
The Secret Language
of ProspectsBy John Counsel
Whether you prospect people for product sales or to sponsor them, you’d better learn to recognise the Secret Language of Prospects if you want to succeed.
The good news is, you already speak this language. You use it yourself, almost every day!
The only reason you don’t recognise it is because you only ever speak it. You’re not trained to actually hear it or understand it. And, since it’s a non-vocal language, unless you’re aware that it’s being spoken by your prospect, you never will hear or understand it — and you’ll go on struggling, trying to work out why your prospects resist you.
Once you hear and understand this Secret Language, you have the power to eliminate that kind of resistance.
For a more detailed exploration of the psychology that underlies this Secret Language, see “The Three Criteria of Excellence and Fulfilment” and “Ultimate Leverage — How to turn your buyers into your most productive, profitable sellers!”
The Secret Language of Prospects is a function of the prospect’s built-in Emotional Risk Management System. They’re not even conscious of it. But it’s there, and they use it to protect themselves from unwanted emotional risk, especially when confronted by a seller or would-be sponsor whose motives they don’t know or trust.
The Secret Language of Prospects consists of just three simple components. No matter what you THINK you hear them say — and they will never reveal their true meaning because it’s too risky, emotionally — this is what you need to hear, however they dress it up:
- “I want to experience the benefits of what you’re offering… BUT…”
- “I expect YOU to make it safer, easier, better and smarter for me to BUY FROM YOU than to BUY FROM ANYONE ELSE… AND…”
- “I expect YOU to make it safer, easier, better and smarter for me to BUY FROM YOU than to KEEP MY MONEY!”
That’s it.
If you’re not getting a “yes” (meaning “yes!”) from your prospects, you haven’t yet made it safer, easier, better or smarter for them to buy from you than from anyone else or to keep their money. It’s that simple.
So you need to pinpoint whatever the reason is that’s keeping them from saying “yes-meaning-YES!”. (Learn more about "yes-meaning-no!" here.)
Remember… EVERY prospect is saying these three things to you. However they dress it up is a useful insight into their fears and concerns. You must hear BOTH.
PS: The reason you don’t hear this language from your prospects is because YOU only use it when YOU’RE the prospect!
PPS: Notice those four qualities? Safer. Easier. Better. Smarter. Not once does it mention cheaper. Price is only an issue when you fail to make it safer, easier, better and smarter to buy at YOUR price. When you’re the seller, there’s only one thing dumber than allowing price to become the issue. That’s making it the issue!