

Selling Like Magic 2019 Edition Revised

by D. Angelo Ferri

Distributed by Smashwords

Copyright 2019

D. Angelo Ferri

Dedication

Prologue: You're a Magician and you are going to help me sell?!

Introduction Daisy BB Gun with a Scope and a Flying Tiger Model Airplane

Part One: Everyday Isn't Christmas

Self-Discipline

Your Reason Why

Attitude

Visualization

Self-Image / Expectations / Affirmations / Association

Important Things to Feel and Do

Goal Setting

Part Two Basic Skill Set

Prospecting / Cold Calling

Telephone Prospecting

Establishing Rapport

Management Your Prospects Expectations

Rehearsed Presentation vs 'Winging It'

Client Retention / Being Remembered /Being Well Thought Of

The Power of Questions

Presentation

Closing Techniques

Part Three: The Magic Show

Fear

Silence

Practiced Presentations / Listen To Hear

Sometimes Saying No Is Better Than Saying Yes

Final Thoughts

D. Angelo Ferri

Work Book

Your Reason Why

Attitude / Gratitude

Visualization

Suggested Reading List

Dedication

One day I told my teacher I intended to become a full time professional magician.

He said: "Forget it!" I was very hurt by his remark. "But why, I'm not good enough?"

"You are already better than most professionals. You don't know how to suggest to yourself."

This; from a 78-year-old Italian man with a sixth grade education.

I didn't know what he was talking about. I came to realize he was talking about me managing my emotions.

Being a professional magician is not the easiest thing in the world to be. In addition to everything else, I have to sell my show.

Selling requires certain skills that can certainly be developed but not everyone is willing to; or has the time to develop.

How you talk to yourself, how you 'suggest' to yourself as you acquire these skills will determine how quickly you acquire them and how successfully you employ them.

I believe there are two indispensable ingredients that must be present if you are going to succeed in selling or anything for that matter.

They are faith and self-discipline.

I find it impossible to know which one to rank ahead of the other.

You must have the faith, the belief, that by modelling the success habits of those who came before you and achieved great success, that you will be a great success.

You must have the self-discipline to do all of things you have to do to become a great success and you must do these things, whether you like them or not.

This book is dedicated to my Magic Teacher Slydini, it is dedicated to all the great sales professionals who taught me, and it is dedicated to your success.

Prologue: You're a Magician and you are going to help me sell?! HOW!??

When I perform (give a presentation) some people doubt the things I say. Some question my motives. Some become fixated upon a single point and I can't go any further until, I put their mind at ease upon that point. I know to be successful I must employ empathy, anticipate concerns and address them before they are expressed to me. Also, in my work, I sometimes want to arouse suspicion or concerns. Does any of that sound like selling to you?

A Close Up Magician works with his audience seated directly in front of him or very close by. Our audience knows that in order for us to be successful we must deceive them, fool them. There are people who enjoy Magic. There are people that view Magic as a challenge. They don't want to be fooled. They will question everything I say and do. If not outwardly, certainly inwardly. They will answer my questions with half-truths or perhaps with questions of their own.

I believe that sales professionals and I have at least one very important thing in common; we are both engaged in the management of an interaction with another person or persons.

Our objective is to bring about a desired result and enjoy the associated benefits and financial rewards. Our ability to bring about that desired result will depend upon how successfully we manage that human interaction.

When I present at a sales meeting I ask the sales professionals in attendance to be mindful of how what I say and do makes them feel.

When you present, what you say and do, triggers, feelings, associations, and opinions in the minds of your prospects. The better you are able to manage those feelings, associations, and opinions in the minds of your prospects the more successful you will be.

Much of the mental manipulation I employ is the direct opposite of what I would want to do if I were selling. I am aware of how I am making my audience think and feel. So in an 'around the corner way' watching my show and experiencing those feelings for themselves, sales professionals can get a better insight as what not to do, as well as what to do.

When I began to take magic lessons my teacher started with his fundamentals, upon which everything was built.

I found myself practicing things I could not imagine had anything to do with the performance of a magic trick.

I came to understand that none of these fundamentals existed in isolation. They were all parts of an integrated system designed to make me into the magician I wanted to become.

I respectfully suggest to you that all of things you are about to read are parts of an integrated system.

Further everything I am offering here I have learned from top sales professionals, from reading highly regarded books, by attending seminars, and school of hard knocks experience.

I took the things I was taught and then, little by little, learned to used them to achieve my goals.

Introduction

**Daisy BB Gun with a Scope and a Flying Tiger Model Airplane.**

I was a little kid in the 1950's. I loved to read the Batman and Superman Comics. On the back cover of those comics were ads from a company that sold greeting cards, flower and vegetable seeds.

There were pictures of all the prizes you could earn. The more you sold, the bigger the prize.

I spotted a Daisy BB Gun with a scope, and a Model Airplane, a Flying Tiger, the one with the eyes and teeth painted on the front of the plane. It had a gas engine, it flew! That was for me!

I sent away for the cards and seeds. After school and during summer break I walked door to door selling.

I kept track of the houses I called on and asked people if they knew anyone who would like my seeds and greeting cards.

At night I'd look at the pictures of the Daisy BB Gun and the Flying Tiger and imagine I was playing with them.

I couldn't have expressed it to you this way back then but I had set a goal.

I had a strong reason why I was willing to skip the playground after school and go knocking on doors.

I visualized myself shooting my BB gun and flying my plane.

I believed that if I knocked on enough doors; I'd get my BB Gun and my Flying Tiger; and I did!

Part One: Everyday isn't Christmas

Self-Discipline

Self-Discipline can be defined as the ability to control one's feelings, to overcome weakness, the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptations to abandon it.

That's one way to put it.

For me it's more like: "I have to make myself do the things I know I have to do, like them or not. I have to because, by doing those things, I'll get what I want out of life."

I was attending a sales training seminar and the speaker began by saying that he was going to give us some very valuable information, but that information would be worthless to us if we didn't have the self-discipline to use it.

He went on to say he believed that Self-Discipline was the number one ingredient for success, because if you didn't have the discipline to use what you've learned, what good are the things you've learned?

That made a lot of sense to me but how was I going to become self-disciplined.

What had other people in my position done to acquire this supremely important trait?

When I got older and it was time to go out and make a living, my biggest obstacle was fear.

I was afraid of what might happen if, in spite of my best efforts, I did not succeed.

After all I had bills to pay, there are easier ways to make a living.

For me, my path to Self-Discipline began with my putting faith in the belief that if I did the things successful people did, then I'd achieve my goals, I'd become successful too.

I believed that if I became persistent, single minded, and faithfully did the things that successful people did, I would become successful too.

But what were successful people doing?

Your Reason Why

One of the greatest pieces I ever read about this is: The Common Denominator of Success written by Albert E. N. Gray.

Mr. Gray was a sales manager for an insurance company. He felt that he wasn't as well equipped for his job as he should be so he started looking into the lives of successful people to see if he could discover what made them successful.

He learned that the one thing successful people have in common is that they have developed the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don't like to do.

He learned that successful people are influenced by the desire for pleasing results, while failures are influenced by the desire for pleasing methods, and are inclined to be satisfied with the results they get by doing things they like to do.

He went on to say that each successful person had a very personal, practical reason for wanting to be successful and it was that reason that provided the self-discipline to do the things needed to be done every day, like them or not, to become successful.

Turns out, me wanting to pay my bills, was not a good enough motivation because once some people can pay their bills, they become complacent. I wanted to get to the top of my game.

Mr. Gray went on to say: "And the reason for your seeming like a different man living in a different world lies in the fact that for the first time in your life, you have become master of yourself and master of your likes and dislikes by surrendering to your purpose in life. That is why behind every success there must be a purpose and that is what makes purpose so important to your future.

For in the last analysis, your future is not going to depend on economic conditions or outside influences of circumstances over which you have no control. Your future is going to depend on your purpose in life."

I met a salesman once, one of the top three in his company, nationwide, a big earner. He gave a talk about what motivated him to do the things he had to do to make it in his business. He said he'd been let go by another company. He never wanted to experience that again. He never wanted to worry about paying his bills again, and he wanted to show the company that fired him, that it had made a big mistake. That was the fuel of his fire.

I met another salesman who was deeply devoted to his wife and family and wanted the very best for them. Being able to do things for them and with them was his fuel.

Everybody has their own reason why. I believe, if you haven't already, you must realize your own reason why. It doesn't have to be noble, but it does have to be your reason why. It has to be a reason so deeply personal and motivating that it will keep you going during the tough times as you make your way to the top.

I believe you must have the faith that if you exercise the self-discipline to do the things you know you must do to become successful, then you will become successful and enjoy all the associated rewards that come with living your life on your own terms. I believe this because it is something I have recognized in every successful person I've met and experienced for myself.

Attitude

I was calling on a prospect in lower Manhattan one day. It was an old building; a four story walk up.

The stairways were very wide.

I could imagine many people, years ago, walking up and down that stairway during a shift change.

A man passed me on his way down that staircase.

He knew in an instant I was there making a sales call.

He smiled at me and said; "Don't let the bastards wear you down."

Something I've heard top producers say over and over, regardless of industry, is: "The only thing I can control is my attitude."

It's a saying I'd heard many times from many people but the difference is these top producers practice it on a daily basis.

They learned to do this.

They don't take a 'no' personally.

They understand sometimes the timing is not right.

They have faith in the law of numbers.

They are willing to hear the no's to get to the 'yes'.

Sometimes they had to admit to themselves that the prospect was not really a qualified prospect.

Sometimes they had to admit to themselves that they simply hadn't done a good job.

I noticed that instead of beating themselves up, they'd ask themselves what they did wrong and how they could correct it.

They saw it as a learning experience, and then it was time to get back to work.

Without exception, every top producer I've ever met has a great attitude about themselves, their company, their product, their service, their clients, and the profession of selling.

Visualization

I was reading a study done by an advertising agency. They found that whenever they framed a picture so the person watching the commercial could imagine themselves using and enjoying the product, that commercial was much more effective.

Maybe you have seen a commercial for an automobile, that at one point depicts hands on a steering wheel, and the view through the wind shield. They put you in the driver's seat!

I saw a similar thing for a computer game. The hands were on the controller and the game was in full view. The person could see themselves playing the game and enjoying it.

My friend who sells custom clothing knows about a very exclusive restaurant in the city that many of his clients frequent. You have to walk down a very impressive stair case to enter the main dining room.

He tells his client: "When you're walking down that staircase at ______, in your new suit, with your bride on your arm ... heads will turn."

If his client wasn't married, he leaves the part about the bride out!

Visualization works for us too! Sales is tough work! You have to keep your 'Why' vividly in front of you at all times and visualize enjoying the results of your hard work, determination, and persistence.

Just like I visualized myself shooting my BB Gun and enjoying my Flying Tiger long before I actually got them.

In his ground-breaking book Psycho-Cybernetics, Dr. Maxwell Maltz writes:

'The new science of Cybernetics has furnished us with convincing proof that the so-called subconscious mind is not a mind at all but a mechanism, a goal striving servomechanism consisting of the brain and the nervous system, which is used and directed by the mind.'

'This Creative Mechanism within you is impersonal. It will work automatically and impersonally to achieve goals of success and happiness or unhappiness and failure, depending upon the goals you yourself set for it.'

'Like any other servo -mechanism, it must have a clear-cut goal, objective, or problem to work upon. The goals that our own creative mechanism seeks to achieve are mental images, or mental pictures we create by the use of imagination.'

I did it instinctively as a child and used it to get my Daisy BB Gun and my Flying Tiger.

I had to re-discover it as an adult.

Self-Image / Expectations / Affirmations / Association

How you see yourself is critical to your personal success.

I have to say, through the years, I've also learned from sales people who underperformed or gave up completely.

One person I met was also involved in the sale of custom clothing. His technical knowledge was superior to many of the sales people making much more money than him but his sales were much lower and eventually, he washed out.

I asked him about it. He said. "I just couldn't imagine spending that much money on a suit."

His sales manager put it another way: "He was selling out of his own pocket."

Not being able to imagine spending that much money on a suit was a belief that he acquired in childhood. It came from his blue collar background.

He showed top executives, who were very capable of investing in fine clothing, materials and levels of construction, that were in his price range, not theirs. What he was presenting did not meet with their expectations, their self-image, and so he didn't sell them anything. How could he sell something he couldn't imagine buying for himself? He couldn't.

I've worked for the insurance industry at trade shows. My role at a trade show is to attract attendees to the booth, qualify them, and then get contact information for follow up by the sales staff.

I have to know what a qualified prospect is and so I'd meet with the company that was hiring me to find out what they are looking for.

I would always see the same things at these companies, a few people doing great, some people doing OK but not as well as they hoped, and most on their way out the door.

The people who were doing great just had a different way about them, they dressed better, drove nicer cars, they knew more about what they were selling, they expected people to do business with them.

The people on the way out the door were so different. They didn't look successful; they didn't act successful. They had access to the same products and services as the people doing great but that wasn't enough. They didn't see themselves as big hitters, they saw obstacles where others saw opportunity.

Another thing I learned was these top producers assumed consent. They expected to close the sale. My custom clothing sales pro would say things like: 'Would you like a center vent on your jacket or side vents?' He assumed the prospect was going to buy and acted that way. Once the prospect said something like I'd like side vents, he'd write that down and then move on to another question about the prospects preferences. He called this his small detail close.

If the prospect asked what the difference was between a side vent and a center vent he'd explain. "Side vents were created for English riding jackets. Today they are one of the marks of a bespoke garment. The center vent is that one vent in the middle of your jacket. Should I put you down for side vents or a center vent?" He answered the question then went back to closing on a small detail, all the time assuming consent.

I've seen people in the life insurance industry do the same thing. They would ask, who do you want to name as your Primary Beneficiary? And your Contingent Beneficiary?

If a question came up about the beneficiary designations, they answer and then ask again. For example: "What is a Contingent Beneficiary?"

That is the person who would receive the benefits if your Primary Beneficiary has passed on. Who would you like that person to be?"

"Well what if I change my mind later or the beneficiary passes away?"

"No problem, we just complete a change of beneficiary form which I'll be happy to help you with if the time comes. So who are we going to name?"

They assumed consent. They closed on small details. If a question came up they answered and then asked for the sale again (without asking for it).

There has been a lot of research done about the value of positive affirmations. You can read some classic books on the subject. (I'll include some titles in my suggested reading list.) In every book I've read and in every seminar I've attended its taught that an affirmation is written in the present positive tense.

You don't write down I will be a great sales professional, you write down I am a great sales professional.

Next you need to know why you are a great sales professional now, so you write down: I am a great sales professional because I ____.

Because you what?

I am a great sales professional because I always ask for referrals.

