chapter 23 using word pictures to sell most no change that to all ambitiously aggressive salespeople are always on the lookout for the magic word the key phrase or the new technique that will give them a persuasive Edge and leave the prospect powerless to resist fortunately no such weapon exists but there are many words phrases and techniques you can learn and use which will enable you to present your offer in a more attractive light the result is a more persuasive presentation which will enable you to persuade more but not all of your prospects to take action to some hardliners this will sound like heresy but I am convinced the moment you recognize that not everyone could or should buy your product or Services you will sell to more of those who can and should buy you do not enhance your reputation or build your career by overloading your prospects or by brow beating a non Prospect into buying something they really don't want don't need or can afford once you clear clearly understand that basic premise it will be easier for you to forgive yourself for missing a sale you thought you should have made this frees your mind to give maximum effort to the next sales interview careful this involves some common sense and mature judgment otherwise you might rationalize that everyone who does not buy really isn't a prospect from a sales career point of view that would be a fatal mistake now let's look at some words and procedures which the legitimate salesperson selling a legitimate product at a fair price can use to persuade legitimate prospects to take action in their own best interests 24 words that sell my friend sales trainer Tom Norman from Scottdale Arizona was one of the most comprehensive sales trainers in America Tom's specialty was the telephone but he did considerable work and research in other fields for example he identified 24 words that sell and 24 words that unsell Tom agreed to share these words with us I encourage you to memorize and learn them by getting a good dictionary and finding out exactly what each one means from the list I promise you at least a half dozen Pleasant learning surprises when you pursue them in a dictionary the first word that sells is your prospect's name I think everyone recognizes this as being true their name is the sweetest sound of them all you should use it from time to time throughout your presentation here are the other 23 understand proven health easy guarantee Discovery money safety save new love profit right results truth Comfort proud vital deserve happy trust value fun note Yale University has added five words to Tom's 24 selling words you security Advantage positive and benefits Tom also has researched and and come up with 24 words that unsell and here they are deal cost pay contract sign try lose hurt buy death bad sell sold price decision hard difficult worry obligation liable fail liability failure loss I encourage you to give these words the same dictionary treatment obviously there are many additional words that are soothing to the prospect's ears and others which leave the prospect in neutral or even turn him off I share Billy amman's dislike for the word pitch and most people prefer home to house and a fine automobile instead of a nice car it's easier to get a prospect to okay an agreement than it is to sign a contract and more people prefer to invest instead of buy they find it easier to make a deposit each month than to make a payment words and phrases which paint word pictures can sell effectively for you and your company for example in North Carolina the highway patrol took a positive and imaginative approach with their roadside signs that proclaimed North Carolina uses radar to protect you from speeding drivers the picture is clear isn't it watch those words one reason I encouraged you to record your sales presentation see chapter 5 is to help you recognize the positive and the negative aspects of the words phrases and word patterns you use you know one of the things you know that will drive a prospect of the wall you know is the use of you know it's hard to imagine you know but some people actually you know use the words you know as many times in conversation as I have used them in these last two sentences nothing is more distracting to a prospect than hearing you know in every sentence and you know that's true don't you another negative and distracting phrase is the constant use of do you understand what I mean or you know what I mean to many of those little goodies and your prospect will start counting the number of times you use them since they can't count and concentrate at the same time your persuasiveness will be adversely affected of all the negative words easily the most negative and destructive are the obscene vulgar and profane ones and a sure way of committing sales suicide with many prospects that would certainly include me is to take God's name in vain question have you ever heard of anyone buying anything from a sales person because they used gutter language or took God's name in vain fact many people don't buy because of the use of those objectionable words question since the prospect doesn't buy because of those profane or vulgar words and might not buy because of them doesn't it make sense to leave them out in the world of selling you've got to understand two things if you expect to become a real sales professional first the Mind thinks in pictures for example if I say car you do not think CR in in your mind's ey you see