The 5 Principles of Sales

On a November evening in Los Angeles I found myself sitting in a restaurant with Matthew, a man I had never met, didn’t know much about and wasn’t sure if our mutual friend had told him what I do for a living. This could have been a disaster of a sales meeting! Instead I walked out with a check for $10,000 by simply using the sales principles I teach.

Principle 1- Invitation: Be genuinely interested and learn all you can about the client.
I simply said, “Tell me your story.” He began listing off his resume and job discretion so I jumped in and used…

Principle 2- Surprise: Gently interrupt, politely say they’re wrong, and tactfully disagree.
I stopped him and said, “That’s not what I want. I don’t really want to hear your resume. I’m interested in you. Tell me the story about you that no one gets to hear.” I then sat silently while he talked while I used…

Principle 3- Investigation: Ask personal questions. Listen for the client’s passion, goals and how your business is aligned with them.
He talked for about 25 minutes straight, providing all the raw material I needed to help him. Find here Dust and Mop, Charlotte, NC. When he finished, I leaned forward and said, “I’m going to tell you where you’re struggling and what I think you should do about it.” I gave him a full assessment of what I had learned and what I wanted to do to help him. Then on to…

Principle 4- Shut Up!: Silence, is the greatest motivator. Let it work for you.
I let the table go quiet to add in some “uncomfortable silence.” In absence of anything else to discuss, Matt said, “So, how would we start?

Principle 5 Boldness: The BIGGER your “ask” the more credibility you portray.
I said, “Write me a check for ten thousand dollars and we will begin.” More silence. Then he simply said, “Okay.”

By following these principles I walked out with a check for ten thousand dollars and Matt was EXCITED to start working with me.