Category: Mindset of High Probability Selling

What If They Complain About the Price?

Suppose you sold an expensive dining room set for $3000, and suppose the customer calls you later and says that their cousin’s neighbor’s sister got exactly the same set for $700 less.

What do you do?

General Rule: Listen more and talk less. Ask questions that get the other person to talk. Don’t argue. Don’t explain or justify yourself any more than is necessary. Don’t try to change the customer’s mind about anything. Let the customer talk more than you do. 

The best thing for you to start with is to say, “Ok.  What do you want to do?”  Say it in a neutral tone, with a downward intonation at the end, and don’t rush it. Pause a bit after saying ok and before you ask what they want to do. Then listen.

Here is a list of some of the things that a customer might say to your question about what they want to do, and how you can reply.

  • Cust:  “I want you to give me $700 back.”
    You:   “That won’t work for me.  You can return the dining room set and receive a full refund of the purchase price, not including the delivery charges.  Or you can keep the set. What do you want to do?”
  • Cust:  “Why did you charge me $3000?”
    You:  “That’s what I sell it for.”
  • Cust:  “Why did someone else get it for so much less?”
    You:  “I don’t know.  You could ask them.”
  • Cust:  “I think it’s really unfair that I had to pay that much when someone else got it for less.”
    You:   “Ok.  What do you want to do?”
  • Cust:  “I want my money back.”
    You:   “Ok.  You can get a full refund of the purchase price of the dining room set, but not of the delivery charges.  Do you want to go ahead with that?”

The above is one example of how a practitioner of High Probability Selling might handle a situation like this, when following the Mindset of HPS.

Questions, comments, and ideas from readers are very welcome.

Judging

We try not to judge, but it’s a difficult habit to break.  Sometimes we do it without intending to.  Sometimes we are completely unaware of it.

I’m talking about the Good vs Bad kind of judging that we do when we apply it to people and what they do.  We form a value opinion, and then we drop our opinion into the world where it does its damage.

In High Probability Selling (HPS), we do our best to avoid this kind of judging.  Nothing positive, nothing negative.  Neither good nor bad.  We consider it too manipulative.  People are less likely to trust us.

It takes a great deal of work to become more aware of how our opinions – and how we state them – make other people feel judged and pressured.  Good intentions are not enough.

If you want to read some guidelines about how we avoid judging, see a previous article on this blog, “You Have to Get Personal“.

Questions and comments are very welcome.

Sales Copywriting Tactics and High Probability Selling

Are sales copywriting tactics compatible with the non-manipulative methods of high probability selling?

The question is:

“Is using a marketing sales letter that uses the sales copywriting tactics of direct response marketing compatible with the non-manipulative methods of high probability selling process?”

This question was asked by a reader in a comment on this blog, and I decided to write a post about it.

The short answer is: NO.

The most common sales copywriting tactics are completely incompatible with High Probability Selling (HPS). And for most copywriters, even the fundamental purpose of copywriting is incompatible with HPS.

One copywriter explains the difference in purpose between copywriting and other writing in his article, “81 staggering lines in literature“:

“Unlike writing, copywriting exists to get the reader to do something, buy something, sign-up for something or share something.” He goes on to say, “copywriting exists to elicit an action in the reader.”

In High Probability Selling, we DO NOT attempt to get anyone to buy. Not even a nudge one way or the other. We do try to be as clear as possible about what it is that we are offering, and we do try to get the prospect to make an immediate decision about whether they want that or not. But nothing intended to influence that decision.

So, what about sales copywriting? What would that look like if you wanted to make it completely compatible with the methods and principles of High Probability Selling?

Here is what I think sales copywriting would look like if it were to be compatible with HPS.

  • Informative, without attempting to influence or impress the reader. Our primary purpose is to provide the information that someone might want in order to make a well-informed decision.
  • Honest, full disclosure of what is relevant.
  • Balanced, revealing both pros and cons.
  • Neutral, objective (factual), transparent. No exaggerating.
  • Concise, direct, to the point.
  • Short and simple, easy to read. What it’s about should be immediately apparent to the reader, as quickly as possible. If details are necessary, put them further down the page.
  • Focused more on what a customer receives (The Get), and less on what the seller does.
  • Features (what the customer gets immediately) are more important than benefits (potential later outcomes).
  • No pressure. No pushing, not even a nudge.
  • Provide options.
  • Ask for a decision. One of my favorite ways to do this is, “What do you want to do?”