a car and it is probably a beautiful car if I say girl you do not think GRL but fellows in your mind's eye you will see a beautiful girl if I say house as a reader or a listener you would not think H you see but rather you would in your mind's eye see a house if I say home you do not think H me but you see a home with a family in it whereas the house you saw in your mind just 2 seconds ago is empty the master salesperson takes a verbal paintbrush and instinctively uses full words like home instead of empty words like house number two if you're going to sell more of your goods products services or ideas you've got to learn how to take the verbal paintbrush and paint your prospects right into the picture you've got to put your prospect in the car and show them enjoying the luxury Comfort or economy of driving your particular car you've got to paint the picture of satisfaction and gratification of them grilling the steak on their grill on a beautiful spring summer or fall evening in the backyard of the home you are showing them the picture must be a in color and B in the present tense the picture close the New York Times printed a story of how a New Jersey housewife's feeling for her home combined with her sense of what makes good advertising copy in one day sold a home that five Brokers had been carrying for 3 months Mr and Mrs low decided to sell their two-bedroom home to buy a larger one since space was becoming a problem the Brokers ran typical standard ads like cozy six room home ranch style with fireplace garage tile baths all hot water heat convenient to ruer campus stadium golf courses and Primary School those are facts but people do not buy facts or even benefits unless they can see those benefits translated to their own personal use after 3 months Mrs low ran and AD herself she was anxious to get something done and believed she could sell her home here's the way the ad ran we'll miss our home we've been happy in it but two bedrooms are not enough for us so we must move if you like to be cozy by a fire while you admire Autumn Woods through wide Windows protected from the street if you like a shady yard in summer a clear view of winter sunsets and quiet enough to hear frogs in Spring but City Utilities and conveniences you might like to buy our home we hope so we don't want it to be empty and alone at Christmas out of the six responses the next day one person bought the home now look back at those word pictures block off the first sentence and you can see a happy family crowded together in a nice home which is just too small for the current owners you immediately see that there is nothing wrong with the home the problem is too many occupants important slow down and take the rest of that ad on a phrase by-phrase basis there are seven additional pictures a total of eight pictures in the 86 words in the body of the ad now tell yourself the truth did you see the other picture in the heading or was it so obvious you missed it that's the reason I keep telling you to study this book a number of times this ad or sales talk painted a beautiful picture of the features and benefits the those had enjoyed as owners but it did even more it promised the new owners they would inherit the same Beauty benefits and enjoyment it painted a beautiful picture of Happiness contentment and security which the new owners would inherit you probably noticed that Mrs low advertised her home not her house the difference between a house and a home is love the new owners could undoubtedly sense the love the Lowe's had for their home they didn't want to buy a house to occupy they wanted to invest in a home to live in yes words do make a difference don't they ideally word pictures should either paint Beauty luxury love satisfaction enjoyment success performance or the features painted by Mrs low obviously most pictures will paint a combination of features and benefits but all word pictures must paint the prospect in the picture for maximum Effectiveness almost without exception every product or service can be sold by painting word pictures especially if the pictures are in the Pres intense as I've previously stated we think in pictures and we buy pictures if we are painted into the picture as satisfied customers Kevin's exponential Insight number 11 let your story paint a picture I fly a lot and on every flight the attendance will all demonstrate the same thing if cabin pressure drops unexpectedly oxygen masks will drop down they stress the importance of putting my own mask on first before I help others why I need to be breathing clearly and thinking clearly in order to help someone else the same is true when engaging with prospects before you can help them get clarity on the best path for themselves you need to have clarity about your own story first without Clarity you'd get confusion when people are confused they don't act how do you get clear on your own story first know your story most people never stop to reflect on or realize the power of Their Own Story the truth is you have a wealth of Life Experiences both successes and failures that you can draw from to make your story stand out and everyone loves a good story take the time to listen to your previous experiences especially any that might align with your potential customers or audience for example are you trying to sell services to entrepreneurs your own failure in business can be told in a way that illustrates the need for your services are you wanting to build an