Author: Paul Bunn

Practitioner, student, and trainer and coach in High Probability Selling for over a quarter century.

Sales Techniques and Closing – A Conversation on Reddit

The following conversation is copied from the subReddit called “Sales Techniques”.

Here is the opening question:

I sell a pretty high ticket item at $7000 over zoom meetings. My average is to close 5-6 new clients per week. BUT, I miss on another 10 or so. Yes that is a great close ratio and my employer is incredibly happy with that. But I cannot seem to shake off the ones I miss.. anyone else? Oh, 2025 will be my 35th year in sales, you would think I was over this by now..

Here is how I (Paul Bunn, aka Illustrious_Bunnster) replied:

There is a way to reduce the number of appointments with the prospects who aren’t likely to buy in the first place.

By this point, you probably intuitively know at least half of the low probability prospects that don’t really qualify for an appointment yet.

Use the criteria for those that buy to (temporarily) disqualify the ones who don’t really fit, that you might hope will buy but don’t.

When you become more selective about whom you meet with, your number of sales will actually increase overall AND compared to the number of appointments you book.

It will initially feel like you’re going to “lose” sales, but you can’t lose sales that aren’t going to follow through anyway.

The time and energy you save from meeting with low probability prospects will lead to more “found” sales who are looking for a salesperson with higher standards.

Micro Coaching in High Probability Selling (HPS)

  • Live, one-on-one video coaching, plus email and text support
  • Any HPS topic, from beginner to advanced, client’s choice
  • Customized guidance
  • Focused on applying HPS for the client’s situation
  • Defined objectives
  • For someone who:
    – wants more personal attention than what they would get in a group
    – wants an accelerated solution
    – feels stuck in some way
  • $500 USD
  • Flexible schedule
  • Start anytime

Call or text +1 484-464-2557
or email info@HighProbSell.com

Master the Inquiry Method of High Probability Selling – New Workshop

Discover the power of the Inquiry Method, a revolutionary approach for finding out what you really need to know about your prospects—before making any business decisions. Unlike typical sales tactics that focus on rapport-building, the Inquiry focuses on creating an open, honest, and safe space for communicating.

Jacques Werth, founder of High Probability Selling (HPS), called this the Trust and Respect Inquiry (TRI). It remains one of the most valuable, yet challenging, elements of the HPS system. While some practitioners have mastered it with great success, many have encountered obstacles that prevent them from progressing.

This workshop introduces a new approach to the Inquiry, starting with the basics and gradually building towards mastery. You’ll begin by understanding the core principles and then practice a simplified version of the Inquiry, all while maintaining its essence. In the final module, you’ll learn how to embody the Inquiry mindset, allowing you to engage in these powerful conversations with ease, in any situation.

Who Should Attend:

This workshop is designed to accommodate people with a wide range of backgrounds—whether you’re new to HPS or have years of experience.

  • New to HPS? Module One is best if you have read the book but have not received any training in the Inquiry.
  • Previously trained (in the TRI) but not comfortable with it? Modules One and Two will help you resolve the discomfort.
  • Struggle with applying the Inquiry in real-world business settings? Modules Two and Three will provide the practical skills needed.
  • Want something more authentic than rapport-building? Modules One and Two cover the what and how. Module Three gets into this more deeply.
  • Curious about the Inquiry for personal growth? The Inquiry is a powerful tool for understanding colleagues, relatives, or anyone you want to connect with more deeply. We cover this in Module Three.

