Aikido Selling – Sell It With a Story
- Do your salespeople know the objections they always hear; yet they aren’t prepared to respond?
- Do they still try to engage their prospects by reciting features and benefits, facts and data?
- Are they failing to connect emotionally and establish bullet-proof relationships?
- Would you like to help them improve their closing ratio and sell more?
- Are you ready to shake things up and try something new and stimulating?
You’ve Only Got One Shot to Make a Positive Impression
When you’ve only got one shot at making a positive impression and ensuring that you make the sale, your message and presentation need to be better and more memorable than the one your competition just gave. In this program, you’ll learn how to use strategically chosen stories to overcome resistance and answer questions with a story rather than with features, benefits and data.
“Most sales trainers approach selling with stories from thirty-thousand-feet. It’s too conceptual to be effective. Doug’s Aikido Selling workshop is filled with street level stuff. It’s strategic, practical and applicable to the kind of selling we do. Plus, the time just flies by. Doug makes it interactive, fun and enjoyable.”
Aikido Selling client – name and contact information available upon request.
Don’t Sell… Blend!
In the ancient martial art called Aikido, you use your opponent’s energy and momentum to defeat them without doing harm. Aikido, literally translated, means “the way of blending energy.” In Doug Stevenson’s unique sales approach, the sales person welcomes resistance, questions and objections because they know they are prepared to embrace the objection and answer it with the appropriate story. The story has been chosen, crafted and prepared in advance, in anticipation of the objection.
The right story, told at the right time, with the right point has the ability to shift the conversation from logic to imagery and emotion, thereby reducing defensiveness for both prospect and salesperson.
“We need our salespeople to be comfortable telling stories that help sell our services. Doug pushed them beyond their normal comfort zones, and now they think telling stories to prospects is easy.”
Steve Epner, President, BSW CONSULTING, INC
Download PDF flyer for this program.
Get a Hook – The Secret to Emotional Connection
Aikido Selling stories contain emotional triggers that are designed to stimulate the negative emotions and consequences that a prospect would experience if they were to choose another vendor. By increasing the client or prospect’s pain during the telling of a story, the prospect is more inclined to choose you or continue with you as their vendor. You resolve their pain!
Never Be Boring Again – Delete Data Dumps from Your Dialogue
Your competition has data. Your competition has features and benefits. Your competition probably has a pretty good product too. And they may have a cheaper price. In light of that, why should your client choose you or choose to stay with you? The answer lies in the intangibles…trust, integrity, credibility and a relationship that no other vendor can touch. What your competition doesn’t have, is YOU.
Emotion is the Fast Lane to the Brain
Winning the sale often comes down to who has the strongest relationship and the deepest bond of trust. By using Doug’s proven Aikido Selling techniques, you’ll be able to connect with your prospect on a deeper, more emotional level. By carefully choosing specific content elements in the proper sequence, you’ll build a sales presentation that educates your buyers about your product, while motivating them to buy from you. Your sales presentation will leave a lasting impression and ensure that you are the salesperson with the signed contract.
In this program you will learn how to:
- Identify your prospects “pain points” and most common objections
- Answer questions with a story, rather than data
- Replace some PowerPoint slides with stories
- Compile an anthology of Aikido Selling stories
- Develop a strategic and consistent presentation
You’ll also learn how to develop and use “Success Stories” to:
- Build rapport from the first contact
- Embrace objections with confidence and poise
- Increase your prospects “pain” with Aikido Stories
- Hook your prospect with emotional triggers
- Use your prospects’ imagination to stimulate involvement and participation
- Insert facts and data inside stories
- Take your prospect on a “test-drive” of your product or service
“Doug Stevenson taught my sales team how to tell better stories and close more deals. I’m a results oriented guy and his method gets results.”
John Buie, Executive Vice President, Sales, SYNYGY
Available as a keynote or workshop. Private one-on- one coaching or small group coaching also available.
Clients: Microsoft, Oracle, Caterpillar, Cisco, Amgen, Bayer, Aetna Insurance, National Education Association, Abbott Labs, National Association of Realtors and many more.