I am a great sales professional because I am always increasing my product knowledge.

I am a great sales professional because I listen mindfully and ask purposeful questions designed to help my prospects recognize for themselves that my product will solve their problem.

Write down all the reasons you are a great sales professional. Read them aloud every morning and then start doing those things all the time.

Before Magic became an entertainment it was a much more serious 'business'.

The first references to Magicians can be found in the bible. You may remember the story of the Pharaoh's dream of seven full ears of corn and seven withered ears, of seven fat cows and seven lean cows.

The Pharaoh could not understand his dream so he called upon all the magicians of the realm to interpret it. None of them could, until Joseph was called and gave the interpretation of seven years of plenty and seven years of famine for Egypt.

The Pharaoh believed Joseph's interpretation and acted upon it by storing up supplies for the coming famine.

Nero also turned to Magician's. He had murdered his mother, Agrippina, and sought to have her spirit conjured up by the Magicians so that he could pray for her forgiveness.

Magician's held power because the people believed that Magicians had magical powers.

Belief is a powerful thing.

By writing down positive affirmations about yourself and then beginning immediately to believe, to act as if you have these qualities, you acquire them.

Two great books that will teach you about this are: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Psycho-Cybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz.

Think about the personality traits and habits you need to reach your goals and then write them down as if you already have these traits and habits. Then act as if you have them. Do the things you know you need to do.

If, for example, one of your affirmations is: I am constantly improving my product knowledge and keeping pace with current trends, then you must do that.

Read, attend seminars, do the things necessary to improve your product knowledge and keep pace with current trends.

So how do you see yourself?

This is very important. Take out a piece of paper, find a quiet spot and work on this, and as you do, remember your why.

Another thing I noticed was the top producers tended to mingle with the top producers and rarely did the people struggling or on their way out the door associate with the top producers.

I remember the first Rocky movie. Rocky is walking home late at night. He spots 'little Maryanne' hanging out on the street corner, with the local 'bad kids'. A cigarette is hanging from her mouth.

Rocky takes her by the hand. He takes the cigarette from her mouth and tosses it on the ground.

He tells her that if she hangs out with those kids she is going to get a bad reputation and that reputation will stay with her the rest of her life. The reputation is what people will remember about her.

He tells her if she hangs around with bad people she'll meet more bad people. If she hangs around with nice people she'll meet more nice people.

Rocky was trying to help 'little Maryanne' change the way she saw herself.

Important Things to Feel and Do

We all have the same emotions. People express these same emotions differently, so be aware of that.

Emotions impact performance. How you feel will have an impact on how you perform.

How good are you at getting yourself to do things you don't want to do?

If you are not good at that already, you have to become self-motivated.

Optimism is having positive thoughts about the present and future. You cannot perform well if you are depressed. You must develop a feeling of optimism.

Confidence can be defined as feeling certain about something. You can develop confidence in yourself and your abilities.

Tenacity can be defined as having a fixed purpose and continuing to go for it regardless of any setbacks. You have to be persistent. I believe you will be persistent if you know why you are doing what you are doing and you have the faith to keep going when times get tough.

Enthusiasm can be a feeling of excitement, spirit, passion, zeal, however you want to say it. One thing for sure enthusiasm is contagious.

Learn to listen to how you talk to yourself. Don't beat yourself up; that's not helpful.

Become aware of why you do things.

Take a close look at the things you do. Are they moving you closer to or further from your goals?

Learn to relax, especially when you have to. In the 'old days' they would say: 'count to ten'. In my Magic Act there are times when I ask and then answer my own questions. I do this at times when I don't want the timing of my show interrupted. Sometimes I do it because I don't want to give my spectator a chance to think!

If you can relax when you have to; you give yourself time and you can make better decisions.

Use humor. Humor is a great ice breaker. Self-deprecating humor can help you too.

Let's say you walk up to an airline ticket counter and say to the agent: 'Is this the line where dumb guys like me who arrived late to the airport and missed their flight stand?'

You just let the person know your situation and what you need in a good natured manner.

Become a good problem solver.

Goal Setting

One of the people I enjoy listening to very much is Earl Nightingale, partly because he explains things in a way that are easy for me to understand.

He tells a story about two ships. One ship as a crew and a captain. They have a planned destination. They have maps, and charts, and time tables. They have a navigation system. They know where they want to go. They know when they want to get there. They know why they want to get there. They have the necessary tools to get where they want to go.

The other ship, has no crew, no captain, no compass, no clear cut destination, no time frame, someone just starts the engines and lets it go. Chances are really good before too long this ship is going to run aground.

Where are you headed? When do you want to get there? What tools do you need to get you there?

Do you have a navigation system or are you a ship without a rudder?

Writing down your clearly thought out goals, including when and exactly how you are going to achieve them, is part of your navigation system.

Writing down your goals and then coming up with ways to make them happen is going to cause you to think, to ask yourself how you are going to get this done.

You have to search for answers and then try them. If your ideas work, great. If they don't work, learn from them, and then keep moving on towards your goal.

You are a guided missile.

When you get off track, you adjust your course, you get back on track.

Whenever you can, model success. Why reinvent the wheel if you don't have to?

I remember speaking to the owner of an insurance agency who had hired a motivational speaker for his upcoming company meeting. I asked him why he hired the speaker. He said it was something the man said to him on the phone. "What was that I asked?" He said "I am going to help you awaken the giant within your insurance agency."

I admire Tony Robbins and his work. I own some of his books including: Awaken the Giant Within.

I did not tell the owner of the agency that the man had 'borrowed a line' from another, better known motivational speaker. I did think to myself that this man had employed something he'd learned and it helped him secure his speaking engagement.

One of the things that goes into a successful magic show is audience involvement. I have to involve my audience in an entertaining way. I want them to become part of the show. Whenever possible I want the spotlight shining on them, not me.

My custom tailor friend would say: "Get them standing up, get your tape measure on them." He'd stand up, ask his prospect to stand up and lift his arms. As he took measurements he'd started asking questions about fit preferences. He started writing down measurements and taking careful notes.

He got the prospect involved in his presentation as quickly as possible in a way that demonstrated he was someone who knew his business and was there to be of service.

In making his appointment he'd gotten information about his prospects most pressing need or concern.

He just didn't walk into his prospects office and take it from there, he had already charted his course.

He knew where he wanted to go and how he was going to get there.

So here again I strongly suggest you get out that piece of paper and write out your goals and exactly how you intend to achieve them.

Let's say you want a new car.

You want this money to come from new business.

You know the monthly cost for the car and insurance will be $xxx.xx.

When do you want the car?

How much business do you have to write to make an additional $xxx.xx am month?

What are your most likely sources of this new business?

What's in it for your prospect?

How can you get what you want by helping your prospect get what he wants?

I know goal setting and detailed preparation has helped many top sales professionals get to where they are.

What can goal setting and detailed preparation do for you and your business?

Part Two / Basic Skills

My two cents: You have to begin with the belief that by doing the things you know you have to do; you will become successful. You must have faith in the process and be persistent in your daily efforts.

Prospecting / Cold Calling

" **Cold calling is the penalty you pay for not asking for referrals."**

I come from a time of carbon paper, and electric typewriters. I could walk into an office building without having to go through security. I know many things have changed today. We live in a much different sales environment. I've had to learn about computers, email, voice mail, web sites ..., you know what I mean.

If your job involves getting in front of people and making face to face presentations, then there are some things you still have to do the 'old fashioned way'.

I want to share with you some of the things I've learned from great salespeople.

I recently attended a sales seminar. The speaker was someone who had built a very big business within a year of starting out. He did have experience in sales and he brought that experience with him.

He started out by saying that: Cold Calling is the penalty you pay for not asking for referrals.

Then he said: "You don't sell to people; you sell through them."

He began his new business by making a list of all the people he knew, people who might know someone who could benefit from his product.

He called each one and asked if they could meet for coffee, for breakfast, something like that and he told them why he wanted to get together, he needed their help, their suggestions.

When he met with those people he kept his word to them. He told them about his product and asked who they thought might have even the smallest interest in it.

He never tried to turn it into a sales presentation.

That's how he built his list at the beginning. When he called the prospect, he began by mentioning the name of the person he'd gotten (the prospects name from). He'd say something like I was talking to ___ and he/she thought you would be interest in what I'm doing.

From here he went into his telephone pitch, a pitch that was designed to get an appointment, nothing more.

At the end of his sales presentation, whatever the result he pulled out his pad and asked if the person might know some people who could benefit from his product.

This sales professional sold prepaid legal plans and identity theft protection.

His referral getting questions were something like:

Who do you know that is concerned about identity theft these days?

Do you know any business owners who would like help from a law firm collecting unpaid debts?

One of the most successful sales professionals I know markets high-end custom-made clothing to executives. Typically, he sees them in their office.

He is always asking for referrals and permission to use his clients name when he gets the referral.

I've sat in his office and listened to him on the phone. It always went something like this:

Hello 'Mike' ... (He always used first names. I asked him about this. He said I'm older than most of the guys I call on and I want to get on a first name basis with these guys as soon as possible.)

This is Chuck (his last name). Now Mike don't rack your brain trying to remember me, we have never met. I am going to be in your building a few times this week seeing (names of referral(s). I'm a tailor, I make (names of referral(s) clothes and he (they) thought it would be a great idea if we meet. How does next (here he'd give two appointment times to choose from) sound.

Typically, the prospect would be cordial. (I think it was out of courtesy to the person who referred him.)

Sometimes he'd say something about how great his friends' clothes looked and then ask a few questions, usually including questions about price.

Chuck never talked price on the phone. He'd ask the person where he was getting his clothes now and being a student of the market, he'd know what the prospect was spending, and he'd say something like we can be in the same ball park price wise as you are now. Then he'd say I want to make the most of our time together so let me ask you a few questions about what you might need so I can be prepared for our meeting.

Sometimes the person would say something like: "That's very kind of you but I've already done my shopping for the season." Chuck's reply was a powerful question. "That's great. May I ask you when you were doing your shopping was there something you were looking for that you didn't find?"

That question caused the prospect to think, consider and then respond. It was designed to help the prospect realize for himself if he did need something.

Chuck had a battery of questions that anticipated the person saying 'Thanks but no thanks'.

Over time, I became convinced that many of these men and women consented to the meeting because they wanted to meet Chuck. They recognized what he was doing and they appreciated it. Chuck knew how to fit and measure a person, he knew his business, when executives bought from him they were happy they did.

If he didn't have a referral and there was another company he wanted to call on, he'd say: I'm going to be in your building a few times this week. He'd gotten the names of the prospects by looking at the building directories.

Another prospecting method he'd use was what he referred to as drop offs. He has white 8 ½ by 11 envelopes. He hand writes the name of the prospect on the envelope along with the company name and address. In the lower right hand corner, he writes 'Personal and Confidential'.

Inside the envelope is a fabric sample for a suit and shirt, a letter briefly mentioning his company, the service he provides, his business card, and a separate page that has quotes from customers who'd given their permission to use their names and comments about their positive experiences with Chuck. The letter ends with Chuck saying he'll call to follow up.

This drop off is left with the receptionist. He'd ask the receptionist if the person was in today, the best time to call back, and then thanked the receptionist.

When he did call, typically he'd get a Gatekeeper on the line and be asked what this was in reference to. He'd say it was in reference to the information I left him today.

He had other little things he'd say to the Gatekeeper for example: "Hi this is Chuck ____ calling for ____ is he/she back yet?

When I asked him about this; he said it implies that I already know the person I'm calling.

He sold to stock brokers and one of the things he did was to talk a little like them. Brokers refer to the end of the trading day as the close. Chuck would call and say I'd like to stop by and see you after the close.

What are some of the things your customers and prospects say and do? How can you leverage that knowledge the way Chuck did?

Another man I know owns a uniform company. He sells work apparel to blue collar companies. One of the things he does is look at the trucks on the road when he is out making calls. The trucks have the names of the company, the type of business, and the phone number written on them. Sometimes the name of the owner and even a website address is painted on the truck. That's a lot of valuable information to start out on. He'd jot this information down and it would become part of his prospect list.

It occurs to me that someone in other types of business could benefit from this prospecting method.

Where does the guy in the truck get his auto insurance?

What happens if he gets hurt and can't work?

How can what you sell help that person in the truck?

What if you get to know the person in the truck?

What if he is a builder of high end custom homes?

Could it be that the people he sold his homes to can use your services?

I know a very successful certified financial advisor. He put his faith in numbers. He believed that if he made a certain number of dials, he'd get a certain number of appointments, and if he got a certain number of appointments, he'd get a certain number of sales. That faith kept him dialing when others had gone home. He is also a master of asking the right questions and believes in doing the right thing for his clients. He doesn't cold call anymore.

Another thing he likes to do is give free educational seminars. For example, he'll give a talk at a library about Medicare Supplemental Insurance.

Question: Who buys Medicare Supplemental Insurance? Answer: People age 65 and over.

What other types of advice and planning do people age 65 and over need? By helping them with one thing, he gets to know them and starts to build a mutually beneficial relationship.

What market are you in? Are there meetings, events, and seminars that would attract people interested in what you sell? If there are meetings, events, and seminars like that, attended by the people you need to meet, would it be a good idea for you to go there yourself and meet some of these people?

Telephone Prospecting

Dialing for dollars is tough work. Sometimes my cell phone will ring, I'll see a phone number I don't recognize. Sometimes below the phone number, written in red, is Scam Likely. I don't pick up the call and I immediately block the number.

I've gotten prospecting calls from robots. (I can't believe that ever works.)

I've gotten the same call four times from a company offering me an extended warranty on a car I no longer own, and I told them I no longer owned the car the first time they called me.

If I get a call at dinner time from a number I don't recognize, I automatically assume it is a telemarketer.

I have to believe that other people out there are experiencing the same things as me.

In my business I am faced with voicemail and gatekeepers.

All of this takes me back to asking for referrals, getting names and phone numbers.

Things will go a lot smoother if your referral calls his friend and tells him to expect your call.

It is much more effective to say something like this to a gatekeeper:

Hello; my name is D. Angelo I'm calling for ____ (Mr. Mrs. Ms.) __________ told him/her to expect my call.

"What is this in regard to?"

If the gatekeeper asks what it is in regard to I am going to answer that question truthfully and in as few words as possible.

"It's about working with him and his sales staff at your upcoming sales conference."

I am never going to misrepresent myself to a gatekeeper. I can't afford to make them look bad in the eyes of their boss. They won't forget it.

Having a name that the person you are calling is familiar with, makes things a lot easier.

You might get put right through, in which case you go into your telephone pitch which has been crafted to get an appointment.

You might get: "He/she is busy can can't take your call, would you like voicemail?"

