Category: Articles

Blog posts that are articles.

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.

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.

Debunking Common Beliefs about Self and Sales

Sales Cycle Duration

  • Myth: “I have a fixed six-month sales cycle.”
  • Reality: Believing in a fixed sales cycle can create self-fulfilling prophecies where sales approaches are molded around this belief, often resulting in wasted time and effort. Sales cycles can be much shorter if one focuses on engaging with ready-to-buy prospects.

Predicting Client Behavior

  • Myth: “I can predict how prospects will respond based on past experiences.”
  • Reality: Preconceived notions and biases can hinder genuine interactions. Each prospect is unique, and stereotyping them can lead to missed opportunities.

Selling vs. Buying

  • Myth: “Nobody buys insurance; it has to be sold.”
  • Reality: People do buy insurance and other products when they see the value. Creating a buying environment rather than a selling one can lead to more genuine and lasting customer relationships.

Sales Tactics and Terminology

  • Myth: “I must use titles like ‘consultant’ instead of ‘salesperson’ to build trust.”
  • Reality: Authenticity matters more than titles. Being clear, open, and transparent about your intention builds trust more effectively than trying to mask it with different terms.

Approach to Sales Conversations

    • Myth: “Selling is bad; I must not appear to be selling.”
    • Reality: Sales doesn’t have to be manipulative. Honest, respectful conversations where wants and needs are matched with solutions can be beneficial to both parties.

    Customer Appreciation

    • Myth: “My customers don’t appreciate me unless I add value in every interaction.”
    • Reality: Adding value is important, but it should be genuine and relevant. Building trust through consistent, honest interactions can be more valuable than forcing perceived value.

    Letting Go

    • Myth: “Once I have a prospect on the phone, I can’t let them go.”
    • Reality: Respecting a prospect’s time and knowing when to end a call can leave a better impression and increase the chances of future engagement.

    Educational Sales

      • Myth: “I must educate my prospects into buying.”
      • Reality: Prospects who are already informed are more likely to buy. Focusing on understanding their wants and needs rather than just educating can lead to more successful sales.

      Client’s Price Sensitivity

        • Myth: “My customers only buy at the lowest price.”
        • Reality: While price is a factor, it’s not the only one. Value, trust, and service quality play significant roles in purchasing decisions.

        Universal Approach

          • Myth: “I need to apply the entire High Probability Selling (HPS) process to be effective.”
          • Reality: Flexibility within the HPS process allows for adaptation to different contexts and needs, making it more practical and effective.

          Respectful Communication

            • Myth: “Being direct can come off as offensive.”
            • Reality: Being direct, open, and transparent, when done respectfully, can lead to clearer and more productive conversations. It’s about being clear and concise without being rude or overbearing.

              Key Takeaways

              • Challenge and reevaluate commonly held beliefs about sales and client interactions.
              • Adapt and personalize sales approaches to meet the unique needs of each prospect.
              • Focus on creating genuine, respectful, and value-driven interactions.
              • Be flexible and willing to let go of rigid sales processes when necessary.
              • Embrace the power of listening and understanding over merely selling.

              Homework Challenge: Try to go 24 hours without giving any unsolicited opinions. This practice helps in improving active listening and reducing the tendency to dominate conversations with personal biases or unsolicited advice.

              Is This Really What Your Prospects Want?

              Today, you need some appointments for the week and next. So you call your prospect list.

              You’re polite and courteous with your introduction and you give your pitch.

              They say it’s too soon after the holidays, and they’re too busy right now.

              You explain why now is much better than later and persist in making an appointment…after all it will only take 20 minutes…just so you can establish a relationship… Everyone says to sell the relationship first.

              You make it seem as reasonable as you can; they mention how the economy is bad and they don’t want to do anything new right now.

              You acknowledge their concern, and you persist in trying to set an appointment.

              After all, you’re just trying to help them, maybe save them some money…if they would just give you 20 minutes, then they would see the value that you provide.

              Finally, they relent and ask you to send them a brochure, which they will seriously consider and then get back to you.

              You offer to bring it to them on your way home from the office.

              They tell you they’ll be out running errands then so just put it in the mailbox, then they say “Thanks, and then goodbye”.

              With all the hope you can muster, you drop it off in their mailbox on your way home.

              Of course, nothing ever comes of it.

              If everyone says to do it that way, why doesn’t it work?

              Selling With Respect

              Respect the prospective customer’s right to decide what they want, without trying to change their mind. That is a major principle behind High Probability Selling. 

              We want to find out what the prospect’s decision will be, not how to influence it. Since we estimate probabilities, we need to know what the truth really is, without our interference. 

              Asking the right questions, in the right way, gets us a lot closer to the truth. 

              For instance, we find that open questions work better than closed ones. Questions that give the prospect as much freedom as possible in how they choose to answer. It may take a little longer, but the response is usually more revealing.  