Workshop Modules:

Module One: (3 weeks)

  • Introduction to the Inquiry Method
  • The Inquiry’s role in High Probability Selling
  • Listening beyond tactics to achieve real human connection

Module Two: (3 weeks)

  • When to use the Inquiry
  • A simpler way to begin with the Inquiry
  • Live practice sessions for confidence-building

Module Three: (4 weeks)

  • Going beyond the basics—handling challenges and going deeper
  • Advanced listening and questioning techniques, with guided practice
  • Applying the Inquiry in all areas of life and business

Workshop Structure:

  • Live and interactive Zoom meetings, 60-90 minutes each, held once or twice per week (recorded for review).
  • Class size. Module 1 is open to 12 students, while Modules 2 and 3 are each limited to 6 students to ensure personalized coaching.
  • Schedule. We will adjust our calendar to accommodate the people who enroll in the workshop. We will also adjust the schedule as needed to ensure that each student develops a strong grasp of the Inquiry Method.
  • Contact Us for more information or for assistance in deciding where to start.

Pricing:

ModulePrice (USD)Enroll and Purchase
Module One$350Buy now
Module Two$450Buy now
Module Three$550Buy now
Full Series$1200 (save $150)Buy now

Contact us for more information or to discuss customization options. Ongoing support and consulting services are also available.

UPDATE – Schedule for Module One

We have decided the schedule for Module One of this Workshop. It will officially begin on Mon 4 Nov and end on Fri 22 Nov 2024 (3 weeks). We will also have a bonus “head start” meeting before then, on Fri 1 Nov.

The 1 Nov and 4 Nov meetings will begin at 11:30 AM (USA Eastern Time – note that we switch from Daylight Saving Time to Standard Time on Sun 3 Nov).

After that, exact dates and times will be adjusted to accommodate the people who sign up. Tentative dates and times (for meetings after 4 Nov) currently appear on the HPS Calendar, which will be kept updated.

High Probability Prospecting Offer Clinic

We are in the process of designing a special series of coaching sessions that focus on High Probability Prospecting Offers. Details will follow.

Meanwhile, if you have questions or comments or suggestions, you can reach us by any of the following:

High Probability Selling – Mindset vs Process, Thinking vs Acting

Sometimes High Probability Selling (HPS) feels like it’s incredibly simple. Sometimes it feels like it’s the most complex idea on earth.  I have certainly oscillated between both of those extremes and maybe you have too.

The focus of teaching and implementing HPS from 2000 to 2015 has mostly been on the PROCESS, the steps of what you do, and much less on the thinking that goes with it. This was a conscious choice by Jacques Werth, the founder of High Probability Selling.

He chose to teach HPS the way he was taught martial arts.  Practice the physical forms, over and over and over and over, until you “get it” and it becomes automatic.  He knew very well that this was just a way of getting there, and that there was far more to HPS.

He also chose to sell HPS as a sales process, perhaps because it seemed more concrete and real that way, and because that was the kind of thing he was most familiar with selling. He always seemed surprised when asked, “What if High Prob were more than just a process?”

Some students were very successful in learning and applying HPS simply as a process, but too many were not. They needed to understand the aspects of HPS that were both behind and beyond the step-by-step process before they could actually do any of it. And without the doing, nothing happens.

Understanding the MINDSET is a necessity when trying to figure out what to do when things change. People have changed the way they do business and the way they communicate with each other, and especially over the past several decades. This means the sales process must change. A fixed process is too rigid.

I have learned in my 30 years of learning, teaching, and implementing HPS in a wide variety of business and personal applications that the process alone (without a deeper understanding) can actually do more harm than good.  To make HPS really “work” holistically, and without having to constantly adapt the process I had to fully understand and implement the mindset behind HPS, and the communication nuances based upon that mindset.

There’s much more to HPS than getting the steps right, or the words right.  To excel at HPS, I learned that I must BE HPS, not just DO HPS.  And to BE HPS, we have to embrace and adopt the HPS MINDSET.

We will write more about the Mindset of High Probability Selling as we understand it today. It’s a very big concept. We also plan to offer a workshop on this very soon. Stay tuned.

As always, we’d love to hear from you.

Troubleshooting Prospecting – Beyond the Offer

There’s often more to a High Probability Outbound Prospecting Offer than whether or not it fits the template.  