I don't want to leave a voice mail if I can help it. I prefer to say something like: "I know how busy you all are. I don't want to clutter up his voicemail box, when would be the best time to call back?"

When I call back I say hello to 'Mary', remind her of who I am, why I'm calling, and that I'm calling back at this time as per her suggestion.

If I have to leave a voicemail I want it to be as purposeful as possible. "Hello Mr. Smith (or the persons first name if you feel that is appropriate) this is D. Angelo, ____ suggested I call you. It's in regard to your upcoming sales meeting. My phone number is --- --- -----. I know how valuable your time is. Would you please send me a text letting me know the best time to call you?

Another thing I've done is ask the gatekeeper if I could send him/her an email with detailed information about my offering. If I send an email without permission its very likely it will never be read. I'd much rather send the email to the decision maker than the gatekeeper, but if sending the email to the gatekeeper is the only path open to me; I'll take.

These are all workable strategies.

I use a phone script.

I want to stay on track. I want to know what I am going to say.

I want to have my responses to objections written out and there in front of me.

Just like with my magic show, I prefer a rehearsed presentation as opposed to winging it.

Your to do list:

Write out your:

Elevator pitch

Phone Pitch

Referral Pitch

Responses that anticipate and overcome objections

Voice Mail Pitch

Objection responses

Change 'yes' questions to 'no' questions:

Example:

Would you like to have all your sales people exceed their quotas this year?

Have you given up on having all your sales people exceed their quotas this year?

Establishing Rapport

My two cents: As you present, your prospect is thinking: 'what's in this for me'.

I'm guessing that one of the things you have heard before is that it is necessary to create rapport with your prospect.

Rapport can be defined as a friendly, harmonious relationship: a relationship characterized by agreement, mutual understanding, or empathy that makes communication possible or easy.

Empathy can be defined as an understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another.

Another very important point about empathy is it is not important that you agree with the other persons point of view but it is very important that you understand his point of view.

Years ago; I travelled to New Jersey to make a sales presentation to a man who owned a chocolate manufacturing company. I got there early and his secretary told me the man was out but I was expected and he'd return shortly. I took a seat and waited in the outer office.

A few minutes later I saw a man trying to open the glass door to the outer office. His hands were full of packages. He was dressed in work clothes. I took him for the janitor. I jumped up and held the door open for him. He thanked me and then walked through another door. I didn't give him another thought. I went back to thinking about my presentation.

Finally; the secretary told me I could go in. To my surprise, there sat the man I took for the janitor!

He smiled at me and said: "Have a seat, I want to hear what you have to say."

I got the sale and every once in a while, I think back to that moment and wonder how differently things would have gone if I had let the 'janitor' struggle with the door and the packages.

I believe Rapport and Empathy co-exist, that to create rapport I must empathize with my client.

One of the greatest magicians of his era, David Devant, said, if they like you they will like your Magic.

I can remember attending my first Magician's Convention. I went to a lecture and didn't what to be called on, I didn't want to participate. I was afraid of being made a fool of, of not knowing. It wasn't until I was sure that I was not going to be called on, that I could relax and enjoy the lecture.

When I select someone from the audience to join me on stage I address my remarks to him or her. I have to be mindful of their feelings, and while it is my job to amaze with a magic trick, to entertain, I am not there to make my impromptu assistant appear foolish.

I address all remarks to my impromptu assistant. My audience realizes they will not be called upon and so they can relax and enjoy the show.

I know what it feels like to be the person sitting in the chair. I don't want to fool you. I want to amaze you.

I've made presentations and learned that the client had hired a Magician before.

I was taught to never talk badly about any magician who came before me because my prospect had made the decision to hire that magician and so by saying negative things about that magician I was also saying negative things about my prospects past decisions.

I believe in order to build rapport you must begin my having the best interest of the prospect in mind.

If you do, your prospect will sense that and you will have begun to establish true rapport via empathy.

My magic teacher told me in every lesson we ever had, you must believe in what you are doing, if you believe it, they will believe it.

He meant that if I want you to believe that, for example, that I am holding a ball in my hand (when in fact my hand is empty) then I must believe I am holding a ball.

My hand must assume the shape it would have if there actually were a ball in it. To convince you, I must first convince myself.

I must believe in what I am doing and the most successful sales professionals I've met believe in their products and services.

Your belief can transmit faith to the prospect.

By faith I mean that based upon the transmission of your conviction, your prospect will believe you even though he or she has no previous experience with you to justify that belief.

Which leads me to Trust.

When the prospect says yes to your offering, he is giving you his or her trust that what you said is true and you can deliver what you have promised.

Trust is a fragile thing.

Do what you say you'll do, deliver what you promise and you'll have a customer that is likely to refer you to others.

So I believe building rapport, having empathy, believing in what you are doing, and justifying the faith in others who invest in us, is essential to your success.

Management of Your Prospects Expectations

Years ago, a foreign economy car was offered for sale, for the first time in the United States, the Yugo. I talked to a salesman tasked with selling them and asked how he represented the car to prospective customers.

He told me a Caddy is a Caddy. A Yugo is a Yugo. I don't make a Yugo out to be a Caddy.

He let the customer know what to expect from the car they were considering. He managed their expectations.

I went into a car dealership and, at a certain point, asked the salesman about the warranty that came with the car I was considering buying. He told me: "It's bumper to bumper."

I told him I needed more specific information than that. He tried to change the subject. I wanted to know about the warranty before I bought. I wanted to know what I could expect if I had car trouble. He didn't want to talk about that, so I said thanks for your time and left the dealership.

I went to a local car dealership (two years ago at this writing) to lease a car.

I asked about a warranty, one that would allow me to walk away from the car after I turned it in and not be responsible for the car from that point forward.

The salesmen carefully went over the terms of the warranty with me. He pointed out exceptions, things I would be responsible for, things the warranty didn't cover. He also pointed out that my lease included lifetime oil changes every 5000 miles. I leased the car. When I bring the car in for service there are no surprises, my oil changes are free. I've told anyone who asked me about the dealership that they have kept their word to me.

How do you manage the expectations of your clients?

What are things you can tell your client about your product or service that will match up with their actual experience once they acquire your product or service?

What is it they should know, up front?

If your product includes a warranty is there required scheduled maintenance in order to keep the warranty valid? If so, who provides that service? How is it scheduled?

Does his new ____ include training? Who provides that training?

Is 24-hour tech support available? Is there a cost for tech support?

What is the return policy? Is there a mandated 'free look provision'? Are you required, by law, to explain the 'free look provision'?

What could happen to you if you are not incompliance with Federal Laws and company mandates?

What would you like to know, up front, about your product or service if you were the customer?

Rehearsed Presentation vs 'Winging It'

If you had seen me perform my coins through the table trick (for example) twenty years ago or if you saw me do it last week, you heard me saying the same things I said twenty years ago.

One day after our lesson, I asked my Magic teacher, Slydini, how he was able to maintain such a high performance level. After all he had been doing the same presentations for over fifty years!

He smiled at my question and then he said: For me it could be the 10,000th time I am doing the trick; but for the person I'm working for, it is his first time seeing it."

By giving presentations over and over again, I've gotten better at them along the way. I've learned what works and what doesn't work, and why. I learned what reactions I'll get and when to expect them. I've learn how to manage my show. I want to be my very best every time and afterwards I always critique myself.

Sometimes the unexpected does happen. It is not always pleasant but I learn something new.

One time I was on stage and at a critical point I needed a certain something. That certain something was frail and broke. I didn't have a backup. I instantly created an out for myself but that out was not as effective as the finish I had planned.

Now, I always have a backup of that certain something when I go on stage.

When I travel to Napoli, Italy, I do my shows while speaking Neapolitan. Neapolitan is my heritage, my culture, so there are things I can do, things like expressions of the face, hand gestures, tones of voice, that are understood, and enjoyed by my Neapolitan audience.

Those same things may not be enjoyed, could be misunderstood, or even misinterpreted if I were to use them in front of an audience who didn't understand the culture.

Magic taught me knowing what to say, when to say it, how to say it and whom to say it to are very important things to know.

I know if I offend someone, no matter how unintentionally, that person is not going to like me and they are not going to like my magic. They are very likely to tell someone something negative about me, and today with social media, one person can tell thousands with the push of a button!

I submit to you that if the person or persons you are presenting to don't like you, don't trust you, then you are not going to make a sale.

There was a very famous magician, Max Malini. He was at his height in the 1930's and 1940's. Today many people still recognize the name Houdini, (this is true in part because even after his death, his wife kept their publicity machine running for years) yet hardly anyone outside of magic circles has ever heard of Max Malini. Max was a super star of his era. He performed for Presidents, Foreign Heads of State, Kings, Queens, some of the wealthiest people of his time.

Max was able to meet many of these people by performing impromptu miracles such as biting the button off a jacket belonging to a United States Senator and then magically restoring the button to the jacket.

There was nothing impromptu about his performance. Max knew who the Senator was, when and where he could 'bump into him' and Max had a completely prepared presentation ready to go. One of the things that contributed to his fame were the performances of these 'impromptu miracles'.

Every one of those tricks had been carefully rehearsed and presented to create opportunity for Max to secure another important contact and a high paying booking.

His button biting trick got him invited to a White House Reception. He bit a button off the coat of President Harding.

That made the papers and afterward Washington D.C. Society wanted the magician who'd bitten the button off the president's coat, at their party.

There is another very famous story about Max.

He finished his act by being blindfolded. He stumbled his way to the audience and had as many as eight playing cards selected and returned to the deck.

Then he stumbled his way back to his impromptu stage. Still blindfolded, he spread the deck out on whatever table he was using.

He took out a knife, and one by one, still blindfolded, stabbed the chosen cards, and displayed them to the audience.

One night he spread the playing cards out on a very expensive antique table.

As he stabbed he sometimes missed the cards and stabbed the table instead.

After the show his hostess protested and reminded him that he had marred an expensive antique table.

To which max replied: Madam: you can tell everyone, those marks were made by Malini!"

Client Retention / Being Remembered /Being Well Thought Of

We all know there are costs associated with getting a new customer and once we've made that customer, we want to keep them. I've asked top producers about this.

Depending on the product or service; there may be times during the year when it made sense to follow up with a phone call to ask how things were going. Sometimes the call was about some new information or update relevant to the client.

Another thing these top producers have in common is the use of thank you cards and birthday cards. If they read or heard something about an accomplishment, they'd call to congratulate their client.

I know a man who runs an insurance agency marketing employee benefits. He is a middleman; his client is the independent insurance broker that needs access to his markets and expertise.

He keeps a list of all his agents and the agent's clients. When he gets a call from an agent, the list is handy so he can immediately refer to it. This creates a very favorable impression. He contacts the agent prior to the renewal date of the contract and has already prepared a proposal indicating why it is best to remain with the current carrier for another year of if it is time to move on and why. This enables him to retain his client, the insurance agent, and it enables the insurance agent, to retain his client, the business owner.

Another thing I've seen him do is personally deliver commission checks to insurance agents. Everybody is happy to get money. It creates an opportunity to thank the agent for his business in a very tangible way and creates an opportunity to talk about new business.

He sometimes delivers commission checks to agents that had formerly placed business through him but were not currently active. This creates the opportunity to discover why and see if there is something to be done about it.

I met a man who built a very big insurance agency and then sold it at a nice profit to a bigger company. He gave people ties. He gave me one. I would never wear it. All of his ties are outrageous, silly looking things. I kept that thing for years. I don't know how many people I told about this man and the crazy tie he gave me.

In the 1970's a new star in the field of Close Up Magic came on the scene. I will not mention his name as what I am about to tell you is my personal opinion based upon my observations of this man as he performed his Magic.

He was technically excellent! His ideas and approaches broke new ground in the field of Playing Card Magic. He was light years ahead of other Magicians who created Magic with Playing Cards. I saw him perform for his fellow magicians at a Magic Shop in New York City. On these occasions he was wonderful and approachable. We admired and respected him and we let him know it.

Then, I saw him perform for a group of laymen. He was performing in the type of environment that would bring him financial success, in addition to the artistic success he already enjoyed. I was very disappointed with what I saw. He was very self-conscious. He was rude and condescending to his audience.

He made off color remarks that offended. By the end of his set the only people that remained were the magicians who admired his skill but like me, many of them had a new opinion of him as a person. He drank and ultimately his drinking killed him. I don't know what his personal demons were, but they ruined him.

In a way he reminded me of a teenage magician I saw once. This young man was very insecure. He was uncomfortable on stage. His humor was canned and at the expense of others. At least he had the excuse of youth!

Then there is Silvan! Silvan is one of Magic's biggest stars! He's performed all over the world, Paris, London, Rome, Las Vegas. He was born in Venice, Italy and today he makes his home in Rome.

Silvan and my teacher, Slydini were friends. I sent a performance video of mine to Silvan and asked if I might treat him to a lunch when I was in Rome. He sent me back a very nice note inviting me to call him when I arrived in Rome. His home is on a hill behind the Roman Colosseum.

What a day he gave me! We had lunch together. We sat in his office and talked about the business of Magic.

He took me into his library and showed me his collection of antique books on Magic, his collection of antique magic props and memorabilia. We exchanged some techniques and manipulations of cigarettes with one another.

He was very gracious. He speaks Italian, the dialect of his native Venice, he speaks French and English. I was able to talk with him in Italian and English, it was wonderful.

It is quite something to enjoy some time with a man who had achieved the artistic and commercial success I wanted to achieve.

Silvan looks like a magician when he is on stage. Off stage he is friendly and approachable. He is always impeccably dressed and groomed.

When he walks down the streets of Rome people recognize him and approach him for pictures. He always welcomes them. He always has something he can do on the spot. One time he dropped off his car in front of a luxury hotel. The Parking Lot Valet instantly recognized him. Silvan 'shot' flames from his hands, and then handed the valet the keys to his car. When I asked him about this he smiled and said: "They expect it."

He has a signature hand gesture that he uses in many of his publicity photos. When he takes pictures with other magicians, be they pro, semi pro, or amateurs, he always makes this gesture and smiles. If the other person does the same, he is happy.

He is a wonderful ambassador of the Art of Magic and his Magic Business!

The Power of Questions

One of the things I was taught to do was, whenever possible, ask a question, as opposed to making a statement.

Within the context of a magical presentation, it is much more powerful if you tell me something is so, as opposed to me telling you it is so.

I want to get the strongest positive reaction to my magic as possible. One way for me to do this is to make it very clear to the audience about what is going on at any given moment.

When I arouse suspicion, I am doing that so I have a justification for showing my audience that their suspicions are unfounded.

I will show them something or do something and then ask a question designed to get a yes or no response.

I sometimes stage things so their answer will be 'yes'.