audience that helps families start by sharing your own family struggles now don't neglect successes ultimately people want to see Solutions and have confidence that you can help them there but be vulnerable be candid and then show them how they can take a success path to solve the problems just like you did step two connect your story with your target audience once you've fleshed out your own story think about how your story connects with that of your target audience for example I once heard of a life insurance agent who lost his own father unexpectedly without any life insurance in place the loss was emotionally and financially devastating to the family this agent told that story in a very authentic and sincere way when illustrating the need for his prospects to secure their family's own future well-being that's why I've told parts of my own story because I want you to see that I've dealt with a lot of the same challenges you face now when you connect your own success story you give hope and hope captivates people and draws in potential audience members or sales prospects your connection to their story should provide both empathy with their struggle and credibility that you know A Better Way once you know your story and connect your story it's time to tell your story well tell it in a vivid way using words and details that really make it come alive for them focus on the why behind why you do what you do and don't immediately jump into the details of what let them know you feel their pain points wherever possible communicate how you have been there and done that and find Solutions on the other side by using your own idea product or service this step will require some intentional thought maybe even some focus groups or simply trial and error as you engage with people in your network but by paying attention to how you tell your story you can open the door with prospects or potential audience members know your story connect your story tell your story the process is essentially the same whether you're engaging online via webinars and sales presentations on phone calls or over lunch because people are people and your story can be powerful in every setting picture painting selling is good post selling one of the most effective users of word pictures was the late Fred Herman here is a story told by Fred as he demonstrated the use of word pictures in front of live audiences I had the privilege of seeing Fred do this on several occasions and his widow K Herman supplied me with a recording of his presentation to refresh my memory since I had the advantage of both seeing and hearing the presentation I'll set the stage as we go but the words will be Fred Herman's Fred to audience people do not buy products or Services they buy pictures of the end result of using the product or service let me give you an example I need somebody who has a boy about five or 6 years old to come up and help me Fred to participant an audience holding up hand how old is your oldest boy participant 12 Fred 12 okay that's all right come on up here what's his name participant Michael Fred and your name is participant Bob Fred Bob I appreciate your coming up here Bob we came out here not to talk about insurance or Investments but to talk about how to get Michael a college education you'd spend a few minutes on that wouldn't you Bob sure can in this drama Fred explains that the insurance representative describes the insurance program and its benefits then he says to the audience so we've talked about a program we've provided the solution we worked out some sort of a program so there'd be cash value at a certain time but I'd say Bob as we've been working together here it's become completely apparent to me that one of the drives inside of you is that Michael will have the tools and equipment so that he can meet life and whip it is that right Bob that's correct Fred well this PR program we've worked out will take care of this regardless of what might happen here's what just happen it's about maybe 8 or 9 years from now an invitation comes through the mail from the College of Michael's choice you and your wife go to the graduation ceremonies you enter the hall and there's a tremendous Babble Of voices a feeling of human warmth it all hushes down as you hear the graduation processional hear the swish of robes as you see those little tassels bouncing on the hats you notice your wife's face big smile on it but there's just the suggestion of a tear in the corner of her eye and you kind of grab her hand and she holds your hand you're completely enthralled in the culmination of years of hoping and planning and dreaming it's over now you watch Mike go across and get his diploma he's walking up the aisle he's looking for you and your wife he spies you there's a big smile on his face you feel the warmth of his hand clasp you feel his arm around your shoulder and he says geee Dad I'll never forget you for this this is what you want isn't it Bob Bob yeah corny only if you the salesperson don't really feel the emotion the parents felt I might also add that this procedure is good post selling too it helps to ensure the sale because you're selling the results of the sale I might also point out that the parents are getting some now benefits in Peace of Mind by knowing their son's college education is secure almost regardless of what you sell you can and should paint a picture the prospect can see and feel since many of the benefits in this case are delayed