How to Sell More in Less Time by Creating Value and Meaning for Your Solutions by Michael Oliver

When you engage people, as opposed to telling people, it makes YOU an interesting and valued person. That’s how you get in the flow of the Law of Giving Let me start by stating from the outset that your solutions (income/business opportunity, and or products/services), basically have no value. They might to you, but to another person they are worthless, UNLESS… they can mean something to that person. Now that might appear to be a pretty controversial statement. However, bear with me! For example, if someone told you that you should read a certain book because it had changed their life – would you? Probably not, unless you could relate to the way that the book changed that persons life as an example. This is why telling your story or presenting your solutions too soon (also known as the “Features and Benefits Approach”) will usually get you a continual dose of rejection or objections if you persist in this manner. NULL

It’s like throwing spaghetti at the wall hoping that some of it will stick. The problem is, if some of it does stick, you usually won’t know why it’s sticking or how long it’s going to stay there.

So, the way around this, and to find out what features are relevant or beneficial and will appeal to the other person you’re talking with… is to let him or her tell you!

How do you do this? By allowing the other person to talk about the difference between what they presently have and what they want.

The emphasis is on giving them the time to talk and to reflect on where they presently are and… how they are feeling about it. And if there is a difference between what they have and want, the next thing would be to let them tell you whether it’s important enough for them to do something about it. When they do that, they “close themselves” on the idea of change, or wanting to change their present situation because they are engaged in a conversation about themselves. THIS is the first step. This first step also cements the foundation of creating value in your solutions. Why? Because when you engage people, as opposed to telling people, it makes YOU an interesting and valued person. They like you. As a result EVERYTHING you represent becomes valuable! The later step of buying your solution comes into play when you offer a way forward for them by introducing the idea you know of a potential solution.

And it’s very important you do offer your potential solution. You can’t leave a person thirsty for water and not offer them some if you have it.

It’s like the story of the salesman who on being reprimanded for poor sales offered the excuse “You can lead a camel to the water, but you can’t make it drink”… to which the sales manager replied “Son your job is not to make it drink, your job is to help it realize it’s thirsty!” And THAT in a nutshell is the difference between the conventional way of approaching people and the Natural Selling way. And because you are there as they are going through this metamorphosis, and you give them space and the gift of genuinely listening and appropriately responding, they will listen to your offer of help.

They have no choice. You are both in the flow of the Law of Giving (what you give is what you get)

That’s it! That’s how you create value for you and your solutions. That’s how you make yourself and everything you represent worth something to someone else.