I want them to be in mental agreement with me, in harmony with me right up to the time the magic happens.

If they agree that all is fair, and then in the very next moment without any funny business on my part, the magic happens, their reaction to my magic will be much stronger. It will be amplified.

In my presentations I am constantly striving to get as many yeses as possible, small mental agreements. I do this by asking 'yes or no questions'.

There is another lesson here.

For me asking 'yes' questions create the chance for me to say something like: 'He doesn't trust me!" This is said with a smile.

I can hear the person say 'yes' in a drawn out and/or doubtful tone of voice. They feel that they are being manipulated into saying yes, which they are!

While this serves my purposes in my magic act, I don't like being forced to say yes when someone is trying to sell me something and I doubt that other people like it either.

For sales situations I've learned to take the advice of Chris Voss in his great book: Never Split the Difference, Negotiating As If Your Life Depended on it.

Let's say you are a financial planner. You could ask a yes question like: Would you like to retire at age 50 and have enough money to last you the rest of your life? "Sure! Who wouldn't?"

Or you could ask: Have you given up on retiring at age 50 and having enough money to last you the rest of your life? The person is likely to think 'no' I haven't given up. Which question do you think creates a much better mental state for the financial planner's presentation?

I remember, more than 50 years ago, sending away for one of those Charles Atlas Body Building information kits they advertised on the back of comic books. I was just a kid. I got all sorts of stuff in the mail. Pictures of body builders doing exercises, guys making muscles, and pretty girls smiling at the big strong guys. But, like I said I was just a kid and I didn't have money for the course.

I got two more follow up offers and then one day I got a final offer. I had to check off one of two boxes. The first box said: 'yes' send me the course. The second box said: No, I have given up on myself.

Even as a little kid that 'No' answer got the best of me. I didn't have money for the course, but I had to write back and say I had not given up, I just didn't have the money.

Another powerful word for me is: Why.

I have a trick that begins with my tying two silks into a knot.

I start by saying "I have two silks. I am going to tie them into a knot, a good one but you won't believe it.

Do you know why?

Why is an open ended question. I don't want a long answer, really I don't want any answer at all. I want to manage the person's thinking. I want to manage the audiences thinking. I want to control the conversation by asking a question whenever possible. Also, I do not want the timing of my presentation disrupted so I ask and answer my own question.

Because I tied it! Right?"

My spectator is thinking yes, that's right, why should I trust you tying the knot?

I get a 'sincere' yes because I have anticipated an 'objection' and I called it out.

"Because you know I am a magician and a magician pulls a lot of dirty tricks, but not me ...much!"

"But if you tied a knot, would you believe it? Why? Because you tied it, right?"

(Here I get my second yes, my second and third mental agreements. In part because of the nature of the question, and, in part because I am nodding my head 'yes' as I ask it.)

"Ok, so first I am going to tie a knot and then you are going to tie a knot and we are going to see who ties a better knot, you or me, OK?"

So in these few sentences I have clearly explained what I am going to do and why I am going to do it. I have managed the spectators thinking by asking questions.

I have brought him into mental agreement with me by asking questions that elicit a 'that's right' response.

There is a difference between the spectator saying 'yes' and thinking 'that's right'.

When I ask: "But if you tied a knot, would you believe it? Why? Because you tied it, right?"

The spectator has to mentally agree with that statement, he has to think 'that's right' because he is the one who tied the knot!

For me; getting the spectator to agree with me mentally is important for many reasons, one of which is to amplify his reaction when something happens that he thought would not or could not happen.

'Why questions' can be tricky in a sales presentation. 'Why questions' can be very direct and the prospect may not be ready to be that open with you.

Instead of asking why you might say in a questioning tone of voice: "it seems like there is something holding you back ...' or: "it seems like there is something you are not clear on ...'.

There is a technique called the Magicians Choice. I ask a series of questions and always arrive at the result I want. While the Magicians Choice is not directly applicable to the sales situation, it does highlight the power of questions. The spectator is left with the feeling that his was a free choice, when in fact, it was not.

Let's say you are selling a warehouse. It's a big building with a big parking lot. There is an automobile dealership next store and other businesses close by. You could ask something like: Do you think you might rent some of your parking space to that dealership next store and rent out some of your storage space to other businesses?

That question is designed to have your prospect see a future benefit of his decision to buy and how that decision helped him meet the costs of ownership.

I know a man who owns a transmission repair business, let's call him Tom. A tough business to be sure. The people that come to Tom fall into two broad categories. One is passionate about his car. He wants to keep it. It is his baby. Maybe it is part of his collection. That person is much more concerned about quality of workmanship than price.

The others are people who really can't afford to buy a new car. They are faced with the decision of having to put money into their car or buying another used car.

The first thing Tom does is get out his check list. He walks around the car, makes notes, jots down things like mileage, pre-existing dents, etc. He checks the oil and transmission fluid and then he and the owner take a ride together. During the ride he'll ask the owner what he's been experiencing and Tom will see if he experiences the same thing.

That check list serves two purposes. Tom notes things that are wrong with the car other than the transmission so he can't be blamed for causing them and maybe there are other things he can fix too. Next the car goes up on the lift to check for leaks and such and then it's time to head to the office. The car owner is thinking 'what is this going to cost me'?

The fact is Tom can't tell him what it is going to cost until he takes the transmission out, takes it apart and makes a list of the parts that have to be replaced. So Tom has to close two sales.

The first close is the customer must consent to having the transmission taken out, inspected, and then gotten back to with the actual price, not an estimate, the actual price to repair the transmission.

The second close is the sale of the repair.

If after learning the actual price and not wanting to go forward, the transmission will be reassembled and put back in the car. The man will drive out with the car in the same condition as he drove in with. There is a fee for this service. The fee is low enough to make the customer take the inspection option. It also means if the customer decides not to go through with the repair, Tom has lost time and money.

When I asked Tom about his sales presentation he said 'I always start by selling the customers car back to him'.

During his walk around inspection of the car and his test drive, Tom has noted good things to say about the car.

Tom knows the customers' situation. It's fix this car or buy another used car. He'll say things like: Your car is in good shape over all. Once you get this taken care of you'll get a lot more miles out of it. If you bought a used car; who knows what you'd be getting yourself into?

Do you think it would be better for you to invest in a car you know and trust, or take a chance on some used car you know nothing about?

All of Tom's questions are designed to help the customer see the reality of his situation and convince himself he should invest in a known car as opposed to taking a chance on an unknown car.

Tom's questions put the mind of the customer in the future looking back on is decision to have his car repaired today.

General or Yes/No Questions

Common questions that can be answered with a simple "yes" or "no" are logically called yes/no questions.

You can use a common question to get a yes, or you can respond to a common question with a question of your own designed to move things along in the sales process.

What 'yes' questions are you using now? How can you change them to 'no' questions? Remember my example of the financial planner:

Yes question: "Would you like to retire at age 50?"

No Question: "Have you given up on retiring at age 50?"

A special question uses a certain word at the beginning of the sentence.

The questions words: who, what, where, when, why, how, how many, etc., are used to begin the question:

Choice Questions

Choice questions are questions that offer a choice of several options as an answer.

Choice questions can be either general or specific.

Open Ended Questions

I ask opened ended questions in my show when I want the spectator to tell me what he's thinking. Sometimes people don't want to tell me what they are really thinking. Did that ever happen to you when you were presenting?

As an exercise; I took some opened ended questions and rearranged them using: It looks like, it seems like, it sounds like. The idea is to get the person to talk without asking a direct question.

How have things changed? It seems like things have changed?

Why isn't this particular technology/service/product/situation/issue working for you right now? It looks like this particular technology/service/product/situation/issue isn't working for you right now?

What's holding you back from reaching your revenue/profit/other goals? It seems like there is something holding you back from reaching your revenue/profit/other goals?

How would implementing these changes affect your competitiveness in the market? It seems like you want to implement changes that would make you more competitive?

If you don't solve xxx, what kind of difficulties will you face going forward? It sounds like if you don't solve xxx you will be facing difficulties going forward?

You mentioned you're not having a great experience with your current provider. It sounds like you are not having a great experience with your current provider.

What is frustrating you with your current process? It seems like you are frustrated with the current process?

In my magic act, I tell my spectator, I am going to tie two silks into a knot, a good one, but you won't believe it, why? The typical reply is: 'because you tied it'.

Next, I repeat their words back to them (in the proper tone of voice along with congruent facial expression and body language) 'Because I tied it right'?

You can use this to keep the conversation going and get more information, for example:

"It sounds like if you don't solve xxx you will be facing difficulties going forward?"

"Yes; we won't be able to meet certain deadlines..."

"Meet certain deadlines?"

Now be quiet and let the prospect answer. Listen carefully.

When my friend the custom tailor is showing custom shirts, he spreads his fabric samples out on the table. If his client sorts through them but doesn't pick any out, he asks: "Is there something you're not seeing?"

Now, here are some questions for you.

Do you think it would help you improve your closing ratio if you were armed with questions that anticipated objections and uncovered need?

Do you think it would make sense for you to listen to the types of questions top sales people in your industry are using to close sales and then use those questions in your own presentations?

Do you think it makes sense for you to write down questions that will help you close your sale, memorize them, and know what to expect when you ask those questions, so you can answer in a way that moves things closer to the sale?

Presentation

One of the definitions of a professional magician vs an amateur magician is: The professional does the same tricks over and over for different people. The amateur does different tricks for the same people.

When I was learning my craft we began with the sleights, the necessary mechanics. I had to practice until I could perform these sleights without thinking about them. Once my teacher became satisfied with my mechanics, we moved on to presentation.

He taught me to think of syllables as notes. When it came to the words, we chose each word carefully. The goal was to say what needed to be said in as few words as possible and whenever possible ask a question as opposed to making a statement.

There is a very specific timing in my methods and within my presentations. I cannot allow the spectators to disrupt my timing by taking control of my presentation.

Just as I rehearse my presentations and say the same things over and over again to different people, I've heard top sales professionals say the same things over and over to different people. By having a planned presentation and doing it over and over again, I gain experience and confidence, I learn what to expect, I learn where my weak points are and I learn how to eliminate them.

So, based upon my own experience, and my observations of top sales professionals, I urge you to have a practiced presentation, one that encourages interaction, one that is peppered with strategic questions, questions that anticipate objections and causes your prospect to realize that your offering is just what he's been looking for.

I challenge you to write down the most common objections you get every day and then craft a presentation that anticipates these objections and overcomes them before they are ever voiced by your prospect.

I would encourage you to do this using the fewest and simplest words possible.

The great Close Up Magician Dai Vernon said: Confusion is not Magic.

I've heard it said, more than once that, confused minds don't buy, so in my opinion, simplicity and clarity are paramount.

I listened to a presentation about custom shirts. The sales professional explained that the more threads per square inch the denser the material, making it more durable, longer lasting than shirt fabrics with less threads per square inch. He went on to explain the different types of cotton. Not so much that it confused the prospect but just enough so he could understand and appreciate why a shirt made of Sea Island Cotton with xxx threads per square inch cost more than shirts made with cotton of a lesser quality and less threads per square inch. He gave his prospect just enough information to make an informed decision without confusing him to the point that he made no decision at all.

Another of one my favorite Close Up Magicians is Don Alan. Among his accomplishments; he had his own TV show, The Magic Ranch. Working on television taught him to be very aware of time. He had to pack as much magic as he could into a very specific amount of time and then get to the finish. He controlled his presentation, didn't waste time, and got to the big finish.

I would encourage you to review your presentation and look for ways to make it sharper, clearer, and more to the point.

Another reason for this is the less you talk, the more you can listen.

The more you listen to your prospect the more you'll learn about what you need to close the sale.

My teacher taught me to constantly strive to bring my spectator into mental agreement with my purpose or cause him to question my actions, which created an opportunity for me to show him that his concerns were unjustified.

In the context of a magical presentation, I am constantly striving for those mental agreements. I want my spectator to think to himself that his suspicions about my actions are unjustified and all is as it should be.

I want this because, after he has agreed that all is as it should be, without any suspicious movements on my part, the Magic happens! His reaction is amplified. I get my applause! I made my sale!

When I watch practiced sales professionals present I see them guiding the thinking of the prospect.

I hear them ask tactical questions designed not to manipulate but to help the prospects realize, for themselves, that the product or service will be beneficial.

Here are some things to keep in mind. Your tone of voice must match what you are saying. If I were to ask you how much 2 + 2 is? You would tell me 4 and be very confident of your answer. Your confidence would also be communicated to me in your manner as well as your tone of voice.

Whenever possible ask a question instead of making a statement. Listen more and talk less.

Use words that communicate what you want your prospect to think and do.

More than once I've heard a sales person begin an answer to a question with: "Well to be honest with you...". The same thought always flashes in my mind. 'What does that mean? Up until now you haven't been honest with me?'

The words you use in your presentation trigger associations and images in the mind of your prospect.

Ask yourself what you want those association and images to be?

What do you have to say to create favorable images and associations in the mind of your prospect?

Listen actively. When I am performing a magic trick I am constantly monitoring the mind set of my spectator. By observing facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, expressions of the eye, I can tell how things are going.

If I want something I say to seem unimportant, I'll lean back, maybe shrug my shoulders a bit, say the words rather quickly in a disinterested tone of voice.

If I want something to seem important, I'll lower my voice, lean closer to the spectator, and speak slower, more clearly. I might even raise my eyebrows a little and nod my head yes after I've said what I want to sound important.

Another thing I always want to do is control eye contact. By control I mean sometimes I will look directly at the spectator and compel him to look at me. Sometimes I will look at something or some place and compel my spectator to look there.

I can 'gaze inwardly' and convey thought, I can glaze my eyes over and convey confusion. It is amazing how much you can communicate with your eyes and your eyebrows. It is also amazing how much you can learn by paying attention to the expression of the eyes of the person you are presenting to. I don't know who said it but I agree that: 'The eyes are the windows to the soul'.

If I'm saying something 'serious' my face must reflect the seriousness of my statement. There must be physical and mental congruency with what I am saying when I am saying it.

If something goes wrong in my trick, I have to act like nothing went wrong, and keep going. By giving the same presentation over and over again and having things go wrong at times, I've learned how to handle my mistake, get back on track and move forward in my presentation.

If I use humor in my presentations, I usually direct it at myself. If it is directed toward my spectator the humor is very light, good natured, and passes by quickly.

When I invite a person to help me on stage I'll ask his name and thank him for coming up to join me. I'll ask the audience to 'give him a nice hand'. That done, I rarely use his name thereafter except to thank him. I've heard Sales professional use first names and use sir names. This is something you'll have to judge for yourself.

Feature and Benefits.

I've attended sales seminars where the speaker said benefits are what sell, not features.

