Tag: consulting

How to Apply HPS Principles When Giving Advice

Giving advice can be tricky.  Even when people ask for it, they don’t always accept it—or act on it.  In a recent seminar (25 Sep 2025) we explored how to apply the principles of High Probability Selling (HPS) when offering advice, so that the advice is more likely to be welcomed, considered, and used.

We covered very specific examples of how to use HPS when delivering advice, both free advice and paid advice.

Here are a few of the key points covered.

The first principle is making certain that the recipient will value the advice enough to actually want to hear it.  The only way to know for sure is to ask.

Another principle is understanding that pushing causes resistance.  When you push your advice, even on someone who wants to hear it, they are less likely to accept it.  As an alternative, you could tell them what they could do, instead of telling them what they should do.  Our passion and strong opinions can get in the way here.

Remember, the advice giver is not the one who will have to live with what happens when the advice is followed.  When you make sure the recipient plays a major part in making the final decision without being pushed or even nudged, you provide far more value to the recipient, no matter what they end up deciding.

The full recording of the seminar is available.  Regular price is $50 USD.  A discount of $25 is available to members of our HPS Community Forum.

If you want this recording, you may purchase it here. 

“Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into the mind.” — Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Comments on this blog post are welcome, and especially from people who have watched and listened to the recording.

Giving and Selling Advice, a New Mini-Course on the Basics of High Probability Consulting

The next HPS Mini-Course will be a short webinar session, on Giving and Selling Advice (an Intro to High Probability Consulting), on Thu 27 February 2020 at 10am USA Eastern Time.  39 minutes for $39

This mini-course covers the basics on how to apply the ideas of High Probability Selling when giving or selling advice.  The focus is on the delivery of the advice, after any agreements of sale have already been made.

Whenever someone resists being persuaded to follow your advice, the methods of High Probability Consulting may work better.

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), and the recording will be made available to everyone who signs up (and pays for) the mini-course.  The recording of this session may also 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 $5 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 on Giving and Selling Advice 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

How Can I Convince You That Convincing Doesn’t Work?

This is a question that I heard Jacques Werth ask many times, “How can I convince you that convincing doesn’t work?”

In a selling situation, Jacques knew that attempting to convince someone was not a good use of a salesperson’s time.  However, he was usually in a marketing situation when he asked that question, and he passionately wanted salespeople to become more successful.

Now that Jacques is retired, it’s my turn to ask, “How can I convince you that convincing doesn’t work?”

Here are some answers to think about:

  1. I could try to convince you by giving you logical arguments and reasons why you can’t convince someone.
    • Pros:  I’m very comfortable with creating and presenting logical arguments, and I’m good at it.  It works just often enough for me to keep trying.
    • Cons:  It hasn’t worked as well as I think it should.  Too many people resist being argued into a new belief.
  2. I could give you evidence of how other people have become more successful when they stopped trying to convince people.
    • Pros:  Some people can be influenced by evidence.  In this case, the evidence is available and doing this seems logical.
    • Cons:  Many people don’t trust evidence, because it is too often twisted and used to manipulate people’s beliefs.
  3. I could give up the idea of trying to convince you, and focus instead on finding someone who already believes that convincing doesn’t work.
    • Pros:  This is less stressful than trying to change someone’s mind, and can be a lot more effective (when done right).
    • Cons:  Working with people who already believe is tricky.  It is too easy to fall back to old habits, and turn them off by saying something persuasive.  Also, sometimes you don’t have the option of choosing who you are going to work with, and can’t just go find someone else.
  4. I could list some options for you to consider, providing my understanding of the pros and cons for each option, and without trying to steer you in any direction.  I could then ask you what you want to do.
    • Pros:  More people follow my advice when I present it objectively and don’t tell them what to do.
    • Cons:  Presenting advice this way is a lot more work.  It is frustrating to know that it would be so much quicker and easier if I just told you what to think.

What do you think?

Don’t be a consultant

The following is copied from a comment left on this blog by David Ross, and is republished here with permission.  We believe that his words will be valuable to all of our readers.

For me the hardest part of High Probability Selling is “Don’t be a consultant.”  A consultant, according to Webster’s, is “one who gives expert or professional advice.”

At one time or another most salespeople feel an urge to share their wisdom and expertise with prospects.  But I can tell you from painful experience that trying to be a consultant will eventually drive you out of sales.  Prospects know that a salesperson’s pay depends on a sale being made, so prospects discount, ignore, or “take with a grain of salt” almost everything that a salesperson says.

The most dangerous of all prospects are the “interested” and the “curious.”  Like the Sirens of Greek mythology, who lured unsuspecting sailors to their doom, the “interested” and the “curious” will engage you with questions that will be almost impossible to ignore; and you will be consumed by a desire to educate and inform.  When you’re done, these “Sirens” will pat you on the head, thank you for your time, and be gone.

Don’t educate.  Don’t inform.  Don’t tell people how great your company or product is; instead, tell them that not everyone will benefit from what you sell and, in fact, some people shouldn’t buy your product or service at all.

Be the un-salesman: instead of trying to convince prospects, let them convince YOU.  This is the essence of High Probability Selling: after saying ‘yes’ to a legitimate offer, the prospect has to answer a dozen or so questions to prove that he’s serious.  All that is required of the salesperson are the guts to disqualify those who don’t make the cut.

Lastly, concerning your reply that “it is hard not to start selling when someone engages in conversation,” remember this rule: there are no conversations with prospects.  There is nothing to talk about until the prospect says “yes” to an offer.  If the prospect does not say “yes” to your offer, the call is over.  Contact the next person on your list.  If the prospect’s reply is vague, ask for clarification: “Does that mean you want ________, or not?”

High Probability prospects will not allow themselves to be easily disqualified.  Let everyone else go in peace; for many are called, few are chosen.

David Ross

5 Toxic Behaviors that Kill Sales

by Jacques Werth

1. Assume the Sale.  Treat everyone who might buy from you as if they will.  Persuade and convince them.

People who are that easy to convince are probably unwilling or unable to buy.  Many more people will resent you making assumptions about what is theirs to decide.
2. Get Out There and Sell.  You can’t sell ’em if you don’t meet ’em.
You will waste a lot of time that way, yours and theirs.  That will probably be the last time you get to meet them.
3. Act Like a Consultant.  Present yourself as an expert and trusted advisor about what they need.
Most prospects know better than to believe that a salesperson can be an objective advisor.  Salespeople who pretend to be consultants are trusted even less.
4. Find Problems and Solve Them.  Uncover the prospect’s needs and persuade them that you have the solutions.
Most prospects have more problems than they can ever get handled.  If it’s not a top priority for them when you call, they will not buy.
5. Overcome Objections and Close the Sale.  Convince prospects that their objections are wrong, or are actually benefits.
Objections are usually caused by the salesperson’s lack of authentic disclosure or by the prospect’s lack of a commitment to buy.