for years it is important that an emotional picture of those delayed benefits be burned indelibly into that prospect's mind this greatly reduces the possibility of cancellation the impact of picture selling is vividly clear and explains why Charles Osgood of CBS News was moved to say a picture is a pitiful thing next to words and Imagination to make certain you didn't miss it I must also point out that the dialogue also contained six questions good selling and good closing by good salespeople will always include several facets of the sales presentation when Fred was making this presentation life insurance with cash value was very popular and practical for many young parents today we deal with different products term insurance and combination with mutual funds common stock the money market CDs Etc but the technique and procedure are the same you adapt the procedures to fit your product or service as sales trainer John Hamond points out when a person makes a significant purchase of any kind they generally make that purchase only after they have gone through the picture painting process in their own mind as a professional you need to help the prospect with the picture painting process the preparation close a good friend of mine the late Dr em fails a former professor at North Carolina State University did a considerable amount of work with many chambers of Commerce he convinced them they needed to have sales clinics for the retail salespeople in stores in their area to teach them how to capitalize on the sales opportunities that many if not most of them were missing to prove the point that they needed training Dr fails took his wallet tied it to the back of his car and dragged it around town for several days until it was in tatters then he put his credit cards money and drivers license in it next he would go into a men's store and buy a necktie which as a general rule is located reasonably close to a display of wallets he would take his wallet out of his pocket and accidentally drop it money credit cards and wallet would scatter all over the floor in one small town the same thing happened in five different stores the clerks would always help him pick up the pieces sometimes they would look down their noses at that disgraceful thing he called a wallet but not as single one suggested that in addition to the necktie a new wallet might also be considered the picture Dr fails painted was crystal clear the need for sales training was acute the benefits to the people the merchants and the Chamber of Commerce could easily be visualized by the chamber official it is my firm conviction that by using your imagination you can paint effective pictures for your prospects in drct fails case the preparation dragging the wallet behind his car and calling on the five stores for the sales call on the chamber official took 10 times as long as the actual call this supports Abraham Lincoln's statement if I had 9 hours to cut down a tree I would spend 6 hours sharpening my axe selling is not easy but proper preparation makes it easier and far more rewarding incidentally this is true in all fields of endeavor the trial attorney spends hundreds of hours in study investigation and preparation for every hour he spends in the courtroom ditto for the surgeon the professional athlete and the professional salesperson the great racehorse nasua won over $1 million in less than 1 hour of racing but he spent hundreds of hours in training to know how to perform in all kinds of weather and under all track conditions with proper preparation and by being in great physical and mental shape to run the proper Pace accelerate when needed and go all out when necessary he was able to take advantage of every opportunity I think you get the picture when you train in the art of professional closing in relationship to the time a professional football team prepares for Sunday or a boxer prepares for a match not to mention the championship you'll begin to realize a tremendous jump in your closing ratio on the regular calls and a good boost in the close ones which most people in sales have always missed the fear close Fred Herman used one of the fastest and most effective word pictures I've ever heard of he conducted did a training program for a major oil company and trained their service station attendance this was years ago when service stations gave service Fred's primary purpose was to teach the attendance how to sell more oil in those days help was plentiful and service stations were desperately trying to sell more oil when the attendant lifted the hood and checked the oil Fred taught him to go to the driver and say you need five quarts Fred properly identified this as fear motivation it paints a vivid word picture doesn't it it's easy to visualize the fear in the prospect's mind because the instant the attendant said you need five quarts the car owner could visualize a serious engine problem most people expect the worst and the thought of his car burning those five quarts of oil was pretty frightening Fred said the car owner would come unglued and bound out of that driver's seat in a hurry what do you mean I need five quarts then the attendant calmly said your oil is awfully dirty and should be changed before it damages your motor it won't take but a minute and you'll be on your way that last sentence is another word picture isn't it you sell what it does you need to paint the picture of your prospect using and enjoying the goods or services