I've heard sales professionals mention a feature and then briefly describe the benefit of that feature.

For example, a tailor is telling his client that he's going to include a passport pocket in the inner jacket pocketing.

"A passport pocket is deeper and has a flab you can button down. This will give you a secure place to keep your passport, tickets, boarding passes, wallet, its very useful."

Perhaps the tailor could begin with a question.

"Do you travel on business, take the plane? Ever pat yourself down so you're sure where your wallet is?"

You do? Well you are going to enjoy the passport pocket I'll put in for you. A passport pocket ..."

The tailor has mentioned a feature and explained the benefit.

What features and benefits are there in your product or service?

How can you explain those features and benefits as clearly and in as few words as possible?

What open ended questions can you create that will cause your prospect to listen., consider and respond?

Thereby allowing you to maintain control of the by asking and not telling, and creating the opportunity for you to explain features and benefits.

The Trial Close

I would describe a trial close as a temperature taker. You want to know where you are in the process.

You might ask something like: If you were to allow me to make a suit for you today, would it be the solid Navy or the Navy Pin Stripe?

Again I refer you to the books in my reading list to learn from expert sales trainers about the different types of closes.

One thing I've heard every one of them say is: After asking your closing question, shut up! You have got to let the prospect think and then answer.

If its yes great, if it is no, or maybe later but not now, then you have to find out why it is no or not now.

Having learned that, you are in a position to address the prospects concerns and go back to closing.

Let's go back to the transmission shop.

Bill: "So to rebuild your transmission, including a six-month warranty on all repairs, it's $650.00."

Bill shuts up.

Car Owner: He looks at the list of the parts being replaced, shakes his head.

Bill stays quiet.

Car Owner: "Man that's more than I wanted to spend! $650.00! No ... I can't do that."

Bill: "I understand how you feel, but remember other than the transmission your car is in great shape. Do you think you could replace your car for $650.00?"

Car Owner: "No ... tell me again about this warranty."

Bill explains the warranty and shows it to him in writing.

Bill: "We can have your transmission repaired and installed in two days. Just initial here and one of my

guys will give you a lift home." Bill shuts up.

You are playing Chess Not Checkers.

I listened to a very interesting talk given by Christine Clifford Beckwith. She was telling her audience about a very famous TV commercial, the Folgers Freeze Dried Instant Coffee commercial. Diner's at New York City's Russian Tea Room, a very exclusive restaurant at the time, had finished their dinner and coffee was served.

Diners were given cups of Folgers Freeze Dried Instant Coffee, without their knowing it. A man 'with the restaurant' came over and asked them how they like their coffee. Everyone said it tasted great!

Next the man asked: "Would you be surprised to learn you are drinking Folgers Freeze Dried Instant Coffee?" They were!

She explained that the diner's reactions to the taste of the coffee had much more to do with where it was being served and how it was being served, than how it actually tasted!

She also talked about a study her group conducted for a veterinarian franchise. A woman brought her cat in for a routine checkup. The vet noticed something funny about the way the cat was walking. He checked and found a tiny tumor that could have been fatal were it not treated. The cat was treated and all was well. He had demonstrated considerable professional skill.

The cat owner was asked to rate the veterinarian's performance on a scale of one to ten, ten being the highest. She gave him a seven.

This particular veterinarian was dressed in casual leather shoes, well-polished and maintained, a 'Docker' type pair of pants, clean and pressed, and a very nice shirt with the company logo embroidered over the left pocket.

Other veterinarians who had not exhibited the same level of skill and perception as the vet who saved the cats life were given higher ratings. In addition to the shoes pants and shirt, these vets were wearing a beautiful white lab coat complete with a stethoscope hanging around their necks!

In his book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion Dr. Robert B. Cialdini writes about a study that was done in a mall. A very handsome young man approached women in his age group and started a conversation that ended with his asking for their phone number so he could call them.

He approached these women in front of different stores within the mall. He achieved the most success when he approached women while he was standing in front of a flower shop. The researchers concluded that the flower shop triggered an association of love and romance in the minds of the women.

Are you better served by giving your presentations in one place as opposed to another? Is there an environment in which you can give your presentation, that will create this positive association in the mind of your prospect?

If there is such a place, is it in your best interest to make your presentations there whenever possible?

How does your professional appearance affect the way you are perceived by your prospects?

John T. Molloy wrote Dress for Success in 1993.

In 1998 he wrote John T. Molloy's Updated Dress for Success.

He also wrote: New Women's Dress for Success.

When I started out most sales professionals wore suits. In his first book, Dress for Success, Mr. Molloy not only talked about the different styles of suits, ties, and shoes and how to put them together; he also talked about how you would be perceived by the way you were dressed, by whom you would be perceived that way, and why you would be perceived that way. Today we have different versions of business casual. I've talked to sales professionals who say they don't wear suits and ties anymore. Some of them tell me they dress like their clients' dress. One thing for sure, people make impressions about you, based in part, on your appearance.

I have to tell you one quick story about a page from the original Dress for Success.

One of the objections my custom tailor friend Chuck often heard was: "Thanks but my wife does my shopping for me. She dresses me."

Chuck was ready for that one too.

He had copied and laminated the page from Dress for Success that explained why it was better for a business man to have his professional wardrobe done by someone specializing in professional attire.

Mr. Molloy pointed out that women tended to pick clothing they liked seeing their husbands wear and that clothing was usually not best suited to business.

Chuck overcame the objection with an authoritative third party reference.

What would improving your presentation and being sure you projected the appropriate professional image to your prospects mean to you?

Closing Techniques

I was in a bar, years ago, just out of the military. I was having a drink with my friend Mark. We were talking about the best way to meet girls. Mark shook his head, we don't pick them, they pick us.

So how do we make the transition from getting the first appointment, to making a presentation to getting them to pick us?

Do you think they will pick us if they like us, trust us, believe we will do for them what we say we will?

Do you think they will pick us if we are knowledgeable and sincere in our desire to be of service?

Do you think they will pick us if they believe we are who we say we are?

I've met lots of salespeople in different markets. Some were concerned with making long term relationships, some would never see the person they sold again.

I've heard stories about life insurance salesmen ripping the cash value out of an existing policy so they could sell a new one that really wasn't in the clients' best interest.

Not every sales person I've met in my life was on the up and up.

I've had some bad experiences with sales people in my own life.

What do you think the chances are that some of the people you are going to talk to have had bad experiences too?

Do you think one of the best ways to get them to pick you is to be the kind of person they want to do business with?

If your prospect believes you to be the type of person he wants to do business with; do you think there is a better chance he'll pick you?

I think there is emotion and logic. Maybe I'm wrong but I believe your prospects decision to pick you will be more emotional that logical.

Could it be that people also choose to buy for emotional reasons?

A friend of mine is a very successful life insurance salesman. He says people buy insurance for two reasons, they either love somebody or they love some thing.

I know another life insurance professional who serves a very high end clientele. He told me taxes sell insurance. His clients didn't want to lose what they worked for to the IRS in Estate taxes and he knew it.

A stock broker friend of mind told me people buy for two reasons; fear and greed.

I spoke to another top sales professional who also brought up fear. He bought a very expensive tree (or shrub, I can't remember which one it was) and had it planted in his front yard. A storm came up that night with strong winds and lots of rain. He called the landscaper; afraid that his new tree would be ruined. The landscaper told him to wrap it with a tarp and rope and he would be over in the morning. "So I went out, in the middle of the night, in the wind and the rain, trying to get this tree wrapped up because I was afraid of losing it!

His story caused me to pay greater attention to TV Commercials. In many of the property and casualty insurance commercials, some damage to property is happening, and then thanks to the coverage, the property is restored.

'You are in good hands with AllState.' 'Protect yourself from mayhem'.

The companies that sell home security systems, depict some threat to the home and perhaps its inhabitants but the threat is thwarted thanks to the vigilance and fast action of the security company.

Senior citizens are a growing market. Many Seniors by Long Term Care Insurance because they don't want to be a burden to their families. They buy chair lifts and redo their bathrooms because they want to stay in their homes. They want to maintain their independence. Many are just flat out afraid of going to a nursing home.

We know that identity theft is a big concern today. In the insurance business (I mention this business because I am familiar with it but I'm guessing this will apply to other types of business as well) most of the document transfer is done electronically.

Those transmissions have to be secure and there are stiff penalties for non - compliance.

Is there some regulatory reason why your prospect should have your equipment?

Is your prospect fully aware of the potential fines the company would have to pay if it were not in compliance?

How does the cost of acquiring the equipment compare to the fees that will be incurred?

Is the use of certain technology mandatory?

So if closing is a matter of addressing fears and concerns and then presenting solutions your prospect can have faith in and so, say yes to you and your offering, what must you say and do to instill that faith in your prospect?

I listened to a custom tailor tell a story about how he sold five very expensive suits to a new client. The man was already wearing expensive suits but the custom tailor's suits cost much more. This man was shocked by the price and asked the tailor why in the world he would pay so much for a suit?

The tailor's answer went right over my head.

"Why in the world should I pay so much for a suit?"

"Because you can."

The custom tailor's answer was aimed directly at this man's ego. He could do something other men could not do!

He bought the suits.

For many successful people (and for people in pursuit of success) how they dress, where they live, where they go on vacation, what type of car they drive, all these things, help them project the image they want projected to other people.

I could buy a Timex or a Rolex. I'll know what time it is with either watch but what does the Rolex say to other people about me?

Could knowing how your prospect wants to feel about himself and the image he wants to portray to others be useful to you in your sales situation?

What can you say to him that will help him visualize your product making him feel the way he wants to feel?

Remember Chuck's comment:

"When you are walking down that staircase, with your bride on your arm, heads will turn!"

I've seen and read commercials for final expense insurance. That's quite a subject, you're talking to a person about dying.

The prospects are depicted as concerned about not burdening their families, being the types of people that handle all of their responsibilities. It's a final act of love and concern.

So I would urge you to ask yourself what are the emotional drivers in your market?

How can you employ those emotions, positive or negative, to lead your prospect to a 'yes'?

You can find some wonderful books that have Closing Strategies and Closing Scripts written by some great Sales Professionals.

Do you think it would be in your best interest to study these strategies and scripts and then customize them to fit your product or service?

Part Three: The Magic Show

Fear

" **We can't put off reacting to fear".**

I've attended seminars, read books, and listened to top sales people tell me that the fear of losing something is a greater motivator than the thought of getting something.

One scientist I listened to summed it up best for me. He said: "We can't put off reacting to fear".

Let's say you are walking down the street and you see a beautiful cashmere overcoat in a store window. You might think to yourself: 'I'd love to have that overcoat ... but... maybe another time'.

You turn from the window and start to cross the street. A car comes flying out of nowhere! You jump back and save yourself from being hit by the car.

You could put off buying the coat but you could not put off jumping out of the way of the speeding car coming right at you.

I used the overcoat as an example because it reminded me of a sales presentation I witnessed.

A friend of mine sells custom made clothing to business executives. He was speaking to a longtime client who was going on a business trip. (He was going to New York from California. The trip was during the winter.)

My friend asked his client (already knowing the answer) what type of coat he was going to wear. His client responded that he'd be wearing his heavy raincoat. It had a nice liner and with a scarf he'd be fine.

Next my friend asked: 'How are you going to feel, standing next to your New York partners? There they are, all toasty and warm, looking great in their cashmere overcoats and there you are in your rain coat?"

That question instantly created a powerful image in the mind of his client. He instantly became 'afraid' of looking bad in the eyes of his colleagues.

He bought an overcoat for his trip.

I've also heard my friend suggest upgrading a piece in a clients' wardrobe.

"Bill I have some beautiful navy blue cloth to show you."

"I already have a navy blue suit."

"Yes, I know, but you've had it for some time now. It's beginning to shine at the elbows. It's 'long in the tooth'".

And then the 'fear trigger'.

"It sends the wrong message."

My friend stimulated 'genuine fear' in the mind of his clients. They live in a world where image is very important. Yes; he made sales in both cases, and in both cases he was of service to his clients.

Speaking for myself, why am I willing to spend countless hours practicing? I'm afraid of getting caught, of not doing well, of failing. That 'fear' is a strong motivator for me.

The 'fear' I create within the mind of my spectator must be genuine, it must be relevant to what my spectator is seeing/experiencing/thinking at the moment.

Moreover, the thought I'm transmitting to his conscious mind must be believable, it must be applicable/relatable to what is happening at the moment.

If what I am trying to transmit is not believable/applicable/relatable then my spectator will reject my attempt to influence his thought.

Now in my case as a Magician, there are times when I want to have my spectator believe something that is not so because it will result in a greater reaction at the conclusion of my trick.

As a consumer, if I distrust what I am being told, any empathy the salesperson has established with me will be diminished or eroded completely.

I submit to you that if you attempt to inspire 'fear' in your presentations, that 'fear' must be believable/applicable/relatable and reacting to that fear will be in your prospects best interest.

You have to help your prospect realize that he must jump out of the way of the speeding car; now! It is not something that can be put off.

If there is no speeding car and you insist there is one, why should anyone believe the things you say?

Silence

' **Music is the space between the notes'.**

There are moments in my presentations in which I want my spectator to listen to my question, consider, his answer and then respond. I want to know what he his thinking and so I keep quiet and wait for his reply.

For me, moments of silence (and in my case physical inactivity) are moments of opportunity. If a magician is not saying or doing anything at a particular moment in time, then it is safe for his audience to assume that nothing is happening. I can exploit this assumption.

I've attended sales seminars where I've heard it said that the first one to talk loses. I really didn't get what that meant.

Now I understand it to mean, once I've said or done something that I want a genuine reaction to, I have to wait for that reaction, and then I can respond to it.

One of the techniques I read in Never Split the Difference, by former FBI Hostage Negotiator, Chris Voss, is called Mirroring. It is a technique I was taught to use, although my teacher did not refer to it as mirroring and we used this as a reinforcement of what we wanted remembered and agreed upon. Mirroring as described by Mr. Voss is repeating the last few words of a sentence back to the speaker in the proper tone. In his case he was concerned with getting more information.

Let's say you have made your closing statement and your prospect finally says 'now is not the right time'. You repeat his words back to him in the form of a question and in a deferential tone of voice: 'Now is not the right time'?

You are asking why without asking why, you are seeking to understand, you are encouraging a meaningful conversation.

I remember reading a book a long time ago: How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling by Frank Bettger. Mr. Bettger sold life insurance and he was a contemporary of Dale Carnegie (author of How To Win Friends and Influence People).

His method was not as sophisticated as the mirroring technique but his objective was the same, to uncover the real reason, the unspoken reason why. He would ask: 'In addition to that, is there any other reason why you don't want to do this today'?

