lies
I’m at a popular rest stop for cyclists.
A man in a yellow shirt locks eyes with a cyclist, offers a small pamphlet and says, “Would you like a free passage from the book of John?”
The cyclist says, “No thanks, I don’t have any pockets.”
But that’s a lie. All bike jerseys have two large pockets in the back.
So why did the cyclist lie?
First, let’s talk about lies.
Not all lies are the same. Lies vary in how harmful and morally offensive they are.
The cyclist told a white lie.
People tell white lies when telling the truth would be overly complicated, socially awkward, or uncomfortable. In this case turning down a bible verse.
According to Psychology Today, 95% of people can’t go a week without telling a white lie. Wait, is that true?
Anyway, why am I talking about this?
Prospects tell white lies for the same reason. It’s a polite way to end a socially awkward situation, so they say things like:
“Can you send me a proposal?”
“Your price is too high.”
“Send me some information.”
“Call me later.”
The problem?
You can waste a lot of time treating a white lie like a truth.
See if this sounds familiar.
A prospect says they want a proposal. You think it’s the truth. You think the sale is going to close. You put together a proposal. You send it. And the prospect disappears. The sale doesn’t close.
So what you need is an approach that helps you get to more truth. A golden lasso so to speak.
Here’s what getting to the truth sounds like:
Prospect: “Send me a proposal.”
Salesperson: “What would you like to see?”
Prospect: “A, B, and C.”
Salesperson: “Seems like if the proposal has A, B, and C for the price we discussed, you’re ready to move forward.” (Labeling Voss.)
Then stop talking.
Listen.
I call this a fast-forward label.
You’re fast-forwarding to a time after the prospect has the proposal to see if there are other concerns.
What you typically hear after using a fast-forward label is all the reason why the prospect can’t move forward.
“We want in blue, and you only offer black.”
“We don’t have w budget.”
“This isn’t a priority.”
Now you have the truth.
No truth, no transaction.
Knowing how to open the floodgates of truth is a good skill to master for protecting your time.
Learn how to get to more truth with Tongue Tied. 34 sales objection flashcards with how to say it audio files + real cold calls of the technique in action.
Josh Braun
You lose a sale. You miss quota. Let yourself feel disappointed. Remind yourself to focus on what you control and tune out what you don’t. Keep learning.Keep growing.That’s all you can do. There’s power in that.There's confidence in that. You become yourself again.You feel happy again because of how far you've come. Don't judge the journey. Sales and no sales are part of the same experience.Rainbows follow rain.Night follows day. And if that doesn’t bring you peace, I don’t know what will :-)
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