you sell when you become completely aware of this process and the benefits that go with it you will work at doing it until picture selling becomes second nature for you make yourself a mental note to check the word pictures I paint for you throughout the remainder of this book remind yourself in your second and subsequent readings of Secrets of closing the sale to look for the word pictures incidentally I remind you again that you will glean more ideas make more notes and mark the book more on your second reading than you will on your first and still more on your third than on your second throughout the book the picture painted is that of satisfaction and gratification the reason is simple you don't sell what the product is you always sell what the product does example each year over 5 million quarter in drills are sold yet it's safe to say that nobody wants a quarin drill they want a Quin hole each year billions of dollars worth of Cosmetics are sold yet it's safe to say that nobody wants lipstick eyes Shadow blush Etc what they want is a more attractive appearance they want to smell good and to be glamorous and desirable to members of the opposite sex you don't sell what the product is you sell what it does watch the ads on television and you'll hear word pictures and see the actual picture of the users of the product enjoying the benefits of the product Kevin's exponential Insight number 12 the sale after the sale as a teen I sold a product called baby tenda it was a high chair that solved huge safety issues chairs tipping children falling getting tangled in nearby cords Etc by suspending babies securely in midair bottom line it was a great product but very expensive probably probably the equivalent of $800 today so I would make the sale and return to my office all excited but since we had a 3-day cancellation policy 30% of those buyers would cancel the product it was perplexing but then my boss taught me a closing technique that eliminated 100% of the cancellations the post close I sold them twice before I left a house with a check in hand I turned and asked before I leave do you have any unanswered questions about your new product because if you think you may call your parents or change your mind about this purchase after I leave I'd rather just give you back your check right now and I handed the check back to them I then answered any remaining questions and resold them again this time when they handed me the check again they insisted they would not be changing their minds no matter what opinions they got afterward by asking and answering potential issues before I even left I was able to address them all and drop my return rate to zero Z after learning that technique I never had anybody else cancel the post close gives you a chance to sell Again by summarizing all benefits and answering any final questions and future objections of people not even in the room the post selling close Tom Norman painted word pictures with a letter he trained salespeople to write the customer after the sale was made this is post selling which is often overlooked in sales training its importance should be obvious because once you've made the sale you need to keep it sold Tom encouraged his clients to do the same thing he did for many years when he was in the field of direct selling he urged salespeople to write a letter the evening or no later than the day after the sale has been made whether the sale was made in a home or office Tom insisted that the letter be handwritten it's all right to use company stationary but it is very important that you hand address the envelope and put a postage stamp on it since it is more personal than a postage meter the letter says a personal note to thank you for your courtesy and the trust and confidence you placed in me yesterday or today whichever day you are writing the letter I very much enjoyed visiting with you and your family I am proud that you are now using our product or service and know that you will benefit and be pleased with the results I shall be in touch with you in the future to see if I can be of any additional service in the meantime if you should need or want assistance of any kind please feel free to contact me this letter paints a lot of pictures and gives the new customer some sincere strokes and assurance that they did the right thing thank you for your courtesy I enjoyed visiting I am proud of you you will benefit and be pleased I shall be in touch if you need or want assistance Kevin's exponential Insight number 13 post selling close I have a good friend and Mentor named James who taught me to connect after every speaking engagement with the person who booked me to send a note a thank you or a gift of some kind he always sent a picture of himself with that person in a framed print or a personalized gift if he knew their likes and dislikes he would always follow up with something to leave them feeling good about the experience as a result he got booked year after year by that agent that followup after the sale kept him at the front of people's minds and in a favorable light James was all about service with a smile and his kind of keep in touch type of thing I try to do the same and call it the post selling close as Zig often said you make the sale but if you want a lifetime relationship then you've got to stay in touch and continue to support and be there for that client the sale isn't done after the transaction in many ways it may be just [Music] beginning