Speaker A
I want to tell you about the most powerful sales tactic that I have learned. I never learned it from a book. I actually learned it by accident, and it will be included in the 100 million dollar sales book when it comes out.
Discover a powerful sales tactic that builds trust by recommending competitor products to boost overall sales and customer loyalty.
Key Takeaways
- Building trust by recommending competitor products can increase overall sales.
- Honesty about product availability strengthens customer relationships.
- Intention behind persuasion defines ethical selling versus manipulation.
- Using 'ghost products' helps create goodwill and faster trust.
- Associating product use with daily routines improves customer compliance.
What the video covers
- The speaker shares a powerful sales tactic learned accidentally, which will be included in an upcoming sales book.
- The tactic involves gaining customer trust by openly recommending competitor or cheaper alternative products.
- This approach was tested in a gym supplement retail environment with high closing rates.
- By admitting when a product was out of stock and suggesting an alternative elsewhere, trust was built and sales increased.
- The tactic includes using 'ghost products' or 'sacrificial lambs' to show goodwill and act in the customer's best interest.
- The speaker emphasizes the difference between manipulation and help lies in the intention behind persuasion.
- The method involves giving customers a vision of the benefits and associating product use with daily habits.
- This approach results in higher closing rates and stronger customer relationships.
- The speaker advises that if uncomfortable, sellers can carry ghost products without selling them, purely as trust tools.
- The tactic is especially effective in multi-product sales environments and involves a one-click upsell strategy.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction to the Most Powerful Sales Tactic
- 00:36Selling Supplements and Training New Salespeople
- 01:15Challenges During a Product Launch
- 01:54Using Honesty to Build Trust with Customers
- 02:24Expanding the Use of Competitor Recommendations
- 03:10Closing Sales by Associating Products with Daily Habits
- 03:54Ethics of Persuasion and Intention
- 04:28Creating Trust by Acting in Customer’s Self-Interest
- 05:04Using Ghost Products as a Sales Tool
- 05:44Effective Multi-Product Selling and Vision Casting
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
so you heard it here first but it's a concept that you can do as a salesperson to gain trust and I stumbled into this I ended up selling a hundred percent of people after I made this one switch and
Speaker A
So you heard it here first, but it's a concept that you can do as a salesperson to gain trust. I stumbled into this. I ended up selling to a hundred percent of people after I made this one switch.
Speaker A
products so rewind the clock I was selling supplements at my gym and the way that we would sell supplements is that we'd sell some sort of service package and then we'd do a nutrition orientation the camp the nutrition
Speaker A
How I sold, and I was able to teach it to people who'd never sold before, and they were able to close 80 to 90 percent of people who are coming in the door. Mind you, this is a retail environment selling physical products.
Speaker A
for like a new challenge or something and we had a hundred new customers there come in and I ran out one of the key uh products I had ladies come in the first half of the day and able to get the
Speaker A
So rewind the clock. I was selling supplements at my gym, and the way that we would sell supplements is that we'd sell some sort of service package, and then we'd do a nutrition orientation. The camp, the nutrition orientation, we'd actually, you know, set them up with their meal plans, and then we'd make recommendations for products.
Speaker A
Z anymore and it was like really awkward and I was like a lady came in and so rather than me try and skirt around this clear item that was on the list that I didn't have I said hey by the way you
Speaker A
Now, normally I would sell pretty well, but still I always wanted to sell more and get better. We'd killed this launch for like a new challenge or something, and we had a hundred new customers come in.
Speaker A
you've done the program and they're like oh thanks like that was cool after I made that one crossout I was like but you do want this and this from us and they're like okay cool as soon as I made
Speaker A
I ran out of one of the key products. I had ladies come in the first half of the day and were able to get the products, and then some of their friends who signed up with them came in the second half of the day and were like, "Hey, my friend Sandy told me that I need X, Y, and Z."
