Here are 11 ways to lower your prospect’s defenses so they feel more comfortable having a conversation with you.
1. Stop talking people into things. When people feel the push, they pull away.
2. Don’t be overly enthusiastic. Being overly enthusiastic is akin to a grinning car salesperson walking up to you, saying, “It’s so great to meet you! You came on the best day of the month. How are you doing today?”
Overly enthusiastic tonality triggers sales pressure.
Lean back. Be calm.
Sound like a TED speaker rather than a CrossFit instructor.
3. Let go of assuming you’re for everyone.
Imagine you’re sorting, not selling.
When you detach from the outcome, you create an environment where prospects lower their defenses because they don’t feel “sold” or “manipulated.”
Example:
“I’m not sure if you’re experiencing this, but many BI Analysts we work with say…”
“I’m not sure” is a magic phrase for reducing pressure because it subconsciously says, “there are no assumptions here.”
4. Let prospects have their thoughts even if they aren’t your thoughts.
5. Realize when prospects are feeling sales pressure and adjust your behavior.
“It sounds like I’m way off base.”
6. Be open to the possibility that prospects might be able to make progress without you.
7. Stop overcoming objections; understand them. When you overcome objections, you’re subconsciously saying, “I’m right, and you’re wrong.” Egos don’t like that very much.
8. Don’t burn the popcorn. Burning the popcorn is when you give too much information or feature dump.
9. Don’t lead prospects to a desired answer (leading question). Ask “how based” neutral questions that shine a light on a problem your prospect might not be aware of.
Example for TrueBill: “How are you currently keeping track of subscriptions?”
“How are you dealing with…” “
“How are you going about…”
10. Look for opportunities to give subtle compliments. Everyone likes a genuine comment. Don’t overdo it.
11. Stop talking over people. When your intent is to book a meeting with everyone, you get excited and talk over people. When people feel heard, they’re more likely to open up. The opposite is also true.
Practice pausing for two beats after the other person is done talking.