Using The Words "Popular" and "Recommendation" when Selling.
When you are in the process of answering questions when selling…I’ve found two words that really help. I like to ask “Would you like to know what’s most popular?” or “Would you like to know the most popular option?” and “May I make a recommendation?”
Why the word Popular?
We have a strong inner need to be accepted by others. It’s why we join groups, engage in small talk, and try to be agreeable. We like to feel that others agree with us and our views. we like to be a member of a team, “One of the guys” and accepted by others. One way of saying this is…we want to be popular. And the best way to be popular is by doing what is popular. Doing what is accepted by our favorite group of people .
Remember as a kid, if metal lunch boxes wee popular, you had to have one. If certain shoes were popular, you had to wear them. We have a need, a nearly universal one, to be thought of as popular.
And when you are selling, and the prospect is having a tough time deciding, I like to ask “Would you like to know the most popular option?” This may be a method of financing, a method of delivery, or just choosing a specific product or service.
And why is this so powerful? When you ask them if they want to know what’s popular, you are relieving them of some of the stress of making a decision. Now, they aren’t the only people making the choice. The word “Popular” means that lots of other people have decided to buy from you, and there is safety in numbers. “Popular” also implies that the “cool” people are buying from you, and are buying what you recommend.
In my own personal selling, I like to ask if thy want to know the most popular option. Of course, they have at least two options, or the question wouldn’t make sense. And here is how I choose what is most “popular”. Am I really going to choose what most people buy? No. There, I said it. What most people buy may not b the best choice for them and their particular needs. What I show them is the most popular option for people in their exact situation.
I’m going to choose what I think they are most likely to accept….what I think will make them the happiest….what I think they are leaning towards anyway.
The prospect just wants a feeling that they are not alone. They don’t want to be the only people buying…or the only people financing….or the only people switching services. And even though they cannot see anyone else that has bought (at the moment)…the word “Popular” puts them in a group of people that share one thing…they chose to buy a specific thing in a specific way.
Why do I like using the word “recommendation”?
Because making a recommendation suggests authority…expertise….and professionalism. Who makes recommendations? Doctors, dentists, lawyers…trusted experts. When I am selling business services, I tend to ask “May I make a recommendation?” It has a lot of the benefits of the word “Popular”, but gives the added inference that you are suggesting something based on your expertise rather than on what other customers have bought.
Two very powerful words. Use them for good and not evil…..my friend.
May I make a recommendation? My most popular book is One Call Closing. May I recommend you read it? (See? I practice what I preach)
http://amzn.to/2preHxd