What the Heck is “Yes, And”…
Why it’s the sales hack no one ever told me (but damnit they should have because I sure sucked before….)
“Momentum is Key in Physics, Sports, and Sales,” says Robert Luckadoo, the author of Grit in Your Craw.
And he’s right. Whether it’s in the initial conversation or throughout the sales process of getting the prospect to closing, the key, it turns out, is momentum.
I remember a phone call with a man named Michael. Unlike many of my earliest calls in selling mortgage refinancing, Michael was willing to give me the time to get through my initial pitch. And then he did the remarkable:
“Sounds pretty interesting. Can you break down the numbers for me?”
He was interested. Yippee!
I sprang into action and began rattling off information about his estimated savings, the varied features, and why we — and I — were the perfect people to work with.
And that’s when I blew it.
“So what’s the next step?” he asked matter-of-factly.
I froze. Then I continued to try to sell — going back to what I knew. I spouted more about my qualifications and began to re-pitch myself and why he’d be thankful he’d gone with me.
I’d done the unthinkable, and like Luckadoo had said — I’d broken the momentum.
I hate it when people shoot down my ideas as soon as I put them out there. I don’t hate the people; it’s more like I feel bad about myself for suggesting something so ridiculous. At least, that’s how it feels.
So how do you think a client would feel when you shoot down their ideas to fit your agenda?
Put yourself in their shoes, and think about how you would want to receive feedback. Oftentimes you can still make the same point without saying no. Improv changes our speaking habits to lift those around us as opposed to only feeding our egos.
The first step is recognizing the direction of your language. “Yes, and” is a beautiful way to shift your responses to a positive conversation rather than a negative one. The best way to do this is to pause in your everyday conversations when anyone asks you a question. Before you respond, think to yourself what you were about to say, and see if it was a yes or a no.
Personally, I was almost always saying no in some shape or form when anyone at work or even my friends would propose something. My initial reaction was to think of all the ways things wouldn’t work or wouldn’t be fun to do instead of thinking about how they could be great.
Go back and look at some of your text messages with your friends. Read how you respond to their suggestions. Are they positive or negative?
Recognizing these habits is step one. See it, pause, and think of how you can say yes to it and why that would be a good thing.
The next and perhaps most important step is admitting you’re a terrible listener. Now you’re probably not a terrible listener, but if you start at that level, you’ll quickly realize you’re often formulating what to say when other people are speaking.
Oh, and back to that sales prospect Michael…
Yea, he never called me back. Damnit Michael… why couldn’t you Yes And me?
