Aikido and The Art of Selling
Aikido and The Art of Selling
You happen to be a few steps away, and the next thing you know, one of the men turns to you and looks as if he’s going to take a swing at you.
What's your first instinct? Most of us will do one of two things. We’ll either try to step away, or we’ll raise our arms to deflect him and fight back, which can result in harm to you or to your attacker.
But if you were trained in Aikido, the Japanese martial art that focuses on diverting an attacker’s energy, you could quickly diffuse the situation by immobilizing him without harming him in any way.
In essence, you’re diffusing the energy that he’s using to try and attack you in a way that takes the conflict out of the situation.
Unlock The Game and the philosophy behind Aikido have many similarities.
Traditional cold calling and selling are designed to focus only on the “close” by presenting -- or in too many cases, “pushing” -- your solution onto prospects, sometimes even when they’re not interested.
But if you focus only on your goal of making the sale before having a discussion about the problems that you can help your prospects solve, something happens.
They start feeling that you’re “attacking” them. After all, you’re a stranger to them, and when you start talking about yourself and your solution rather than about them and their specific issues, you immediately trigger their suspicion and cause them to start “pushing back.”
This pushback is the resistance or energy that Unlock The Game teaches you to diffuse. Then both of you can quickly “get on the same page” and open a natural dialogue that will let you determine whether it makes sense for you to work together.
Let's look at two real selling scenarios -- cold calling and “get-you-off-the-phone” objections:
Scenario 1: Cold Calling
Suppose you’re at your desk and you receive a call from someone who says “Hi, my name is Jack Johnson, I'm with XYZ Company, and we’re a full-solution provider of...” Is your first reaction to welcome and be open to his call? Or do your mental defenses immediately kick in and you shut down against this stranger “salesperson”?
Probably the latter, especially if you sense that the caller is focused on his interests and not yours.
That’s why this old-school cold calling approach triggers the resistance and negative energy that prospects immediately throw your way.
The Unlock The Game way to make a successful cold call -- "successful” being defined as not triggering rejection -- is by beginning your call with, “Hi, my name is Jack, maybe you can help me out for a moment?” That simple question is a very natural way of beginning a conversation with a stranger.
But you can't just read this word for word, like a script. It won’t work. That would be like an Aikido instructor teaching a first-time student the physical movements before he or she has learned the philosophy necessary to carry them out.
The same applies here. First you need to integrate a new Mindset that changes the goal of your call from making the sale, or getting an appointment, to engaging the person in a natural two-way dialogue.
To do this, your voice has to be low-key. You have to avoid communicating any hint of typical “salesperson” enthusiasm, or any sense that you’re trying to direct the conversation to an end goal. Once you integrate the Mindset, all this kicks in naturally.
So, if you want to succeed in prospecting and cold calling, become aware of how you might be triggering the resistance or energy that instinctively causes prospects to push back against you.
Scenario 2: “Get-you-off-the-phone” objections
Here’s another example. Forget the idea of “overcoming objections.” Doing that only triggers more resistance from prospects that’s very difficult to diffuse.
Think about it for a moment. When prospects give a reason why they don’t want to proceed --when they “put up resistance” -- you’ve been trained to “overcome” their objections rather than to diffuse their resistance by acknowledging that what they’re telling you is their truth.
By applying the Unlock The Game Mindset™ and skills, you diffuse that resistance and remove the conflict from the situation, just as in Aikido.
Here’s the Unlock The Game™ process for dealing with objections:
1. Diffuse the objection with “That's not a problem... (Pause)”
2. Acknowledge the truth of their objection (see the sample language below).
3. Reopen the conversation with “Would you be open to...”
For example, suppose a prospect says, “We already have a vendor.” The path of diffusing and reengaging would go like this:
1. “That's not a problem...(Pause)”
2. “I wasn't calling to replace the vendor you’re currently using.” Here, you’re addressing their suspicion that your only focus is on making the sale and on ripping out their relationship with their current vendor. You’re simply asking whether they would be open to different ideas that might help them solve a problem. This diffuses the tension.
3. “Would you be open to some different ideas that you might not be using now?” After the tension is dissolved, this lets you reopen the conversation in a natural way because they clearly understand that your goal is to help them. Then, if things are a match between you, you can decide where to go from there.
Keep in mind that this process will work only if you fully integrate the Mindset so it feels as natural to you as breathing.
In short, if you’re using any form of traditional selling, you could be triggering a resistance every time you communicate with your prospect.
But if you learn this new Mindset, along with words and phrases that remove any conflict or tension from the relationship, you’ll have taken your first steps toward your black belt in unlocking the cold calling game!
Aikido and The Art of Selling - To learn more about this author, visit Ari Galper's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Imagine being in a crowded concert or bar. All of a sudden, a fight breaks out between two men who’ve had too much to drink.