My opinions on this are based on years of conversations with Jacques Werth (founder of High Probability Selling) and others, plus my own thinking and experience.

What are your thoughts and experiences about this?

High Probability Selling Was Discovered, Not Made

Jacques Werth discovered what he later called High Probability Selling (HPS) by observing and documenting what hundreds of highly successful salespeople were doing.  He invented the name, and he invented a way of talking about it and teaching it, and he wrote the book, but he did not invent the method of selling.  It was already out there.  That’s where he found it.

I asked him why he used the phrase “Re-invents the Selling Process” on the cover of his book.  He told me that, at the time, lots of successful authors were saying things like that on their books and it seemed like a good idea.

In those days, Jacques tended to use conventional methods in marketing.  In later years, he moved toward marketing methods that were more compatible with his preferred selling method.

One of the things that distinguishes HPS from other selling methods is that it’s all about discovery—all the way through the entire process.  Discovering a sale, not making one happen.

I see High Probability Selling itself as something to be discovered, not controlled.  That is the way I prefer to work with it.  Learning, talking, and teaching.

Comments and questions are very welcome and appreciated.

 

Mindset, a New Mini-Course in HPS

The next HPS Mini-Course will be a short webinar session about the Mindset of High Probability Selling, on Thursday 9 January 2020 at 11am USA Eastern Time.  39 minutes for $39

The Mindset includes attitudes, feelings, beliefs, habits, concepts, principles, guidelines, and language.

This is a very condensed version of a much longer course (see the High Probability Mindset Discovery Workshop).

The webinar will be led by Carl Ingalls in real-time (live).  Content is mostly audio (speaking), with some video (text, graphics).  The session will be recorded (audio and video, plus transcript), and the recording will be made available to everyone who signs up (and pays for) the mini-course.  The recording of this session may be offered for sale later.

The webinar platform is GoToMeeting.  If you have not already downloaded and installed the GoToMeeting app on your computer or mobile phone, I strongly recommend that you do so at least 30 minutes before the webinar begins.  And even if you have the app and are already familiar with GoToMeeting, please note that they have changed their user interface quite significantly recently, so I recommend joining the meeting 5 or 10 minutes early.

The price is $39 USD per person.  However, I have 10 introductory discount coupons to give away, each $9 off.  If you want one, please contact me (Carl Ingalls) by phone at +1 610-627-9030 or by email at info@HighProbSell.com (before you click on the purchase link below).

If you want to purchase this HPS Mini-Course about the Mindset of High Probability Selling now, you may use this link:  https://high-probability-selling.myshopify.com/cart/31226966409276:1?channel=buy_button

Future HPS Mini-Courses will appear on the HPS Training Calendar at least a week before they are scheduled.

More info can be found at www.HighProbSell.com/workshops/index.html#minicourses

Operating a Car vs Driving One – A Metaphor About Learning High Probability Selling

I learned how to drive on a tractor.  No, I take that back.  I learned how to operate a tractor on a farm, and from that, I learned how to operate a car.  That’s not the same as learning how to drive a car on roads that include other cars.

We lived at the end of a very long and narrow gravel driveway, and therefore the cars driving on the paved road at the other end of the driveway were not really visible.  Imagine if I had never seen anyone driving a car on a real road (nor ridden in one).  And further imagine that I believed that I knew how to drive, and was confident enough to take a car on the road.

To me, this scenario seems a bit like learning the how-to part of High Probability Selling (HPS), without learning the mindset of it.  The process without the understanding.

Jacques Werth preferred to teach HPS as a step-by-step process, a recipe or script.  He was very successful with a number of people.  For those people, understanding came after the doing.

However, focusing on the process as a recipe or script does not work at all for a lot of other people.  For some of them, it can create misconceptions about HPS.  Without the underlying understanding, many of them seem to have difficulties in remembering the details of the process correctly.

I prefer to focus more on the mindset of HPS and less on the process, both in my teachings of it and in my application.

I plan to offer a very short mini-course on the Mindset of HPS as a 39-minute webinar, sometime in January 2020.  It will appear on the HPS Google Calendar, and also as an announcement in this blog.

I also offer a 3-week workshop on the Mindset of HPS, which goes much deeper into the material.  Scheduling is based on demand.

Comments and questions are welcomed.

Refresher Course – Essence of High Probability Selling – November 2019 Workshop

This is a refresher course on High Probability Selling (HPS), recommended for people who have had at least some prior training, and who want a review of the basics.

