Find the Leverage and Make More Sales

It is critical to find leverage in sales. It’s so crucial, in fact, that you can basically kiss your commissions goodbye if you don’t know how to find leverage when selling your products or services. Leverage is your greatest asset when selling. When used right, leverage is what delivers the “home run swing” that knocks the sale out of the park. In this article, you will learn that finding leverage is not only about extracting information… it is also about your mindset and principles. Some prospects will be closed off at first. If this is the case, then I will show you in this article how to deal with it.

In this article, we are going to dive deeper into the important subject of values and point out some common errors that beginners may make so that you can prevent them. By exploring the nuances of this area in greater detail, we hope to equip you with the knowledge necessary for making informed decisions and avoiding any pitfalls that may arise when applying this powerful persuasion tool. 

Be Prepared To Walk Away

If the potential customer refuses to engage and I don’t get the point of leverage… then that is where I draw the line. I cannot and will not continue any further under these conditions. This is something that I am adamant about.

It’s that simple; I’m either going to get it, or we’re not having any more conversation. If someone resists giving me what I need, then it’s not worth my time and effort to keep trying to persuade them. There’s no use in attempting to inundate them with superfluous details about the advantages of my request; it simply isn’t going to work. 

If they cannot provide me with what I’m looking for, then there is no point in maintaining our relationship any further – they don’t need me, and I certainly don’t need them. That’s not what I’m about. It used to be when I was young, and then I grew up. May I invite you to do the same? It does you no favors to be needy in the business world. 

Understand Their Problem

And yet, still it is essential to get inside their head, to understand them and gain insight into their perspective. Doing so requires finesse and grace.

Be Calm, Smooth, and Subtle

You must be subtle in your approach, not being explicit as to how much you know.

Avoid any overt display of superiority or smugness. Instead, the focus should remain on understanding them. Keep your tones and facial expressions calm and smooth. 

Don’t Be Aggressive or Brash

But what you don’t do is charge in like a bull in a china shop, seizing the value they just gave you and blustering, “So, financial freedom, that’s the key! And it’s not what you have right now, probably. And you probably want a whole lot more of it, a lot more money. So we’re going to focus in on that, shall we?” And then the client goes, “Hmph, okay…” 

The feeling is harsh and coarse… not like the gentle, rolling waves of the sea. This is how we should strive to be when trying to convince or sell people anything.

Soften and Relax Your Delivery

Our approach needs to be calm and composed, not aggressive or brash. If we are able to soften our delivery, if we sound familiar to their own perspective and have a relaxed and confident body language then we will have a much better chance of being successful in our persuasive efforts. 

Never Assume Their Point of Leverage

If the individual you are helping is hesitant to share their values when it comes to financial services or investing (as an example), you may be wondering if it might be a good idea to consider suggesting a value.

You may think it’s a good idea to just throw one out there and see if they can relate?

Could it possibly be beneficial to throw out a potential value that could potentially resonate with them in order to discover what they prioritize in terms of money management? 

The answer to this is absolutely not!

A Classic Error: Assuming Leverage

This is a classic error that people make. What it does is… even if I’m right–

Well, let’s say I knew about the client and their value is financial freedom – and I said to them, “It’s all about financial freedom…”

What will happen is, they’ll go, “Hmm, yeah … but … I don’t think you really understand.” Because they haven’t said it themselves and been made to feel it, they haven’t engaged with the positive emotions that will drive any deal. 

But when THEY say it, then they believe I understand. The client must say it in order to create movement towards your goal; you must not. Don’t ever throw anything out, but always repeat what they say to you. When they say “financial freedom” themselves, I just about light on fire: there it is! There it is, I got it! 

Always Get Them to Say It First

And it lights me on fire when I hear this. I know that from that moment forward, I’m going to begin to show them how working together will get them the kind of financial freedom they most want, igniting their positive feelings. That’s where I’m going to go! 

If they’re real resistant – we’ll talk more about that as we go along in future articles –

But one of the keys is, I simply say…

“It’s my job to really understand you. If you’re talking about investing and financial advice and that kind of thing, it’s what I do; I’m an expert at it. So, in order to know what to do, I need to really understand you. 

“You see, one person could say ‘financial freedom’ and what they mean is ‘another thousand dollars a month’. Another person says ‘financial freedom’ and they mean a whole different worldview; they mean that their money is making all that they need to live comfortably forever. So I need to understand. 