And many, including myself, have spent a long frustrating time trying to figure out the High Prob Prospecting offer that “WORKS BEST”.  Especially when the one we thought would “WORK” doesn’t seem to connect, nor deliver. Something is missing, but we can’t quite “see” it.

Almost always the offer is well written and structured and it meets the HPS offer criteria and attributes.  But it doesn’t produce anything useful.  Sometimes, it’s not entirely the offer.  The mismatch is in the factors beyond the scope of the offer itself. 

List design, target market, real market, location, timing, competitors, changing markets, prospect perspectives of value, our perception of value, etc.

The next time it seems like your offer “DOESN’T work”, step back and look beyond the words, Beyond the Offer.  

High Probability Selling for Introverts: Leveraging Unique Strengths

In the world of sales, extroverts often take center stage with their charisma and apparent networking prowess. However, introverts possess distinct strengths that can lead to effective selling with High Probability Selling.

Embracing Introverted Strengths

Introverts excel in active listening, empathy, and building deep connections. These qualities are foundational in High Probability Selling, focusing on understanding a customer, without interference from the salesperson’s own opinions and desires.

Active Listening: Introverts prioritize understanding over talking, which provides insights into customer values.

Relationship Building: Preferring meaningful one-on-one interactions, introverts foster authentic relationships of mutual respect, beyond simply building rapport.

Embracing Success

High Probability Selling empowers introverts to succeed by embracing their innate strengths of empathy, listening, and connecting with people. By leveraging these qualities, introverts redefine success in sales, creating genuine connections that lead to sustainable business growth.

Recognizing and valuing diverse strengths, including those of introverts, reshapes sales approaches to prioritize authenticity and empathy, ensuring long-term success in evolving market landscapes.

What’s Wrong With High Probability Selling?

We need to know what does not work with High Probability Selling in your experience.

Please respond in any of these ways:

  • Leave a comment on this blog post (public)
  • Send an email to info@HighProbSell.com
  • Leave a text or voice message at +1 484-464-2557

Selling to Engineers

In a recent coffee shop meeting, we were in conversation with a business marketing consultant with considerable success with some large corporations that most of us would recognize. He volunteered the following, “…one thing I hate to do, and that is to sell. Okay, I really hate that so much. And that’s because (when I am selling) I don’t feel that I’m being truthful. As much as I want to be truthful. I believe that I’m always saying what I think they want to hear in order to get the sale. And I don’t like that.”

What he came to believe was that he is too direct for typical sales situations. “I will not talk to VPs. If you’re not the CEO with total P&L responsibility, I’m not interested in the conversation…with one exception”. If the people that he’s dealing with are engineers, he can be direct because of their tendency to look for proof and actual solutions. But people who are from other disciplines are more concerned about their career than the well being of the entity that they represent.

“I want to know what their problems are. I don’t really want to hear any good news. If you tell me good news, we’re not going to be successful. Just tell me what your problems are. I’ll fix your problems. And that’s my only way of selling. And it’s always worked; when I have that proper audience. And that’s why it works with engineers because they’re focused on solving problems. They’re focused on getting things to be better and better.”

I (Paul Bunn) found his words to be unusual or at least contrarian. Over the years, I have seldom heard of salespeople who ENJOYED selling to engineers. Until this moment, I didn’t really understand why.

I (Carl Ingalls) have had more experience as a consulting engineer than as a salesperson. In that role, I met quite a few salespeople who seemed to feel at home when selling to engineers. However, I am beginning to understand why so many people find engineers frustrating.

Paul Bunn and Carl Ingalls will discuss this topic, “Selling to Engineers” in an open discussion on Thursday 13 June 2024, as part of our High Probability Selling Community Forum Series. It will be on Zoom, starting at 10:00 AM (USA Eastern Time). If you want to be part of this, please register by providing your full name and email address on this webform. We will then email the Zoom invitation details to you. No charge.