Topics covered:

  • What is High Probability Selling
  • How Does HPS Differ from Other Sales Methods
  • How Has It Changed Since the HPS Book Was Written
  • Mindset of High Probability Selling
  • HPS Sales Process, Sequence of Steps
  • When HPS Works and When It Does Not
  • Questions and Answers

The course is 1 webinar session (GoToMeeting), about two hours long.  Real-time interactive conversations between participants, led by myself (Carl Ingalls).  Mostly audio, some visual.

I will record the webinar session and make the recording available to the participants.

I interview each applicant by telephone before accepting them as a student.

Price:  $95 USD per person.  We accept PayPal and most major credit cards around the world.

Date:  Thursday 7 November 2019.

Time:  10:00 am to noon, USA Eastern Time (same as New York City).

To Enroll:  Contact Carl Ingalls, by phone +1 610-627-9030, or by email info@HighProbSell.com.  Please do not send any credit card information by email.

For more information about this workshop, please visit
www.HighProbSell.com/workshops/essence/

For other training in High Probability Selling, please visit the HPS Training webpage

 

Essence of High Probability Selling – October 2019 Workshop for Beginners

We recommend this course for people who are just beginning with High Probability Selling (HPS), and have read the book at least once.

The October session is for people who have never received any training in HPS.  Another session with similar material will be offered in November as a refresher for people who have had at least some training in HPS and want a review of the basics.

Topics covered:

  • What is High Probability Selling
  • How Does HPS Differ from Other Sales Methods
  • How Has It Changed Since the HPS Book Was Written
  • Mindset of High Probability Selling
  • HPS Sales Process, Sequence of Steps
  • When HPS Works and When It Does Not
  • Questions and Answers

The course is 1 webinar session (GoToMeeting), about two hours long.  Real-time interactive conversations between participants, led by Carl Ingalls.  Mostly audio, some visual.

We record the webinar session and make the recording available to the participants.

We interview each applicant by telephone before accepting them as a student.

Price:  $95 USD per person.  We accept PayPal and most major credit cards around the world.

Date:  Thursday 17 10 October 2019.

Time:  10:00 am to noon, USA Eastern Time (same as New York City).

To Enroll:  Contact Carl Ingalls, by phone +1 610-627-9030, or by email info@HighProbSell.com.  Please do not send any credit card information by email.

For more information about this workshop, please visit our webpage at www.HighProbSell.com/workshops/essence/

For other training in High Probability Selling, please visit our HPS Training webpage.

Notes added on Thu 10 Oct 2019 by C Ingalls appear in red.

The Essence of High Probability Selling – New Workshop

We recommend this course for people who are just beginning with High Probability Selling (HPS), and have read the book at least once.  We also recommend it for people who have had some previous training and want a refresher.

Topics covered:

  • What is High Probability Selling
  • How Does HPS Differ from Other Sales Methods
  • How Has It Changed Since the HPS Book Was Written
  • Mindset of High Probability Selling
  • HPS Sales Process, Sequence of Steps
  • When HPS Works and When It Does Not
  • Questions and Answers

The course is 1 webinar session, about two hours long.  Real-time interactive conversations between participants, led by Carl Ingalls.  Mostly audio, some visual.

We record the webinar session and make the recording available to the participants.

We interview each applicant by telephone before accepting them as a student.

Price:  $95 USD per person.  We accept PayPal and most major credit cards around the world.

Date:  Friday 9 August 2019.

Time:  3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, USA Eastern Time (same as New York City).

To Enroll:  Contact Carl Ingalls, by phone +1 610-627-9030, or by email info@HighProbSell.com.  Please do not send any credit card information by email.

For more information, please visit our webpage at www.HighProbSell.com/workshops/essence/

For other training in High Probability Selling, please visit our HPS Training webpage.

Don’t Say It – Be It

Saying you are honest is fast and easy, and you can shout it out to as many people as you want.  Being honest takes a lot longer for people to notice, but is far more believable.  The same is true for just about any other virtue we might want to advertise about ourselves.

Using words to impress can backfire.  It’s a shortcut, too often used by people in place of actually implementing the qualities that they want their words to imply.  And this can create doubt, the sort of doubt Shakespeare was talking about in the line from Hamlet, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”

Walking the Talk is not good enough.  Skip the talk.  Just walk.

 

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