Sales Pros:

As sales pros, it’s hard not to get stuck on the no’s when we don’t have something a prospect wants. But in improvisation techniques, there’s something called the “Yes…and” technique. It’s a way of moving the scene forward.

It works like this:

Let’s say a prospective home buyer asks, “Do you have bigger backyards? We plan to have several children.”

A straight “no” response might send the buyers out the door. On the other hand, a “Yes…and” could establish a greater connection and allow the buyers to see things differently.

For example, the sales pro could say, “Yes a bigger backyard is always something nice to have, especially when you want to have children. And though the lots in this neighborhood aren’t as big as you’d like, there are several parks in the area. With those, you get the benefit of meeting other families in the neighborhood without the hassle of maintaining a big yard.”

Do you see the difference? In the first conversation, the sales professional completely shut down the conversation (and likely the sale). In the second, the sales pro acknowledged the buyer’s wants, but also moved the sale forward by offering up an alternative that could meet (or maybe even exceed) that desire. In acting, it moves the scene forward. In selling, it moves the sale forward.

Try it for yourself. Rather than jumping to the immediate and negative “no,” practice using the “yes…and” technique. Come back here and comment how your sales process grows because of it.

Here’s to earning what you’re worth!

Jason Forrest

JASON FORREST (named one of 2012’s Top Young Trainers for Training magazine–a national, industry-wide publication) is an expert at creating high-performance sales cultures through complete training programs. He incorporates experiential learning (rather than theory) to increase sales, implement cultural accountability, and transform companies into sales organizations. A sales professional at heart, Forrest is the author of two previous books. Forrest’s competitive distinction is his behavior-modification approach (which focuses on people, process, and presentation) and his focus on culture change.

ABOUT FORREST PERFORMANCE GROUP

Forrest Performance Group specializes in culture change and creating urgency within sales teams and management. Forrest PG’s competitive distinction is its behavior modification approach as applied to a variety of programs, education, seminars and sales coach training offerings all aimed at dramatically improving sales force success.