You happen to be a few steps away, and the next thing you know, one of the men turns to you and looks as if he’s going to take a swing at you.
What's your first instinct? Most of us will do one of two things. We’ll either try to step away, or we’ll raise our arms to deflect him and fight back, which can result in harm to you or to your attacker.
But if you were trained in Aikido, the Japanese martial art that focuses on diverting an attacker’s energy, you could quickly diffuse the situation by immobilizing him without harming him in any way.
In essence, you’re diffusing the energy that he’s using to try and attack you in a way that takes the conflict out of the situation.
Unlock The Game and the philosophy behind Aikido have many similarities.
Traditional cold calling and selling are designed to focus only on the “close” by presenting -- or in too many cases, “pushing” -- your solution onto prospects, sometimes even when they’re not interested.
But if you focus only on your goal of making the sale before having a discussion about the problems that you can help your prospects solve, something happens.
They start feeling that you’re “attacking” them. After all, you’re a stranger to them, and when you start talking about yourself and your solution rather than about them and their specific issues, you immediately trigger their suspicion and cause them to start “pushing back.”
This pushback is the resistance or energy that Unlock The Game teaches you to diffuse. Then both of you can quickly “get on the same page” and open a natural dialogue that will let you determine whether it makes sense for you to work together.
Let's look at two real selling scenarios -- cold calling and “get-you-off-the-phone” objections:
Scenario 1: Cold Calling
Suppose you’re at your desk and you receive a call from someone who says “Hi, my name is Jack Johnson, I'm with XYZ Company, and we’re a full-solution provider of...” Is your first reaction to welcome and be open to his call? Or do your mental defenses immediately kick in and you shut down against this stranger “salesperson”?
Probably the latter, especially if you sense that the caller is focused on his interests and not yours.
That’s why this old-school cold calling approach triggers the resistance and negative energy that prospects immediately throw your way.
The Unlock The Game way to make a successful cold call -- "successful” being defined as not triggering rejection -- is by beginning your call with, “Hi, my name is Jack, maybe you can help me out for a moment?” That simple question is a very natural way of beginning a conversation with a stranger.
But you can't just read this word for word, like a script. It won’t work. That would be like an Aikido instructor teaching a first-time student the physical movements before he or she has learned the philosophy necessary to carry them out.
The same applies here. First you need to integrate a new Mindset that changes the goal of your call from making the sale, or getting an appointment, to engaging the person in a natural two-way dialogue.
To do this, your voice has to be low-key. You have to avoid communicating any hint of typical “salesperson” enthusiasm, or any sense that you’re trying to direct the conversation to an end goal. Once you integrate the Mindset, all this kicks in naturally.
So, if you want to succeed in prospecting and cold calling, become aware of how you might be triggering the resistance or energy that instinctively causes prospects to push back against you.
Scenario 2: “Get-you-off-the-phone” objections
Here’s another example. Forget the idea of “overcoming objections.” Doing that only triggers more resistance from prospects that’s very difficult to diffuse.
Think about it for a moment. When prospects give a reason why they don’t want to proceed --when they “put up resistance” -- you’ve been trained to “overcome” their objections rather than to diffuse their resistance by acknowledging that what they’re telling you is their truth.
By applying the Unlock The Game Mindset™ and skills, you diffuse that resistance and remove the conflict from the situation, just as in Aikido.
Here’s the Unlock The Game™ process for dealing with objections:
1. Diffuse the objection with “That's not a problem... (Pause)”
2. Acknowledge the truth of their objection (see the sample language below).
3. Reopen the conversation with “Would you be open to...”
For example, suppose a prospect says, “We already have a vendor.” The path of diffusing and reengaging would go like this:
1. “That's not a problem...(Pause)”
2. “I wasn't calling to replace the vendor you’re currently using.” Here, you’re addressing their suspicion that your only focus is on making the sale and on ripping out their relationship with their current vendor. You’re simply asking whether they would be open to different ideas that might help them solve a problem. This diffuses the tension.
3. “Would you be open to some different ideas that you might not be using now?” After the tension is dissolved, this lets you reopen the conversation in a natural way because they clearly understand that your goal is to help them. Then, if things are a match between you, you can decide where to go from there.
Keep in mind that this process will work only if you fully integrate the Mindset so it feels as natural to you as breathing.
In short, if you’re using any form of traditional selling, you could be triggering a resistance every time you communicate with your prospect.
But if you learn this new Mindset, along with words and phrases that remove any conflict or tension from the relationship, you’ll have taken your first steps toward your black belt in unlocking the cold calling game!
Aikido and The Art of Selling - To learn more about this author, visit Ari Galper's Website.
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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New Cold Calling and Sales Approach - Cold calling and sales guru and EvanCarmichael.com expert Ari Galper explains how the Unlock The Game sales approach can provide you with a framework for how to create trust over the phone when you are cold calling.
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