              We give a lot of control to the prospect, and we do a lot of listening. That’s respect. 

              Understanding High Probability Selling – Podcast Interview of Carl Ingalls by Paul Cuomo

              Summary below written by Paul Cuomo, for the podcast he published on 29 June 2021:

              For many of us who have read sales books, took courses or browsed through the thousands of hours of free sales training online, we often notice that much of the material and concepts are a regurgitation of past concepts. High Probability Selling is not. High Probability Selling is a way of selling without “getting people to buy.” No persuading, no convincing, no arguing, no handling objections.  No impressing people, no pretending to be a friend, no groveling for the sale…..yes you just read that. I had a wonderful discussion with Carl Ingalls, a Consultant who trains salespeople on this methodology.

              High Probability Selling the book, was written by Jacques Werth and the process was discovered by observing behaviors of top sales performers within his organization. The book was recommended to me in the late 1990’s and it has had an enormous impact on me.  Very excited to share this interview with the audience.

              Paul Cuomo, The Foundational Sales Podcast

              Listen to this podcast here. 72 minutes

              Blinded by Love (of what you sell)

              Be careful when selling something that seems like a “no brainer”. If the reasons to buy it are so compelling that it sounds too good to be true, this will raise suspicion in the prospect’s mind too often. No amount of logic will overcome that, and it is terribly frustrating to try.

              Also, your enthusiasm, even when sincere, is likely to come across like every other excited salesperson trying to push the prospect into a sale.

              There is a special way of being that is the ultimate goal of High Probability Selling. And this is how we avoid triggering that general sense of unease a prospect may feel about the salesperson.

              That way of being is naturally neutral and objective. No agenda and no attachment to the immediate outcome.

              There’s No Such Thing as No Pressure Selling

              That’s what Todd Liles says in his blog post at https://www.servextra.com/blog/sales/6-keys-to-low-pressure-selling/

              It makes logical sense, because if you believe that selling is about getting someone to buy, it is impossible to do that without applying some pressure.

              However, in High Probability Selling (HPS), we do not believe it’s about getting someone to buy. For us, selling is about finding people who want to buy for their own reasons, without any influence from us. We call that No Pressure Selling.

              However, we actually do apply pressure in one way. Although we don’t try to get the prospect to buy, we do try to get them to make a decision. We ask, “Is that something you want?”

              One way to sell with even less pressure than we do in HPS, is to be completely passive and wait for a sale to come to you. We don’t recommend that.

              HPS From People Who Have Never Heard of It

              That’s how Jacques Werth learned it. He discovered High Probability Selling (HPS) by watching and copying what hundreds of very successful salespeople were doing.

              by Carl Ingalls and Paul Bunn

              That’s how Jacques Werth learned it. He discovered High Probability Selling (HPS) by watching and copying what hundreds of very successful salespeople were doing. Nobody had a name for it, until Werth created the name and wrote the book.

              These top salespeople used a variety of methods, which Werth compiled into a single process. None of them followed that complete process, but most of them followed a common theme, a way of being when they were selling.

              The process varied between these salespeople, but their way of being was the same, and that is what we focus on now.

              This HPS way of being does not follow the commonly accepted doctrine of selling. Once you look outside of that doctrine (getting people to buy), you may start to see examples of HPS in the broader world around you.

              For example, “Do you want to buy some Girl Scout cookies?” is pure and natural HPS. They don’t ask us if we need it. They don’t spin it to make it tastier. We respect them, because they are standing up and asking us a direct question, and they respect us to decide if we want cookies without being persuaded. Mutual respect.

              Exercise. Find and note examples of the HPS way of being, and especially from people who have never heard of High Probability Selling.

              We will write more about this. Meanwhile, your comments and questions are very much appreciated.

              If Spammers Do It – Don’t

              by Carl Ingalls and Paul Bunn

              If you look like a spammer, talk like a spammer, and walk like a spammer, most people will delete your message or hang up on you without caring what you have to say.

              So, as a general rule, we avoid doing the things that spammers do. A lot of High Probability Selling is the opposite of what they do (but there are a few exceptions).

              Here are a few things a spammer is more likely to say than someone who is not a spammer.

              1. On the phone, saying, “How are you today” before mentioning the purpose of the call.
              2. On the phone, taking too long to get to the point, and sticking rigidly to their script.
              3. An email that starts with, “I just wanted to…” or any other first reference to themselves. Like the recipient cares about what the sender wants.
              4. Mentioning their previous unsolicited messaging, as if you should feel guilty for ignoring them. “I was wondering if you got a chance to review my previous email.” Like you really need someone checking to see if you did your homework.

              There are a lot more. You are welcome to add your thoughts in the comments below.

              Exercise: The next time a piece of spam email lands in your inbox, take a close look at it. Pay special attention to the things that irritate you, and write them down. If you can, also write down why those things irritate you. Do the same with a spam phone call. Then think about how you want come across to prospective customers.