Yes, I believe it would be best for him to consider social media aspects. But, I can’t help him there if I don’t help him in the here and now.

A Four Speed Seller is in it to win it long-term. Peddlers sprint down the quarter-mile fast. But, they can’t go the distance. The long-run leads to long-term, residual sales. That’s the fifth gear. More on that later.

Nice to meet you. Wanna get married?

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Anyone accepting a first-date proposal of marriage is even crazier than the one making the proposal. And yet, countless sales professionals look for that kind of instant result everyday by asking for business on a first call.

Asking for business too soon is like starting a car and immediately throwing it into fourth gear. You're not going far. At least, you won't go smoothly. Jumping gears not only crosses the line the line from selling into peddling, but creates oppositional forces  making a successful sale more difficult.

Taking care to match the torque conversation with propulsion of alignment isn't just an important part of the Four Speed Selling process, it IS the process.

You don't start driving in fourth gear.

You don't start selling with conversion.

If sales people have a common failing, it's lack of know-where; sense of direction is lost in front of a prospect. That's when PRNDL selling takes over: Prospect Really Needs Directed Leverage. It's old school and kicks in just like an automatic transmission. Get an objection, overcome it; pump the closed-ended questioning. Close the deal. If that's how you prefer to sell, you won't like Four Speed Selling.

Traditional selling is confrontational. Four Speed Selling is conversational. Easy as that may sound, it's not automatic: Four Speed Selling requires driver involvement. By uncovering concerns that, once addressed, solidify a longer-term sense of connection, you cover more distance on a better road  because you're focused longer-term than any one deal on the table.

Generating oppositional forces

On the road to a sale, you're either headed in the same direction with your prospect, or you're not. In that sense, every business relationship is cooperative or oppositional. Are you working to a common end? Or, are you working more to your own benefit than that of the prospect? Beware these Opposition Generators:

1. Lack of connection: When is the last time you made a significant purchase from a stranger? People do business with people (and brands) they know and trust. Creating that connection is what first gear is all about.
2. Lack of uncovery: When you show up on a sale with a presentation that was created without prior uncovery, you're setting out on an uphill drive. The grade increases as opposition rises. Unless you're a gifted guesser, you can't adequately match a solution to a client need without first asking questions.
3. Lack of language: What choices of words are right with your prospect? Are they T-types who want facts and action? Or, are they P-types who want the zen-deep understanding of the universe in all you present. Third gear corrects language for the specific prospect. Speak their language or shut up.
4. Lack of horsepower: This is actually the first opposition generator, but often doesn't show up till the end. Most sellers so believe in the possibility of a deal, they fail to align at the very start. I love my SUV, but I won't line up at an NHRA starting line against a top-fuel dragster. We're a mismatch. There's no more insidious opposition than lack of resources. Prospects will lie to protect their pride because it's easier than admitting there's not enough money.

Each gear in Four Speed Selling addresses these basic sources of opposition. Running through them in order saves you time in the long run because each ensures you're on the road with someone who can go the distance.

There has to be an easier way

Some may scoff and say this is hard work. They're right. It's easier to sell the automatic old-school way. It's also harder. Because the old way is sprint-centric: Get a sale, get a sale, get a sale. It's a dirt road of immediate gratification demanding more and more effort to keep the wheels turning.

Four Speed Seling diminishes oppositional forces, focusing instead on creating a cooperative alignment of needs and solutions. Become a proficient Four Speed Seller and clients will practically lead you through the four conversations to conversion. There is an easier way. This is it.

Winners shift their thinking to shift better results

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Fashions change. Politics change. Social morals change. But, since man began to trade money for goods, sales has largely remained the same: target a prospect, make an offer, negotiate, overcome resistance, close the deal.

As we become more connected, more aware,  time-tested sales methods are losing effectiveness. We’ve all heard the scripts, seen techniques. We know them when we smell them. Time has come for something new that doesn’t just put lipstick on the carcass of script-selling.

Nothing happens till someone buys something

In the old Tom Hopkins push-sales world, it was generally accepted that nothing happens till someone sells something. Today we live in a pull-sales world where customers are in control. These days, nothing happens until someone BUYS something. Sales isn’t pushing boxes anymore; those guys get a sale, but seldom create a relationship. Sales is about attracting a buyer and working in alignment.

If Web 2.0 is where users control the experience, sales 2.0 is where customer concerns control the process. Four Speed Selling is Sales 2.0. People buying from you have been sold to since birth. There ain't a pitch they haven’t seen. And yet, pitches keep on coming.  So, get real and get ahead.

Authenticity is coin of the realm of our new reality

"Authenticity is everything," an old sales trainer once told me." Once you can fake that, you got it made. You gotta care, but not too much." He’s probably still peddling that malarkey to a ready market of puppy-breath newbies eager to make an easy sale.

He was right, though: Authenticity is everything . Since every word you say can be instantly fact-checked, your every word and action either digs a hole or lays a foundation on which to build longer-term relationships. When you're working to align, you're automatically doing the latter.

High pressure = high opposition

Mules and people don’t like to be pushed; both dig in making it difficult to determine which is the ass. Pushing and prodding isn’t selling, it’s peddling. Just like home show pitchmen pushing magic mops and cleaners, high-pressure selling aims to overwhelm reason to create buying activity. If the mop were indeed magical, why would it be sold out of the back of a truck in a 10x10 booth?

Bullfighters don’t step into the ring to capture their opponent; bulls know where they want to go. The successful bullfighter guides the bull to go where it wants to go--faster. He is working in alignment with the bull. So it is with effective Four Speed Selling. Before you can get out of first gear, you have to determine if the customer is going where you can take them.

Alignment demands tough choices up front. You don't advance a relationship by selling something because you want a customer to buy it. You may hit a budget--this month. But, budgets come and go. Well-aligned, loyal clients will be there month after month. A Four Speed Seller knows a good sale is an aligned sale.

Alignment breeds long-term success

Caveman seller want business. He beat prospect over head with pitch to get it. Take money. Call it win. Go get more.  Caveman seller heading for extinction. Cavemen sellers still among us.

Alignment is defined as a position of agreement or alliance. At the end of every sale alignment is what leads to repeat business. Alignment is the true metric of successful selling.

I can’t count the number of clients over the years who have complained to me about hit-and-run sellers: pitch, close, collect and disappear. That’s not selling, that’s stealing. That’s also an expensive way to make a living.

Consider the cost in time alone taken up finding new, qualified prospects. Aligned sales relationships increase predictable income while decreasing the cost of doing business. A properly aligned relationship also generates added business through increased referrals.

By understanding what your client wants and helping them get it, you achieve alignment. Because Four Speed Selling is grounded in alignment, it  provides a mechanism that ensures you’re on the road to sustainable results.