In my experience, mirroring the words of my spectator is very effective. For some reason I cannot explain, it seems very natural in the course of conversation and I can employ the technique again and again.

One of the classic concepts in the Art of Magic is passing one solid object through another solid object. In the world of Close Up Magic a classic solid through solid effect is the Coins Through The Table.

I begin by showing six American silver dollars and an English Penny.

I want to ask you a question.

My presentation begins with me saying I want to ask a question. My spectator does not know what I am going to ask, most likely he is wondering what he has been called upon to do. So, for the moment, he has to quiet his mind and listen.

Tell me what you see, not what you think. I do not care what you are thinking but whatever you see, you tell me: Ok? Good.

For me, this statement serves several purposes. I am telling the spectator what I want him to do. I am getting his agreement to respond, and also, in the minds of many, it creates some 'mental concern'. 'He doesn't care what I think?' I've learned that I can begin to create a certain amount of what I call 'mental interference' by making little off hand statements like that, which in my case is what I want.

(I believe the transferrable lesson to the sales presentation is being mindful of what you say and how it can be interpreted by your prospect. If you want to manage his thinking as much as possible, then it seems to me that you do not want to say anything that will trigger negative associations or doubts in his mind unless those negative associations or doubts serve your purpose.)

How many coins do you see here? Seven? Yes...good. I have six silver dollars and this is an English penny.

I am constantly seeking interaction that suits my purpose. I keep asking little questions, procedural questions. When the spectator tells me he sees seven coins, I want him to re-confirm that so. I ask (with the proper tone of voice and facial expression: Seven? (mirroring). Yes...good. Saying 'yes...good' let's my spectator know I listened to his answer and his answer is correct. I've heard this referred to as a minimal encourager. It is a subtle thing to be used strategically, as over use can become quite annoying.

I am repeating his words back to him. Now he told me there are seven coins. This penny has fooled many people and if you're not careful it will fool you, too. Do you understand? Very good.

It is typical for the mind of the spectator to wander, so I want to keep bringing the spectator back to my purpose. I want my spectator to be, I'll use the word 'forced' to listen, consider, and then respond. I want him to be concerned about the penny, so I call particular attention to it. This is my way of reinforcing 'fear' in the mind of my spectator, the 'fear' that he will be fooled too.

I am going to explain everything I do. There will be no excuse. First, I take three coins in my right hand, agreed? Fine, good. So, if I take the penny and put it here, the Penny is in my right hand or my left, where is it? My right hand, you're right...he's very good. And three in my left, and here they are. Now I'll explain. Listen carefully, later there will be no excuse.

I know my spectator is going to doubt everything I say and do. I am in pursuit of clarity, in the mind of my spectator (as to the location of the coins). I begin slowly and carefully, step by step. I want to be sure he and I are in agreement before I continue.

I want to manage his thinking. I warn him about the penny and then carefully go over the location of all the coins in my hands. I know from years of experience (and my lessons with my teacher) that what is really happening in the mind of my spectator is confusion/concern. He is thinking that he must listen, consider, and then respond and at the same time he is concerned about the penny. His thinking is distracted, which in my case is what I want.

There are some spectators that will 'wipe their minds clean' and pay strict attention. This is even better for me because it is very difficult to maintain that mind set, especially when I continue to pepper the spectator with questions and mental alternatives.

Note: If I were trying to sell this person something, I would not want him distracted, and concerned, would you?

My 'close' is in two parts. Part One is the successful completion of my trick. The second and more important close is that my spectator has been amazed and entertained.

This cannot happen if the spectator is unsure as to the location of the coins in my hands up until the very moment the coins pass through the table. That is why I want my spectator to confirm the location of the coins in my hands 'along the way'. It is much more powerful if he tells me where the coins are then if I tell him where they are.

I submit to you the same thing is true in your work. If you can get your prospect telling you why he needs what you are offering or why your solution is better than what he has now, I believe your chances of closing the sale are much better, no?

Note: I've learned that there are a percentage of people that do not like magic. They view it as a challenge they don't want to lose. I can't entertain a person with that mind set. If I recognize this in my impromptu assistant, I'll do one trick, thank him, and then pick another person. So; I have to constantly monitor the feedback I am getting as I present. It does me no good to work for a person who doesn't like what I do. Does it serve your purpose to present to a person that is not a prospect?

I'll pass the coins in my left hand through the table and then all the seven coins appear in my right hand. In your opinion, is it possible? Yes, or no?

I bring my hands together in such a way that they could have done what I say I am going to do.

I've done this trick and so this movement in Japan, in Italy, all over the United States, and in every case the reaction to it is the same. That's because we all have the same basic wiring. I know there are certain things that I can do that will elicit a predictable response.

I want to elicit a response that serves my purpose.

My teacher recognized that whenever he was able to achieve a desired result; it was thanks to 'naturalness'; it was thanks to a natural reaction (in the mind of the spectator) to what was happening at the moment.

If what I do seems natural given what is happening, then my words and actions will not provoke concern. This unconscious acceptance results because nothing has been said or done that is mentally unacceptable to the spectator.

On the other hand, I was also taught deliberate provocative actions will cause my spectator to become suspicious, which in my case is sometimes what I want, at a particular point in time during my presentation.

(Note: Let's go back to the transmission shop for a moment. Not many people really understand how an automatic transmission works. One of the indicators of a problem is the color and smell of the transmission fluid. If the color is a burnt reddish brown and the fluid smells 'burnt' this is an indication of internal problems. To check the transmission fluid properly the engine has to be running. So; when my friend at the transmission shop started up the prospect's car; he told him what he was doing and why he was doing it. He actively involved his prospect in the presentation but only after giving him just enough information to understand why what he was about to do was necessary.)

Do not say anything. Have you noticed how he is looking at me? By the way you look at me I know that you are suspicious. And why? I didn't do anything! Look! Three, three, three, only three.

In my case I am intentionally provoking doubt in the mind of the spectator (which serves my purpose) and now I cannot continue until I realize the 'mind set' of my spectator and address it. To my mind this parallels the business presentation in that if your prospect is unclear or as some doubt about your proposal, product, service, etc. then, in my view, these concerns must be addressed before the presentation can continue.

So; if I have three in my left, what do I have in my right? Excuse me? Ah... yes...I have three silver dollars and the English Penny. OK? Satisfied? So here we have four and here three .... and now...have you ever seen a miracle? No? You'll see one now.

Before I move on to the passing of the coins through the table (the magic) I want to hear the spectator tell me where all the coins are. It is much more powerful for him to tell me than for me to tell him. I mirror his words back to him and use a minimal encourager.

Listen! Here? no. no. Here? No, impossible. The center? Come on! Yes, yes, yes...Oh...you did not see the coins go through the table; do you want to know why? Because you were not looking, if you looked, you would have seen. No, the truth is that the penny fooled you, let's put it aside.

After the coins are passed through the table, I summarize what has occurred, provide a reason why my spectator did not see the coins go through the table and eliminate that reason before going on any further with the trick.

The routine continues as I eliminate the number of coins involved, supposedly, to make it easier for the spectator to see. The same basic psychology is used throughout the presentation. When the trick is over I was taught to say: "It's not much, but it is better than nothing."

There is a very good reason for this. I don't want my spectator to think that I think I am 'better' than him. I hope he has been entertained. By bringing myself and my magic down, I am putting him in a position to say something like: "Not much? That was great."

The way my teacher expressed it to me was: "Put yourself down and let them build you up."

During my presentation I use several subtle nonverbal influencers. I ask the number of coins that are in my right hand and then seem confused when the spectator answers three. So prior to passing the coins through the table, I open my right hand and look at the coins to be sure there are three coins.

It is as if I am doing this for my own sake but what I am really doing is letting the spectator see there are only three coins in my right hand right up until the very last moment. (A moment later the coins will have passed through the table and all six coins will be in my right hand.) I seem to be giving the spectator a glimpse into what I am actually thinking, when in fact what I'm actually doing is manipulating his perception.

Practiced Presentation / Listen To Hear:

There is a timing in my magic tricks, at times it is very critical. First I was taught the mechanical part of the trick and then we put in the words. I think of the syllables as notes and the notes must be played in harmony with the physical actions.

When I first started to present the other person might as well have not been there. I was so concerned with what I was saying and doing.

As my mechanics improved and I was more familiar with my dialogue my presentation began to improve but I was still a long way off.

I wasn't listening to hear what the other person had to say, I was waiting for my turn to talk, so there was really no engagement.

I can imagine the person looking at me and seeing my eyes cast to the side as I thought about what I was going to say next.

The more I practiced my presentation the more I could become a better listener and the funny thing is the better listener I became the better presenter I became.

I never know what people are going to say. I was working in a restaurant. I walked up to a couple and placed two sponge balls down in front of the lady. She smiled, pointed to her husband, and said: No, those are his!

I do the same tricks over and over for different people. I want to create the same general atmosphere every time, so I can free up my thinking, so I can listen actively.

Do you use a practiced presentation?

What are some of the things you hear most every time you present?

When I do the coins I ask the person how many coins are in this hand. I seem to go on to the finish and then I ask him again. The last thing he hears is his own voice affirming the location of the coins.

So let's say there is a point in your presentation when you toss out a trial close.

You say something like: How do you feel about things so far?

The prospect says it sounds good but I'm concerned about the timing?

So you mirror his words back to him. You are concerned about the timing?

The person may give you his reasons for his concern. If you are listening carefully then you will understand the concern and know how can overcome it.

If the person just says: yes, I am, with no additional information, then you could say: It seems like there is something else going on that concerns you.

Let's say there is an existing piece of equipment that needs to be replaced. The prospect knows it needs to be replaced and wants to replace it but there is a big job coming up and if the new equipment is not installed in time, he loses the business, so he would rather use the old equipment for now instead of risking losing the new business.

Now you need to know why he is hesitating and when the new equipment must be up and running.

Let's say he says the end of the month.

So you come back with another question: so you must have everything up and running by --- so you get this new business; is that right?

Now the guy knows for sure you have listened to him.

It then becomes a matter of knowing if you can do what he needs done in his time frame.

The objective is to keep the conversation going as you gather all the intelligence you need and move on to your close.

I don't want the last thing I say to you to be I have three coins in my hand, I want you to say I have three coins in my hand. I want it to be your idea.

Sometimes saying No is better than saying Yes

One of my most effective tricks involves tying two silks into a knot. The knot is carefully tied and demonstrated. Once the validity of the knot has been agreed to by my spectator, it instantly disappears.

This is very easy to understand, and makes this trick so effective. There is a knot and then the knot is gone. The effect registers immediately.

I start by saying "I have two silks. I am going to tie them into a knot, a good one but you won't believe it. Do you know why?" Why; is an open ended question. I don't want a long answer, really I don't want any answer at all. I want to manage the person's thinking. I want to control the conversation by asking a question whenever possible. Also, I do not want the timing of my presentation disrupted so I ask and answer my own question.

"Because I tied it! Right? Because you know I am a magician and a magician pulls a lot of dirty tricks, but not me ...much!" Here I get my first 'that's right', my first mental agreement. I have called out the spectators' mental concern. In sales I've heard this referred to as the first one to the objection wins.

"But if you tied a knot, would you believe it? Why? This is a very straight forward question. I really don't want a long answer. Typically, the person will say something like: 'I'd believe it because I tied it'. If I get that answer I 'mirror' it with: Because you tied it, no?"

(Body Language: When I ask why I shrug my shoulders, perhaps my eyebrows raise up a bit. This is non-verbal communication, seeking agreement) 'because you tied it'.)

I don't know what it is about the word: no, but strategically placed, it does something to the way people think. I repeat his words back to him along with: '...no?' Now he's thinking: 'No? Yes! Because I tied the knot.

If I don't get the answer I want within the timing of my trick; then I will ask and answer. Because you tied it, no?"

"Ok, so first I am going to tie a knot and then you are going to tie a knot and we are going to see who ties a better knot, you or me, OK?"

In these few sentences I have clearly explained what I am going to do and why I am going to do it. I have managed the spectators thinking by asking questions. I have brought him into mental agreement with me by using 'no.

(Note: Like you, I have to sell, I have to sell my show. If I place a call and reach the decision maker. I could ask: "Is this a good time to talk?" That is a respectful question but it does something to the brain, it asks the brain to come up with reasons why this isn't a good time to talk. If I ask: Have I caught you at a bad time? I've found its much more likely the person will say: no, it's not a bad time'. Don't ask me to explain what is going on inside the brain because I can't. For me it's like flipping on a light switch. I know flipping the switch up will turn on the lights, I don't know how all that happened and I don't need to know, I just need the lights to go on, that's all I care about.

Remember the example of the 'no' question I gave you using a financial planner as an example? You could ask a yes question like: Would you like to retire at age 50 and have enough money to last you the rest of your life?"

Or you could ask: Have you given up on retiring at age 50 and having enough money to last you the rest of your life? The person is likely to think 'no' I haven't given up. This creates a much better mental state for the financial planner's presentation.

There is something very powerful about giving the person the opportunity to say no and the funny thing is it doesn't necessarily mean the end of the conversation.

I study the work of Chris Voss, the Former FBI International hostage negotiator and author of Never Split the Difference, Negotiating As if Your Life Depended On it. He talks about changing a yes question into a no question. I've taken sales courses that taught me to get the prospect saying yes. That usually meant asking a question where 'yes' was the obvious answer. The point Chris makes is that this is obviously manipulative and creates mental 'push back'. My words, not his.

He gives the example of political party fund raisers calling registered party members on the telephone, asking for donations. They asked three 'yes' questions, for example: "Would you like to see us regain the White House?" He had them changed their 'yes' questions to 'no' questions, for example: "Have you given up hope of seeing us regain the White House?"

This caused a completely different reaction. When they changed from yes questions to no questions, the contributions went up 23%. He suggests writing out all your 'yes' questions and turning them into 'no' questions.)

Look... Very slowly... Look... I can't do any better.

Close Up Magic is a Visual / Interactive Art. The more methodical I am with my mechanics, that is the slower I go as I do things, the more likely my spectator is to trust what he is seeing at that moment in time. I know that if I do something quickly, or seem to try and hide what I am doing, this will create suspicion in the mind of my spectator. In many cases this is exactly what I want. I want my spectator to be suspicious because it will justify my recognition of his suspicion and then do what I must do to alleviate that suspicion. In 'alleviating that suspicion' I am accomplishing necessary mechanics to bring my trick to a successful conclusion. I am manipulating my spectator to feel suspicious and I use that suspicion as a reason, a justification to do what I must do.

If I am being presented to; by a salesperson, and that salesperson rushes through a part of the presentation and/or fails to answer my question in a manner that makes sense to me, then I am going to distrust what that person is saying to me.

