The Secret Language of Influence: Master the One Skill Every Sales Pro Needs - Paperback

by Dan Seidman (Author)

Spanning the use of storytelling, humor, emotion-evoking language, and questions that advance the sale, this entertaining and practical book demonstrates the power of words to break down resistance and incline buyers toward purchase.

A few simple words--the right words--can transform an awkward sales call into a comfortable conversation and a resistant prospect into a happy customer, which is why author Dan Seidman teaches you to think of influence as something occurring at a level just below the buyer's awareness.

The Secret Language of Influence does this by explaining not only how to identify the right words--and which to avoid--but how to use strategic key words and phrases with different potential buyers. You'll learn the best ways to approach buyers who are:

• motivated by benefits vs. problems (i.e., wanting to hear about the money they'll save rather than the pain they'll avoid);
• proactive vs. reactive;
• big picture vs. detail oriented;
• systems thinkers vs. creative minds;
• and those who are influenced by external feedback (testimonials, evidence) vs. internal factors (feelings, personal experiences, beliefs).

Today's buyer is savvy and all too familiar with traditional selling techniques, but great selling is invisible. By identifying different ways buyers are motivated, salespeople can quickly customize their conversations and lead prospects to a yes.

Back Jacket

If you want to make more sales, you need to speak the buyer's language. Some buyers are like tortoises and others are like hares. Some are big-picture buyers and others are detail-oriented. And some, no matter how many fabulous benefits you describe, would rather hear about the pain they'll avoid. Your job is to figure out what kind of buyer you're selling to, and which words will lead them to "yes."

You don't have to be a mind reader. It's simple to do when you're attuned to the subtle yet powerful force of language--listening carefully to map out your customer's mind, then choosing words strategically to act as tools of influence. The Secret Language of Influence is a remarkably simple yet effective new approach to selling. Packed with stories, dialogues, and examples, the book delivers more than 30 psychologically insightful strategies for pinpointing how different people make decisions, and tailoring your sales message to match. You'll learn how to: - Use pattern interrupt to grab attention and overcome resistance - Motivate proactive buyers who rush forward (then change their minds) and reactive buyers who make decisions slowly and methodically - Figure out if your prospect responds to external feedback (testimonials, evidence) or internal factors (feelings, beliefs) - Match your dialect to appeal to visual, auditory, or kinesthetic thinkers - Ask potent questions that elicit clear clues about your buyer - Use storytelling, humor, and emotions to maximum effect, and more! Great persuasion skills are invisible, happening just beneath a buyer's awareness. With a few simple words--the right words--you can transform an awkward sales call into a comfortable conversation, and a resistant prospect into a happy customer. Dan Seidman is a globally recognized speaker, consultant, and trainer on selling and influence. He is the author of The Ultimate Guide to Sales Training, and his regular columns reach more than 2 million readers monthly online and in print. He lives in Barrington, Illinois.

Author Biography

DAN SEIDMAN is a globally recognized speaker, consultant, and trainer on selling and influence. He is the author of Sales Autopsy, and his regular columns reach more than 2 million readers monthly online and in print.