by Jacques Werth and Carl Ingalls
The most difficult aspect of High Probability Selling is the change from conventional selling to non-persuasive selling. The process requires a strong desire, a knowledge base, and practice (skills). The awareness level of the average salesperson is a stumbling block because s/he only knows conventional methods. As a result, the salesperson wants to combine what is comfortable with what is new.
The only way to arrive at destination B is to leave station A. The successful application of High Probability Selling can appear simple and even similar to conventional sales because it comes off very natural. The practice, however, is dramatically different. Your starting point, your aim, and your goal are different.
The process of acquiring High Probability skills is incremental and must be practiced everyday at work, home, and play. Because most salespeople have yet to fully leave the station, and they don’t practice everyday, there is a continual request to have it both ways.
High Probability communicating is a way of life. It isn’t only for work and then turned off before you get home. It’s a parenting tool, a marriage enhancer, and it develops long-term relationships. It’s not designed to be diluted with one part manipulation, one part persuasion, and one part High Probability.
By definition, it’s called High Probability because the process gives you the highest probability for success. Diluting it requires a different descriptor like: “Mostly High Probability but not exactly” or “High Probability except when it’s not.”
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please give some examples of applying hi-prob in “real life” at play and parenting and in developing long-term relationships. I guess I’m still within sight of the station A 🙁
I have a lot of “Old Stuff” to leave behind, I’ve been an insurance agent for over 40 years. When I finally started studying high prob selling, I knew this was the best thing I’ve seen in that 40 years. The best part is you have to do everything to make this system work for yourself. I has taken me a lot longer than I expected to make this work, but it’s starting to.
I was concerned at first that everyone would be doing it. Don’t worry about that, this takes “work” to make this run. I can’t believe the response I get for old fashion whole life insurance. I’ve do some experimenting with several kinds of insurance. When I was doing a dental, vision and hearing policy prospecting, I would do the first 5 steps and answer some questions, hang up. Then a prospect would call me back off of their caller ID and want to buy. That’s wonderful. I going to just keep changing. I’m just getting started.
The title and content of this post brought to mind the memorable first line from The Go Between, by L P Hartley: ‘The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.’
Dr. John Gottman, arguably the world’s foremost expert on marriage from the University of Washington, said in a recent interview that he works with two types of marriages: Disasters and Masters.
A common tool found in Masters Marriages is that each partner has a Road Map of the other’s likes and dislikes, passions, anxieties and visions. The only way a Road Map can be made is if one partner conducts a TRI on the other partner. He descriptively described how the mapping covers details of intimacy that illustrate how Masters Marriages go beyond the surface.
The second example is how to communicate with children, especially teenagers, the age group that cause grownup to tremble. Before the age of 8, most parents can get by with conventional tools of telling children what to do. But as they grow older, if parenting skills do not mature into non-persuasive techniques, the kids will push back against their parents.
Such formidable arguments as: ‘Cuz I said so,” and the ever popular “As long as you’re in my house, you follow my rules” are “Blind Spots” in the parenting communication schema. When parents manipulate the space between them and their offspring, they drive their kids away without knowing it.
High Probability is a non-persuasive process designed to produce an environment built upon mutual trust and respect. When troubled teenagers are questioned about their feelings towards their parents, they respond that they love their parents, but that they don’t trust them. Sadly, I’ve heard very happy and healthy teenagers respond exactly the same way.
Remember when you were a teenager, did your parents spend more time telling you what to do (conventional parenting/selling) or did they ask you direct questions to determine what you wanted and then delegate thinking to you for the solution (non-persuasive or High Probability parenting/selling)?
Which do you prefer?
A most excellent way to language the High Probability Selling philosophy! I agree with Richard’s breakdown of the mindset. I asked Jacques years ago about writing a book on relationships. I’ve used the techniques contained in HPS for years! It is life changing.