Speaker A
that so I could sell even more on the back side so then I had two products that I was like hey you can get this and this over here get this brand it should be at this price you can go get it it'll
Speaker A
And I was like, "Oh, we don't have Z anymore," and it was like really awkward. And a lady came in, and so rather than me try and skirt around this clear item that was on the list that I didn't have, I said, "Hey, by the way, you can get this one for cheaper down the street at Costco, so you don't need to get this one from me. This one's a little better, but I think it'll get the job done. You can get this one after you've done the program."
Speaker A
gain mass and so I was like you're not trying to gain Mass art and she's like no I was like you can just cross that out go ahead you don't worry about that and so I gave her recommendation two
Speaker A
And they're like, "Oh, thanks, like that was cool." After I made that one crossout, I was like, "But you do want this and this from us," and they're like, "Okay, cool." As soon as I made that switch from saying, "Hey, you don't need to buy this one, you can get that from over there," everyone bought what I recommended afterwards, and I was like, "Whoa."
Speaker A
take them next to this put this in your car so you always have it with you I closed everyone what that gave birth to was something that I used to call sacrificial Lambs but now call ghost products because it sounds better but I
Speaker A
And so then I leaned into that and was like, "I wonder if I could do more of that so I could sell even more on the back side." So then I had two products that I was like, "Hey, you can get this and this over here, get this brand, it should be at this price, you can go get it, it'll save you 10 or 20 bucks," and they were like, "Wow, even better."
Speaker A
incredibly incredibly powerful tactic and like all persuasion the difference between manipulation and help is intention and so if you want to help someone you are manipulating them but you're just doing it in a positive intent now and if you change someone's
Speaker A
And then I remember I looked at my list, and there was, you know, a lady that it was like a mass gainer, and she obviously wasn't trying to gain mass. And so I was like, "You're not trying to gain mass, are you?" And she's like, "No." I was like, "You can just cross that out, go ahead, don't worry about that."
Speaker A
acted in their self-interest rather than your own so that they can feel like you're not trying to take advantage of them now if you know that they need this stuff but they don't yet know that they need the stuff then you can make a
Speaker A
And so I gave her recommendation, two things that she could get for cheaper, and then I said, "You don't need to worry about this." And then when I said, "Hey, like I need you to take two of these in the morning next to this, take three of these, take them next to this, put this in your car so you always have it with you," I closed everyone.
Speaker A
you feel like it but I realized quickly that I was never selling it and I was always giving those ones away and so if you're going to use this tactic my recommendation is to make the products that you send across the street to be
Speaker A
What that gave birth to was something that I used to call sacrificial lambs but now call ghost products because it sounds better. But I ended up, over time, not even carrying the products that I had on there that I was recommending out because they were so powerful as a sales tool for me to gain trust from the other person.
Speaker A
where you sell multiple products this has been the most effective way that I've learned to sell what you want to do is give someone a vision of what their life's going to be like when they're experiencing the benefits and so you
Speaker A
This is an incredibly, incredibly powerful tactic. And like all persuasion, the difference between manipulation and help is intention.
Speaker A
take it is that you're going to take two of these in the morning then I ask a question and I'm like what do you do every day no matter what in the morning do you wake up and smoke a cigarette do
Speaker A
So if you want to help someone, you are manipulating them, but you're just doing it with positive intent. Now, if you change someone's behavior and you have negative intent, you are manipulating them.
Speaker A
you to put this in your cupboard because you'll forget about it I want you to put it next to your toothbrush so we don't have to make a new habit they're like oh and what I want you to do piece of tape
Speaker A
If you believe in the stuff that you sell, you can create an environment where someone will trust you faster by giving them a reason to trust you. And so that means that you acted in their self-interest rather than your own so that they can feel like you're not trying to take advantage of them.
Speaker A
okay you can have all these you're good to go did you just want to use the cards you have on file now they don't have to take their wallet out they don't have to make another purchase decision they just
Speaker A
Now, if you know that they need this stuff but they don't yet know that they need the stuff, then you can make a concession using a ghost product or using a sacrificial lamb so that you can gain the trust faster.
