There is a single word we say to a prospect that demonstrates one of the most important ways of how we are being. It’s a very simple word that says so much.
Can you guess it?
When we respond to something the prospect says, it’s usually the first word we say.
It signals acceptance. It’s an early indicator that we are not going to try to change someone’s mind.
If you are an experienced practitioner of HPS, and can’t think of this word, it may be because you use it automatically, without being conscious of it.
If you can’t figure out what the word is, don’t worry. It’s ok.
And that is the answer. That’s the word. It’s ok.
Author
This would have helped me hugely in some recent conversations (not related to selling), in which a person says something I think is wrong. I tell him why I think he’s wrong. He responds by telling me why he is right. Back and forth we go. Soon whatever good feeling there is between us evaporates. If only I had just held my tongue and said “OK”.
Thank you Bill. I suspect that if our first response is “OK” then that puts us into a more collaborative state of mind, so that whatever we say after that is more likely to lead to a good outcome. — Carl Ingalls