Saturday, April 23, 2011

Tie downs make the sale

A tie down is one of the most powerful tools that you can use in sales. What exactly IS a tie down. A tie down asks the client to agree to a statement, and say "yes". Here is an example.

"It's a gorgeous day, isn't it?"

Of course it's a beautiful day. They will nod their head, or say "yes", just to be social. While they are doing that, they have allowed you access to their decision making process. You are now in control. As soon as you have gotten them to say "yes" once, you can do it again. Continue the process, and after you have gotten them to say yes to the little things, they will soon say yes to your product.

Here are some examples of the progression of tie downs in a conversation.

"This is a beautiful car, Isn't it?"
"This car would get great gas mileage and save you money, wouldn't it?"
"If you are looking for the best value, saving money at the gas pump saves you money each day, doesn't it?"
"Saving money each day, is more important than the initial purchase price, isn't it?"
"You want to save money, don't you?"

What you have just done, is get the customer to agree that a car that has good gas mileage is more valuable than a car that gets bad gas mileage, and that they should look for the everyday savings. By having them agree, either verbally or non-verbally, to each statement, you are leading them down a path to the sale.

The tie down asks, explicitly, for agreement on each statement. This can sometimes be seen as aggressive. It might even stop the sale.

Another technique is the "Inverted tie down". The inverted tie down puts the tie down at the front of the question, and is much more conversational.

"Isn't it a beautiful car?" By establishing a non-threatening style with the inverted tie downs, it is much easier to convert over to tie downs to close the sale.

Practice them regularly to establish agreement. When you have mastered them among your family and friends, now use them on customers, and watch your sales soar.

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