Speaker A
is obviously a consumption based product any product that you want someone to use they have to use it at a certain point and and so we want to figure out ways to associate the usage of the act of the
Speaker A
And so if you feel uncomfortable about not having the product on your menu, then you feel free to carry a product and never sell it if you feel like it. But I realized quickly that I was never selling it, and I was always giving those ones away.
Speaker A
salesperson and better Coach like overall if you're trying to help someone and so that kind of selling process that set close getting the trust make the prescription Works unbelievably well and then if for some reason the point person's like well how much does this
Speaker A
And so if you're going to use this tactic, my recommendation is to make the products that you send across the street to be the ones that are the lowest margin product. Gain the trust by giving away the low margin stuff, and then keep the high margin stuff for yourself so that people trust you, and then they buy that stuff.
Speaker A
I think you absolutely need to have versus things that'll just get you more benefits faster what I would then do is take off one and say this would be the lowest one I'd remove does this work for you and if they're like I can't do that
Speaker A
And so if you're in an environment where you sell multiple products, this has been the most effective way that I've learned to sell. What you want to do is give someone a vision of what their life's going to be like when they're experiencing the benefits.
Speaker A
you took out isn't important because then it looks like you're selling stuff doesn't matter so like these are ingredients but you're gonna have to eat a shitload of broccoli now all right so you okay that you know what I'll just
Speaker A
And so you want to explain to them exactly how to take it before you make the ask. What we would do is say, "Hey, this one is going to help you do benefit, benefit. The way that I need you to take it, I need you to take two of these in the morning."
Speaker A
eat a pound of broccoli which is why I had this they're trusting me to make the prescription because that's why they're paying you for expertise and then you can pause and say well are there things that are your old identity that you're
Speaker A
Then I ask a question, and I'm like, "What do you do every day no matter what in the morning? Do you wake up and smoke a cigarette? Do you drink a cup of coffee? Do you take a shower? Brush your teeth? Like, what's something you do every morning?"
Speaker A
just found some money don't worry about it let's associate with these new activities new identity if this sounds really smooth I've done this a lot of times you'll get used to it and I think one of the best gifts you can have is
Speaker A
And then they say, "Well, I brush my teeth every morning." I'm like, "Cool, so I don't want you to put this in your cupboard because you'll forget about it. I want you to put it next to your toothbrush so we don't have to make a new habit."
Speaker A
every day at low tickets see if you can work with a business owner and incorporate some sort of inject yourself into their sales process so that you can get rep after rep after rep after rep and it will teach you more about the
Speaker A
They're like, "Oh." And what I want you to do is put a piece of tape, put a two on it. I want you to take two of them. We're going to put an extra toothbrush. Got it? That's number one.
Speaker A
and tons of transactions at low tickets so that when I got to selling higher ticket more expensive stuff I was like oh my God this is a breeze if you sold Services let's say you sold Web Design Services and you had like a laundry list
Speaker A
I would go through that with each of the products that I have, and I would say, "Okay, you can have all these, you're good to go. Did you just want to use the cards you have on file now?"
Speaker A
Philippines that will do it for you I've got a connection I can I can talk to you to about after this call and if you really want to be sneaky about it if you're the owner it's harder if you're a
Speaker A
They don't have to take their wallet out. They don't have to make another purchase decision. They just have to say yes. It's a one-click upsell that is a combination of a prescriptive close and having ghost products to set up trust.
Speaker A
then the sales person becomes incredibly trusted it becomes like they're on that side of the table but what the person doesn't know is that they're trying to sell the other stuff at the end of the day the goal as a salesperson is to move
Speaker A
You're also being a good coach by showing them how they're going to make this happen in the routine. Now, this is obviously a consumption-based product. Any product that you want someone to use, they have to use it at a certain point.
Speaker A
and so if you can walk yourself around the table psychologically this is one of the fastest ways to do it
Topics:sales tactictrust buildingghost productssacrificial lambpersuasionethical sellingupsell strategycustomer loyaltysupplement salesretail sales
