No matter what we do for a living we all exercise influence. Employees serving customers, colleagues promoting ideas, human beings interacting in relationship -- all seek to persuade or 'sell' products, services, or ideas. Too often that means high-pressure sales pitches or clumsy one-liners. Here you'll find several Influence with Ease® resources to enhance your influence at work and in your personal life.
Jeff Mowatt's Influence with Ease® Training Tip #8
The Rule of Three
When selling or proposing your ideas, keep in mind the "Rule-of-3." Movie theatres found that when they sold only "large" and "small" drinks, they sold equal amounts of each. To sell more of the "large" drinks, they offered a third "jumbo" size. The result: because people tend to avoid extremes they most often selected the safe middle ground, and bought "large" drinks. Translation, when you have an idea or something to sell, you'll often get better results by adding two surrounding alternatives.
This Influence with Ease® Training Tip is one of a series. For more information about the ordering the series, click Influence with Ease® Training Tips.
Jeff Mowatt's Influence with Ease® Training Tip #91
Your Thoughts?
Ever feel awkward with customers when the time comes for you to ask for the order? Here's a great approach that an employee used with me when I was the customer. The sales rep answered my questions about various pieces of home gym equipment. I thanked her and was about to leave the store when she asked a wonderfully phrased question, "Your thoughts on the bench?" It was gentle, non-demanding, and still got the feedback she needed. Next time you need the customer's decision, consider asking, "Your thoughts on . . . ?" It's simple, subtle, and it works.
This Influence with Ease® Training Tip is one of a series. For more information about the ordering the series, click Influence with Ease® Training Tips.
Influence with Ease® Article
Creating a Customer Feeding Frenzy
Four tools that make you simply irresistible
by Jeff Mowatt
Article at a glance: Customers hate to be sold to, but they love to buy. The problem is that most customer-contact employees focus their attention on trying to sell, when instead they should be stimulating the customer's natural urge to buy. "Creating a Customer Feeding Frenzy" provides four ethical ways to stimulate emotional buying behavior.
Click here to read Creating a Customer Feeding Frenzy.
Influence with Ease® Article
Crucial Questions to Superior Sales
by Jeff Mowatt
When your customers aren't sure which of your products or services they should buy, consider this handy tool that not only helps create clarity, but also positions you as a trusted advisor. I'm referring to a time-test sales tool known as SWOT. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. When I do customer service and sales seminars and speeches for groups, I often hear this is one of the most useful tools people learn. Here's how to ask SWOT questions.Click here to read the full article.
Influence with Ease® Article
Selling Yourself Short? - How to stand-out without lowering your price
by Jeff Mowatt
Is what you do for a living perceived by potential customers as being a mere commodity; more or less the same as others in your profession? When that happens, customers revert to the easiest differentiator - price. The outlook gets worse as you realize that somewhere in the global economy there is likely someone offering similar products or services for a cheaper price. And with the internet it's easier for your customers to find them. What's most frustrating is when you know your products and services are indeed different, but customers don't seem to get that and put you in the same category as everyone else. The good news is you can change customer perceptions by changing the way you describe what you do...Click here to read the full article.
Influence with Ease® Article
The Humility Advantage - How Less Ego Creates More Sales
by Jeff Mowatt
Click here to read the full article.
Influence with Ease® Article
When Talking to Strangers
by Jeff Mowatt
Discover three reasons potential customers may distrust you or your employees.
Click here to read the full article.
Self-Study Training Kit
Profit Producing Customer Service
by Jeff Mowatt
This self-study kit shows you and your team how to create the first time purchase for a customer, and then move that new relationship to the next level. You'll discover how to build a long-term partnership with your customer that's substantially more rewarding for both parties. The keys are in needs analysis, follow-up, exceeding expectations, and most of all, enhancing the customer's perception of your value -- without having to work harder.
And that's only the beginning. Click here for information about ordering the Profit Producing Customer Service training kit.
Live On-Site Training Programs
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