I go back to my example of the car salesman who told me the warranty was bumper to bumper and then was unwilling to provide any details, both verbally and in writing. Suspicion and doubt serve my purpose when I am performing close Up Magic, but they do not serve the purposes of a sales person that is trying to sell me something.

Now; the truth, how long do you think it would take me to untie this knot ...about? Ten seconds? Two minutes? One week? Tell me. Ten Seconds! You do not have to say anything. I know what you are thinking so now tie a knot for me; take your time.

I want my spectator actively involved in my presentation. After I methodically tie the knot, I ask how long he thinks it will take for me to untie it. Whatever his answer, I call out his mindset: You do not have to say anything. I know what you are thinking so now tie a knot for me; take your time.

I recognize the objection and I respond to it. Next I keep my end of the bargain and offer him the other ends of the silks to tie into a knot. Before he can reach his ends of the silks he realizes that my knot is gone.

I have controlled the outcome using physical actions, tactical questions, mirroring, and labeling. Now I offer to let the spectator tie a knot of his own.

I promised I'd let you tie a knot, so tie a knot for me.

As he ties his knot I use a minimal encourager: Yes; that's it...good... And then a tactical question:

Excuse me...but what kind of knot is this?

Well, it doesn't matter. Pull...tight...like this...don't be afraid.

And then a tactical question, that calls for an obvious agreement.

Who tied this knot? You!

Now hold this in your hand...he can't blame me!

I hand the spectator one end of a silk and just like that the knot he tied is gone.

Of course there is sleight of hand involved but the trick would not be as effective without the mental manipulation and getting the desired responses.

Final Thoughts

I have to admit I'm one of those people who had to learn most things about life the hard way.

I've gotten some really good advice over the years from different people about different things.

I didn't always take it when I should have. Things would have gone a lot faster if I did.

Everything I've told you in this book are things I've learned from other people or from personal experience.

I started out my saying I believe the most important traits I can have are faith and self-discipline.

If I had the self-discipline to use the things I learned sooner, I could have gotten to where I wanted to go a lot quicker.

My magic teacher, Slydini, is a legend among magicians. He went to South America from Italy in the 1920's in search of opportunity. He came to America during the Great Depression, unable to speak English. He had to start all over. His was not an easy life. He never gave up and ultimately he achieved his definition of success.

When I told him I wanted to be a professional magician he told me to forget about it. I thought he meant I wasn't good enough. He told me I was much better than most professional magicians but I didn't know how to suggest to myself.

I came to understand he meant I didn't know how to use my mind, keep myself motivated, and stay on track. All that would come afterward. I had to learn how to make a living as a magician.

I never questioned anything my mentor taught me, I did exactly what he told me to do and artistically I got better and better.

But when it came to business, I didn't have a planned presentation, I didn't have a phone script. I didn't know how to anticipate objections or how to overcome them.

I finally realized that Selling, like Magic, is an Art with its own set of principles and techniques.

When I decided to study the techniques of the Masters of the Art of Selling, and then actually use what I learned, that's when I began to make money with my Magic.

All the best to you and yours,

D

D. Angelo Ferri

My given name is Dennis Barlotta. When I was a little boy we lived with my mother's parents. I was very close to my grandfather, Bernardo Ferri. My grandfather used to kid me and ask "didn't I wish my name was Ferri like his". My mother loved a popular actor of her day Dennis Morgan. That's how I got the name Dennis. My father's name was Angelo. I wanted a stage name so I thought, I'll use D for Dennis, Angelo for my father, and Ferri for my grandfather, so when I meet them again in paradise, all of them will be happy!

I continue to take sales courses, read books, and brain storm with great sales professionals. I understand selling is an art form, just like magic, with its own set of principles. Moreover, I understand the similarities between the two art forms, such as having a practiced presentation, anticipating objections, asking strategic questions, and moving on to a successful conclusion (the close).

For more Information about my: Selling Like Magic / Magic Show please visit me at:

www.magicincorporated.com

My Teacher, Slydini Silvan and I in Roma Doc Godden at I at Trade Show

Corporate Halloween Party Magicians Lecture, Napoli, Italy My Magic has appeared in S. A.

Insurance Trade Show, San Antonio, Texas Some Clients

Work Book

" **Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7.7**

I was listening to Brian Tracy speak one day. He was talking about an author who had written a book about the Law of Attraction.

Mr. Tracy said: "She left out the most important part, the work part!"

I wanted to build the business I wanted to build. To do that I needed help, guidance. I needed to benefit from the experience of successful people who came before me. I figured if I did what they did then I'd have a better shot at getting what I wanted, then if I tried to figure this stuff out on my own.

When I go out to start my car, I turn the key, well I used to turn the key, now I push a button. I push the button because I think (know, believe, have faith) that by pushing it my car will start. If I didn't believe that, why would I push the button in the first place?

Would you take the time to invest in your sales skills if you didn't believe it would help you get what you want? You wouldn't would you? If you did believe, that by investing time to improve your sales skills, you will achieve your goals, then, would you invest your time?

My work book is now your work book. You will find a lot of questions. I hope you ask yourself these questions and then seek to find your answers.

Your Reason Why

From: The Common Denominator of Success by Albert E. N. Gray

"So let's talk about purpose. First of all, your purpose must be practical and not visionary.

But in making your purpose practical, be careful not to make it logical. Make it a purpose of the sentimental or emotional type. Remember needs are logical while wants and desires are sentimental and emotional. Your needs will push you just so far, but when your needs are satisfied, they will stop pushing you. If, however, your purpose is in terms of wants and desires, then your wants and desires will keep pushing you long after your needs are satisfied and until your wants and desires are fulfilled."

What is your reason why? Think about it carefully then write it down. Refer to it every day.

Belief / Faith

Why do you believe that investing the time necessary to improve your sales skills, will help you get what you want out of life and help you get it faster?

I believe improving my sales skills will get me what I want out of life faster because:

Attitude / Gratitude

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." Winston Churchill

"Happiness doesn't depend on any external conditions; it is governed by our mental attitude." Dale Carnegie

"Men do not attract that which they want, they attract that which they are." James Allen

"It isn't what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters." Epictetus

"Things turn out for the best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." John Wooden

"I don't like that man. I must get to know him better." Abraham Lincoln

"The most important decision you make is to be in a good mood." Voltaire

"Always have an attitude of gratitude." Unknown

"Two things define you: your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything." George Bernard Shaw

"You cannot have a positive life and a negative mind." Joyce Meyer

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking up at the stars." Oscar Wilde

"No one will hit you harder than life itself. It doesn't matter how hard you hit back. It's about how much you can take and keep fighting, how much you can suffer and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done." Sylvester Stallone

"Attitude Sells." Harry Beckwith, Christine Clifford Beckwith

Make a list of the things you're grateful for. Take a look at it when you're having your morning coffee.

Manage your reactions. How you react to what happens to you will affect your attitude, your mood, your performance.

Is it in your best interest to react as positively as possible to the unfortunate or unexpected things that will happen in your life, or is it in your best interest to react negatively to the unfortunate or unexpected things that will happen in your life? (An affirmation is written down in the present positive tense.)

I always look on the bright side of things.

I always look for the opportunities within any given situation.

I always associate with liked minded, successful, optimistic people.

I always avoid negative people and negative media.

What affirmations can you write down for yourself regarding your attitude towards life, your career, your family, your friends, your health? Write down affirmations that reinforce your positive attitude.

Visualization

I'm a sports fan. I like football. Maybe you do too. Did you ever watch the field goal kickers and how they go through the motions of the kick, mentally, as well as physically? They see themselves making the kick before they kick the ball.

I like to shoot pool, straight pool. When I am lining up a shot, I am also thinking about where I want the cue ball to go, to set me up for the next shot. I have to think about where I want to hit the cue ball, how I want to hit the cue ball, and I have to imagine it going to the spot on the table I want it to go to.

I don't play Golf but I like listening to the pro golfers talk about their thinking process and how they see themselves making the shot.

One of my all-time favorites is Muhammad Ali. Ali loved Magic. I met him once in a Magic store on Broadway (NYC). I did my Knotted Silk trick for him. I tied two silks together and gave him one end to hold. I told him to hold tight because I was going to pull the knot tight. He pulled me close to his face and made that face he made to his opponents in the middle of the ring at the beginning of the fight when the referee was giving his instructions. When the knot came out he said "You're great! You're great!" It is something to be called great by the Greatest!

No one believed Ali would beat Sonny Liston. No one believed Ali would beat George Foremen. Archie Moore tried to talk Ali out of fighting Foremen because Archie feared for Ali. Ali believed in himself. He saw himself beating Liston, he saw himself beating Foremen. Everywhere he went he shouted I am the greatest.

That was for his benefit! He made himself believe he was the greatest and that is just what he became. Ali tapped into the natural order of things, the way things work. It can work for you too if you believe it will.

Your to do list:

Make a photo collection of the things you want. Use the internet to collect photo's or cut them out of magazines and make a scrap book.

Include your dream house, your dream car, vacation destinations, family, friends, pictures of all the things you really want in your life.

Dream big! Flip open your scrapbook every day and see yourself enjoying those things thanks to your self-discipline, your willingness to do the things you know you have to do to be successful, then go out and do the things you know you have to do!

Develop a burning desire for the things you want out of life, a desire fueled by your belief, your faith, that by doing the things you know you have to do, every day, you'll turn your dreams into reality.

At night, when you are lying in bed, close your eyes and vividly imagine you're having and enjoying those things you want. You are creating mental images, experiences, that will cause your guidance system to steer you towards the acquisition of those things.

Always keep your Why in front of you.

Self-Image / Expectations / Affirmations / Association

"Repetitions of affirmations of orders to your sub-conscious mind is the only known method of the development of the emotion of faith." Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Years ago I was in the lobby of an office building in San Francisco, on Montgomery Street if memory serves. It was a Sunday morning. I had business there and I knew from having been there before that the doors to the lobby were open, unlocked.

I saw a man come to the door. He never tried to open the door. He assumed the door was locked. He believed the door was locked and so for him it was.

I made a motion to him that he didn't understand, so I went over and opened the door for him. The look of realization that came over his face was worth a thousand words.

If I wasn't there he would not have gotten into the building. He would have had to come back the next day. He believed the door was locked and so even though it wasn't, it was locked for him.

How you see yourself is of major importance to the level of success you will achieve. The salesmen who couldn't see himself spending that much money for a suit couldn't sell that suit to a man who could afford it.

Make a list of all the personal qualities you want for yourself.

Expect / believe that if you follow the laws of the universe, the same laws everyone who ever achieved great success followed, that you will become the person you see yourself to be.

Write down your personality trait affirmations in the present positive tense and read them aloud to yourself every day.

The door is only locked if you think its locked.

What is in your best interest to believe?

Goal Setting

"The torpedo accomplishes its goal by going forward, making errors, and continually correcting them. By a series of zigzags, it literally gropes its way to the goal." Psycho-Cybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz.

Write down your goals.

They must be very specific.

There must be a date of attainment attached to each goal.

Consider what steps you must take to achieve your goals and then take those steps.

If you get off course, adjust, and keep moving towards the attainment of your goal until you achieve it.

In this regard your positive affirmation could be: I am relentless in the pursuit of my goals. I persist until I have achieved my goal.

Think back to your Why.

Your Why will make you relentless and persistent in the pursuit and attainment of your goals.

By ____ I will be earning ________________

By ____ I will be living in (at) ________________

By ____ I will have set aside enough money to pay for (to fund) ______________

By ____ I will have _____

By ____ I will be _____

Like the man says shoot for the stars!

Maybe you only make it to the moon.

Hey! That's not bad, is it?

Prospecting / Cold Calling

Create your elevator pitch. In as few words as possible, write out a script that clearly explains what you do and how it benefits others. Memorize it and use it.

Create your referral script and use it.

Build your Social Proof File. Collect letters of reference. Type a sample letter and then call satisfied customers and ask if they would help you by sending you a letter (on their company letter head if possible) that you can show to prospects. These letters could also be in a digital format allowing you to 'cut and paste' to form a digital marketing piece.

Create lists of people you can sell through. Call them and ask to meet.

What sources of information about potential prospects are available to you?

Are there long time customers that no one has been calling on?

Are there existing customers who could benefit from an updated technology?

Are there people you called on in the past that need what is available today?

Does your local newspaper run stories that include information about people that can become prospects for you?

Are there meetings, seminars, and or events you can attend where you are likely to meet people who could use your services?

Are you using on line sources like Linked In, Hoovers, company web sites, and annual reports?

Are there trade journals, books of lists, that are a source of prospects for you?

Create your appointment script and use it when calling your prospects, whenever possible include third party referrals and social proof.

Can you create your own drop off?

When you are out in the field what sources of prospects are available to you?

Are you in an office building that has companies you'd like to call on? Do you have some literature with your business card attached that you can leave with the receptionist and ask whom you should follow up with?

Are their people who gave their business card to you? Could they be a prospect for your product or service?

Could you refer one of your customers to a trusted sales professional that provides a product or service your prospect needs but you do not provide? Could that sales professional be a source of referrals for you?

Are there pre-existing scripts used by successful sales people that you can adopt as your own?

Are there things you are mandated to say or prohibited from saying. Always be in compliance.

I know a financial planner who came up with a very creative mailing piece he sends to people he 'really' wants to meet. He sends them a remote control model car, without the remote! In his letter he asks for an appointment and promises to bring the remote.

He found he was more likely to get his prospect to pick up the phone and he'd begin by saying something light like: I hope you are enjoying your new Mercedes and I really hope you are going to let me drop off the keys to you!

From there he went into his standard appointment script which included getting or verifying information so he would be prepared for the meeting.

How many times have you called a prospect and they asked: Can you mail me something?

Are they really saying to themselves: "That's how I'll get rid of this guy"?

How much of this sort of mail do you get? What do you do with it?

I know a man who markets Medicare Supplemental Insurance.

A product strictly regulated by the government. All the policies are standardized by federal law.

If you buy Policy A from Company A, it will be the very same Policy A you could buy from Company B. The difference to you is the price you pay and the quality of customer service you experience.

When he calls a prospect and they ask him to put something in the mail he says something like:

I'm sure you've gotten lots of mail about Medicare Supplemental insurance before? Did you read any of it? (Not waiting for an answer...) Did you know that all Medicare Supplemental insurance policies are the same? They are standardized by federal law? The difference to you is the price you pay and the quality of customer service you experience. That's why we need to sit and talk, so you can really understand what's going on before you make your choice.

From here, he closes for the appointment. Any additional questions asked by the prospect are deferred to the appointment. He never puts anything in the mail.

I've talked with sales professionals in different markets who also 'never put anything in the mail'.

What are the best practices in your industry? Do you use mailing pieces to acquire new prospects?

