THE MAGIC BEHIND THE SALEon the thirty-second floor of a New York building. She felt that
she was ready to zero in and clinch the sale. Inside one condo,
she said, "This has a magnificent view of the Hudson, hasn't
it?" The client agreed. When they looked at the other, similar
condo, she said, "Here's another magnificent view. The East Riv-
er." Again the customer agreed. "Which view would you prefer?"
my real estate friend asked. The client looked out the window.
"Oh, the Hudson River, of course." That did it. She was on her
way to a commitment.
In selling, it is a good idea to give the potential buyer a choice
between something and something else, never between something
and nothing. Then, with a leading question, you can get a commit-
ment of sorts, and you'll be ready to sell.
Another technique in selling is not to fight the would-be buyer.
If the buyer disagrees about one point, think about it a moment,
then: "I see your point, but ..." And then get into the sales
pitch. You send out a subtext of agreement. You are on the buyer's
side, and that tends to temper any hostility.
But in using this technique, be sincere. Understand that there
is probably something valid about the objection. Examine it and
find a way around it, but don't deny it. That sends a subtext of
"I know better than you," and even if you do, you don't want
the buyer to think so. Agree, then explain: "I'm glad you brought
that up," or "Most shrewd buyers ask me that," or "Yes, you're
right. I was going to explain that."I'M THINKING SERIOUSLY OF BUYING
One final subtext that every good salesperson must learn is the
one that signals when the client is ready to buy. Too often sellers