Eliminate resistance

1. 1
RESISTANCE
The astonishing science
that reveals how to sell more
by eliminating skepticism and mistrust

2. 1. Google-driven technologies have made the way we sell
for over 100 years unprofitable and unsustainable
2

3. For over 100 years salespeople have been taught a form of
direct persuasion called Tell-and-Sell. It no longer works
Tell AND Sell
(information) (persuasion)
Direct Persuasion
3Copyright © The Aha! Advantage 2014

4. To counter falling productivity, CEOs are investing more than
ever in their salesforces but results aren’t improving
of sales meetings
result in a sale9.1%
ONLY
1 out
Of 250
JUST
salespeople exceed their
targets
Source: Lynette Ryals, Iain Davies, HBR, Dec 2010
Sales Productivity: 800 UK Sales Professionals
of profit per sale is needed just to
cover the cost of failed sales meetings
4

5. 5.27
2010 2011
1O.4
No. of sources customers access
prior to purchasing
Consumers now access more than ten Google-driven sources
of information prior to purchasing
Source: Jim Lecinski, Winning the Zero Moment of Truth – ZMOT, Google, 2012
5

6. Source: CEB Survey of 1,400 B2B customers, 2011
Less and less B2B customers are consulting salespeople
before they define their needs.
6
Pre Google
Decision making process
Best sales reps got in early and helped customers
shape their decision criteria.
Post Google
Decision making process
Complete
57%
Companies now define solutions for themselves Customer’s First Contact
with Salesperson

7. Information from
marketers
Branding
Advertising
Product/service
information
Information from
other sources
Influential friends and
colleagues
Reviews from end
users, consumers
Third party reports
Expert advisers
Brand marketers are becoming less and less influential
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The Influence Continuum

8. When customers don’t need help with the tell, they don’t
want to hear the sell
Don’t Need
the Tell
Don’t Want
the Sell
SO
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9. 2. Science tells us there is a much more effective way to
influence than direct persuasion. It’s called self-persuasion
9
9

10. Understanding the role of resistance is the key to
successful influence 10

11. When you use direct persuasion (tell-and-sell) you try to
overcome resistance by strengthening your proposal or
overcoming objections
Proposal Resistance
Proposal
Resistance
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DIRECT PERSUASIONSTALEMATE

12. When you use self-persuasion you reduce or eliminate resistance
Proposal
Resistance
SELF-PERSUASION
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Proposal Resistance
STALEMATE

13. Elliot Aronson is listed among the
100 most eminent psychologists of the
20th century.
40 years of scientific research tells us ...
“Self-persuasion is almost always a more powerful
form of persuasion than being directly persuaded
by another person”
Elliot Aronson
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14. The research also tells us ...
“Self-persuasion is more powerful no matter how
clever, convincing, expert or trustworthy that other
person might be…”
Elliot Aronson
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15. Michael Pantalon is a psychologist at the
Yale University School of Medicine.
Michael developed a self-persuasion tool kit to help
busy emergency room doctors who wanted to
convince drunks who came to emergency room to
seek help.
The doctors only had 7 minutes to convince the
inebriated patients.
His success rate: a 50% drop in drinking.
Pantalon’s instant influence program is now standard
practice in emergency rooms across the U.S.A
Self-Persuasion works where Tell-and-Sell fails miserably
15Copyright © The Aha! Advantage 2014

16. When sellers use self-persuasion buyers say yes quicker, buy
more and commit for longer
Direct Persuasion
Convince clients why they need to buy
Self-Persuasion
Help clients convince themselves
Choice You’re telling me what to do The choice is mine - I'm free to choose
Trust I’m sceptical about other peoples
motives
I trust my own reasons for changing
Motivation I actively resist or defer decisions
I am motivated to say yes quicker
and commit for longer
Yes
16Copyright © The Aha! Advantage 2014
Tell-and-Sell Aha! Adviser

17. 17Copyright © The Aha! Advantage 2014
The Aha! Advantage training gives sellers all the tools and
processes they need to master the art of self-persuasion

18. 1818Copyright © The Aha! Advantage 2014
To read more about the power of self-persuasion download the
first chapter of Harry’s new book The Aha! Advantage: The
Revolutionary New Science of Sales Success
www.ahaadvantage.com

19. 19
Contact
Harry Mills
CEO, The Aha! Advantage
Phone: +64 4 499 6770
Mobile: +64 21 452 256
Email: harry.mills@ahaadvantage.com
www.ahaadvantage.com