Do you have a telephone script that seeks only to secure an appointment?

How do you handle the objection: Can you put something in the mail?"

Telephone Prospecting

Create your telephone script, your goal is to secure an appointment, that's it.

Create a voice mail script that is purposeful, that creates an opportunity for a call back from your prospect.

Create an introductory e-mail script that explains to the client 'what's in it for him'. Ask for permission to send the email and get a time and date to follow up with a phone call.

Are there very successful sales professionals in your industry that are willing to share their strategies with you? If there are, shouldn't you be meeting with them? Are there pre-existing scripts used by successful sales people that you can adopt as your own?

Are there things you are mandated to say or prohibited from saying. Always be in compliance.

No way around it, Telephone prospecting is tough.

Why are you willing to pick up the phone and put yourself through this? Think of your Why every time 'Some bastard tries to wear you down'.

Are these some affirmations about telephone prospecting you should make your own?

I telephone prospect because I have faith in the law of numbers.

I know by making as many dials as it takes I will get appointments. I know for every ___ appointments I get; I will get a sale. That sale is worth $___ to me.

I always use a proven telephone script that is designed to get me the appointment that is essential to my success.

I always have the answers to the objections I will encounter at my fingertips.

I always answer the objection and then close for the appointment.

I know having great telephone skills is one of the keys to my success.

I get on the phone and dial because, like other successful people, I am willing to do what it takes to succeed.

I get on the phone and dial because the more I do it the sooner will come the day when I have to do it less.

I have a purposeful voice mail message.

I ask for permission to send an email, I ask for the email address, the name and phone number of the person I have to follow up with and ask for a best time to call back.

I have and use my scripts for my follow up voicemails and emails.

Whenever possible I have a third party reference and or some social proof in the text of my phone

script.

Establishing Rapport

I've read books and listened to all sorts of talks about the importance of establishing rapport and in my mind the best advice I ever got was:

Remember; the person you are talking to is thinking: 'What's in this for me'.

I've found that it is better for me to make my prospect realize, as quickly and as simply as possible, that what I've proposing is something he needs, than it is to begin by talking about a mounted fish on his back wall.

People are busy, you're busy. Do you want to do business with someone who doesn't know what they are doing? Do you want to lose time, money, business? Do you want to spend time resolving issues caused by doing business with someone who was incompetent or dishonest?

So how do you set the stage for your show?

How do you let your prospect know who you are? How do you let your prospect know other business people whose opinion he would respect, have benefited by doing business with you and/or your company?

In his book: Influence The Psychology of Persuasion, Dr. Cialdini devotes an entire chapter to Social Proof. He suggests one reason it is effective is because people like short cuts to evidence that other people were happy with the choice they made, the same choice your prospect is now considering.

Speaking for myself, if I'm interested in seeing a movie I'll ask someone I know if they saw the movie and what they thought. I value their opinion much more than the opinion of a critic whose job it is to sell me tickets to the movie.

Before I buy any product from Amazon I always read the customer reviews. Hey, they don't always affect my decision but I read them.

How can you create social proof for yourself, your product, your service, your company? Maybe you sell some massive piece of equipment. Are there businesses that have that equipment and have said positive things about it, things that are available to you in the form of print or via the internet? Can you provide some third party referrals? I believe that providing your prospect with verifiable social proof, prior to your meeting, will make the establishment of rapport much easier.

Let's say you secure an appointment and in your confirmation email you include a third party referral that provides social proof about you, your product, or service.

You meet with your prospect, thank him for his time today and then ask, what he thought about abc's comments?

You are starting a conversation that is non-threatening, you are asking his opinion.

Of course he could say he didn't read it. So; do you think it is important to foresee this possibility and include some text in your email, something like: I've attached an opinion from abc company, they own the ___ you are considering. Here's what they had to say about it and working with me."

Suggestion: In as few words as possible create a statement that makes your prospect understand what he needs and how you are going to help him get it.

Client Retention / Being Remembered /Being Well Thought Of

In his book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion Robert B. Cialdini, PH.D. writes: "If a woman does us a favor, we should do her one in return; if a man sends us a birthday present we should remember his birthday with a gift of our own: if a couple invites us to a party, we should be sure to invite them to one of ours. By virtue of the reciprocity rule, then, we are obligated to the future repayment of favors, gifts, invitations and the like."

Make a list (or use some type of Customer Relationship Software) of all your clients and prospects.

Including contact information, dates of birth (Day and Month), phone number(s), email(s), every bit of information that will enable you to stay in touch and know when it is time to reach out to them.

Maybe you create a file entitled December birthdays and in the month of November you access that file and send each one on the list a birthday card.

If you are in the insurance business, you can create a list of policy renewal dates, prepare your presentation a month in advance and call for your 'annual checkup'.

Can you create a newsletter or an email that will add value to your relationships with your clients?

Are you a recognized expert in your field? Do you write articles that are relevant to your clients and prospects? Do you think your clients and prospects will benefit from the subject of your article? If yes, should you send them a copy of it and follow up with a phone call?

I listened to a talk given by a very well-known corporate sales trainer in which he suggested taking clients out for breakfast once in a while and just talk, catch up, don't make it about business but if the client wants to, fine.

I know a woman who sells business apparel to hotels, restaurants, country clubs, etc. During the holidays she stops by with thank you gifts and cards. She gives little gifts to the people that help her get her orders together and shipped out.

I know a man in the custom clothing business who always wears a yellow shirt (it isn't bright yellow, he has the right skin tone and he knows how to build an outfit around it). He's very friendly and outgoing and people always remember his yellow shirt!

Did your client have a baby? Did someone get married, get a new job, a new house? Is there a valid reason for you to reach out, to congratulate them, to stay in touch?

Did you lease some equipment to a business owner? The lease isn't up for another six months but you can roll him over into some new equipment now and improve his position.

Do you know when you should be following up with existing clients?

Do you know when you should be following up with prospects?

Does your company have a corporate box at a ball park you can take clients too? Can you throw in a 'freebie' once in a while?

What can you do on a systematic basis, that will keep you in touch with your clients and prospects on a regular basis, in a way that reflects favorably on you?

What tools do you have to put that system in place?

The Power of Questions

I believe this is one of the skill sets that will really make you great at selling.

I think you have to begin with the listener in mind and consider what affect your questions will have on his/her mind.

As I have mentioned many times in this e-book, my teacher Slydini insisted, whenever possible that I ask a question as opposed to making a statement.

He wanted me to be in control of the thinking of the spectator, to manipulate the thinking of the spectator and to have command over the timing of the presentation.

I am not suggesting you manipulate the mind of your prospect the way a Magician does, after all, our goals are different.

When my audience goes home they have everything they came with and hopefully some great memories' as well!

Your goal is to craft questions that apply to each phase of the selling process.

I've heard it said that a lawyer never asks a question that he doesn't already know the answer to.

So the lawyer is very careful about the questions he asks and has already researched the answer to his own questions.

You have to be as careful about the construction of your question as the lawyer does if you want to win your case.

In my opinion, every questions you craft should begin with you asking yourself the questions;

"How is this going to affect the thinking of my prospect?"

"Is this question going to create a positive image/association or a negative / image association in the mind of my prospect?"

"At a particular point in my presentation do I want to provoke a positive image/association or a negative / image association in the mind of my prospect, and if so, why do I want to do that?

"What questions can I craft that will uncover hidden objections?"

"At what point in my presentation should I ask those questions?"

"What questions can I ask to determine the mindset of my prospect at any time in the presentation?"

"How can I answer a question with a question that will move the sales process along?"

"How do I ask for the sale?"

Your to do list:

Think about everything from the prospects point of view.

Write all of your questions with the prospects perception in mind.

Review your questions with trusted colleagues.

Have questions for every phase of the sale process.

Have answers for every question you pose and conversely, think about what questions your prospect might have. Have your answers handy.

Read books. Attend seminars given by Sales Training professionals you respect and if possible talk to them about your concerns and get their feedback.

Practice asking your questions.

Always keep your Why in the front of your mind

Presentation

Before you leave for your presentation have you checked to make sure you have all the necessary materials, forms, etc.

Do you need gas? Toll money, the company fast pass?

Do you know where you're going?

If you are driving someplace for the first time, do you know how to get there?

Does your GPS work?

If you get stuck in traffic, who do you call to let them know your running late?

Do you have that phone number in your cell or written down somewhere you can easily get your hands on it?

Are you dressed in the appropriate manner given the person(s) you are about to meet and the nature of the presentation you are about to give?

Are you properly groomed, shoes shined, nails clean, breath fresh? Have you done everything you can do to make a favorable first impression?

Are there pre-existing presentations used by successful sales people that you can adopt as your own?

Are there things you are mandated to say or prohibited from saying. Always be in compliance.

Do you have a list of open ended questions that are designed to anticipate objections and uncover concerns your prospect has not told you about?

Do you have a list of all the objections you are most likely to hear? Do you know how to respond to those objections?

Do you have scripts that clearly, and in as few words as possible, describe, features and benefits, and then smoothly transitions into a close or trial close.

I know when I am doing a magic trick the management of my props is equally important as the management of interaction with my spectator.

I know why I am going to use something. I know when I am going to use it. I know where it is when the time comes to use it. Choreographing the handling of my props is very important, it makes for a smooth seamless performance.

Do you want your presentation to be smooth and seamless? If you do I strongly suggest to you, based on my personal experience, that you should rehearse your presentation using everything you will use in your actual presentation.

This includes any forms or applications you use. You don't want to go hunting for your forms at the last minute. You don't what to go searching for the signature block at the last minute.

What if I told you about all my experience and expertise and then when it came time to sign the agreement; I go to hand you my pen but I can't find it.

I pat myself down, find my pen, get out my agreement and have to go looking for the spot on the form that you are going to OK? What are you thinking at that moment?

When you rehearse your presentation you have to rehearse every aspect of it.

I mentioned in my introduction that I worked my way through college as a bartender. Behind the bar is a well, a tray that holds several bottles of liquor. Those bottles are in a very specific order designed to make it as easy for me as possible to make the drink or drinks called for. Upon using a particular bottle, it goes back to its spot so I know where it is when I need it again.

Let's say I get an order for two glasses of water, two white wines, one beer, one Coke, and two 7&7's. (God I wonder if they even drink 7&7's anymore!) That's eight drinks, three of which will not have ice in them.

I ice two water glasses and set them on the rail in front of me. I ice two high ball glasses and set them on the rail next to the water glasses. I ice a soda glass and set It on the rail next to the highball glasses. I set up two wine glasses next to the soda glass. Finally, I set the beer glass up next to the two wine glasses.

Now I pick up my gun (the liquid dispenser.) I already know which button to hit to get the liquid I want.

I 'shoot' the two glasses of water. I 'shoot' 7 Up into the two high ball glasses. I 'shoot' Coke into the soda glass. The gun goes back in its' holster. I reach for the Seagram's 7, pour it in to the highball glasses and then put the Seagram's 7 back on the back bar where it belongs. I take out my white wine, fill the two wine glasses and then put the white wine back where it belongs. I take the beer glass to the tap and pour the beer.

The waitress is taking the drinks as I finish them. She puts a garnish in one or both of the 7&7's if that's what the customer wants. I pour eight drinks in less than two minutes and everything is back where it belongs for the next order.

That doesn't happen without preparation and practice.

Does your presentation deserve the same preparation, attention to detail, and practice as a drink order?

Your to do list:

Write your greeting/ rapport script.

Have it looked at by someone who is successful and whose opinion you trust. Modify if necessary then memorize it, rehearse it, use it.

Write the main body of your presentation. Tell them what you are going to tell them. Tell them what you said you were going to tell them. Tell them what you told them.

Have it looked at by someone who is successful and whose opinion you trust. Modify if necessary then memorize it, rehearse it, use it.

Are you going to be using any visual aids, documents, showing samples? If you are at what point in your presentation are you going to bring these things out.

Closing Techniques

Who are the top closers in your market?

Can you meet with them, ask them to tell you what they say and do?

Is there a sales trainer in your company that can help you with your closing techniques?

Are there seminars you can attend to learn more about closing?

Are there books written by Sales trainers you know and respect that can help you with your closing techniques?

Have you put yourself in the place of the prospect and thought about how you would react if he were the one trying to close you with your words?

Have you created scripts for your temperature takers, your trial close?

Do you have a script for an assumptive close?

Do you have a script for a small detail close?

Do you know how to handle all of the objections you are most likely to hear, how to overcome them and then ask for the sale again?

Do you role play with colleagues, so each of you can become better at closing?

Are there sales trainers you admire? Do you have their books on selling? Have you studied their advice on closing?

Have you ever been closed by a real sales professional, what did he/she do to close you?

Do you know your forms? Do you know how to complete them quickly, efficiently, accurately?

Are your forms and any mandatory documents in a place where you can immediately put your hands on them?

Do you take orders on a computer tablet? If yes, do you know how to navigate the system smoothly and efficiently? (Did you charge the battery last night?)

Do you have a nice pen, that writes!?

Your to do list:

Write your temperature takers scripts.

Write your trial close scripts.

Write your assumptive close scripts.

Write your small detail close script.

Think about everything from the prospects point of view.

Write all of your closing scripts with your prospects perception in mind.

Think what's in it for him, after all, that's what he's thinking.

Review your scripts with trusted colleagues.

Have answers for questions that may come up in every phase of the sales process.

If you don't know the answer, know where you can get it, and get it as quickly as possible.

Answer the question, then return to the close.

Read books and attend seminars given by Sales Training professionals you respect and if possible talk to them about your questions and get their feedback.

Practice your close again and again.

If your business requires sales materials, paper applications, forms, etc. Buy a plastic container that will fit in the trunk of your car and create a backup supply. Never get caught short.

Practice your business handshake.

Know the customs of the people you are presenting to.

Have an adequate supply of crisp clean business cards available for all who attend your presentation and ask for one of theirs. Look 'em in the eye, smile, say thank you.

Always keep your Why in the front of your mind.

Cheers!

D

d.angeloferri@gmail.com

Suggested Reading List

The Common Denominator Of Success by Albert E. N. Gray

Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss

Pre-suasion by Robert Cialdini

Start With No by Jim Camp

Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi

How to Master the ART of Selling by Tom Hopkins

The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy

Selling To Vito, The Very Important Top Officer by Anthony Parinello

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Psycho-Cybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz.

As A Man Thinketh by James Allen

Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins

Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankel

How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini

You Become What You Think About by Vic Johnson

Lead The Field by Earl Nightingale

Science Of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles

The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy D.R.S, D.D. PhD., LL.D

The Power Of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

Dress for Success by John T. Molloy

John T. Molloy's New Dress for Success by John T. Molloy

New Women's Dress for Success by John T. Molloy