“So if you’d like to help me understand and go through this process with you, I’d absolutely love to. And if you’d rather not, if what you want me to do is spew, give you a whole bunch of options and things … I’d rather not. Would you like to continue the decision making process, or should we shut it off now?” 

Mindset: Why You’re There

End of that story. That’s how I do it, and you know what? Sometimes I do walk. Sometimes a person goes, “Well, no, what I really want is for you to show me the options and the strategies and then I’ll make my mind up.” 

My answer to that is, “No. That’s what I do. My job is not to educate you about what I do. My job is to help you connect with what you want if I can help you. That is how we’ll proceed if we do. Would you like to proceed?” 

Don’t be desperate or needy. You have to be prepared to simply turn away and leave if somebody refuses to interact with you in any meaningful way. It is important that you demonstrate your independence and confidence by not needing them, but instead being ready to move on if the situation does not work out as desired. 

Again… Never Assume Their Point of Leverage

We should never assume that we are aware of someone else’s values and then try to make a grandiose presentation out of it; such an endeavor will always be doomed to failure. If you make an emotional appeal, they have to be actually experiencing those emotions. This assumption is something which we must avoid doing at all costs, as the consequences can be quite severe. 

Don’t Just List Out Common Leverage Points

I’ve had these questions before, so someone will say, “But let’s say I’m talking to a group of X. And these five values are always a part of what goes on in that group. Couldn’t I just name those five values and what we do that’s going to make them happen?” 

And my answer is, “Well, you can – I can’t prevent you – but I wouldn’t! The goal would be to talk to enough of those people in advance and have them bring them up.” And if you can’t do that, I’m going to show you another way maybe in a future article. 

For a meaningful response and a true understanding of their values, it’s an essential part of the persuasion process for them to open up both to you and within themselves. That’s the whole point. 

Delivery: Be Smooth And Calm

Smooth questioning is the key. Remember again, be like the waves out deep in the ocean: they rise and they fall; they look like they have no source. They didn’t start anywhere, they just rise and fall; and that’s what we want to be like. 

Don’t Be the Interrogator

Acting like an interrogator will create so much resistance in your client that it’ll pretty much stop your ability to influence or even work with them. In other words, you must not be an interrogator! It is basic human behavior to resist interrogation. 

The interrogator role doesn’t work. This is why Columbo was so good. He’d be looking all stupid and going, “Wow, … how d’you do that?” And then you’d go into a big story. And Columbo’s like, “Yeah, I hadn’t thought of that … that’s good.” And you know that he knew all along – but he got you to say it. 

It’s when we are smooth like waves of the ocean that everything works, and we’ll be talking a lot more about that in articles to come. So be sure to subscribe to the site and check back regularly, as it’s updated with new material every day. 

Summary

Here is a breakdown of some of the key points in this article…

• ALWAYS get the point of leverage in sales. Without it, you will get nowhere quick.
• If the other person refuses to engage repeatedly, then there is no need for the conversation to continue. End the sales call and move on.
• Inner Conviction: You must be firm in your inner conviction that you WILL get the point of leverage or simply end the conversation if the other person is being too difficult.
• Delivery: However, your delivery must remain calm, smooth, and relaxed no matter what. Even though your inner conviction to get the point of leverage must be firm and unwavering… remember to always deliver your communication with ease and an air of calmness. (Even if you are nervous on the inside!)
• NEVER assume that you know the point of leverage without the other person explicitly telling you what it is. Assumptions will cause you think you are leveraging what is most important to the other person… as they will become confused and feel like you are talking AT them instead of TO them.
• Always remember WHY you are having this conversation in the first place. This is a Sales conversation. You are not there to be their therapist or their best friend. By the same token, you must remain professional and non-needy for the sale.
• Another way to say this is… Yes, you are there to make a sale for you or your company. But getting the sale should be a foregone conclusion that will naturally occur as the process unfolds.

As you can see from this article, to find the leverage in sales is far more than just extracting information from the other person. You must remain connected to them and engage in active listening so that they know you’re not there JUST to make another sale. Your tone and expression indicates a calm and assured care without needing to “show them” how much you care. The combination of all these things is so powerful that you are sure to make more sales and create better long term clients with ease.

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