In the 1980s to the early 1990s, NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) was all the rage. Invented by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in California in the 1970s, it was another method in the ever-expanding approaches to psychotherapy, and still is. At its core, there are five levels of communication: verbal, physical, auditory, emotional and energetic. Most people are surprised that verbal communication amounts to the smallest component in anyone’s communication.
Although there’s still an ongoing debate, the general consensus is that verbal communication (the words we choose to communicate) amounts to only 7%. Auditory communication (the sound of our voice, including the tone, range, volume and speed) is 38%. However, body movement (how we move and our facial expressions) amounts to about 55% as human beings communicate. Trained professionals use NLP and life-coaching in counselling, often in tandem with different forms of hypnotherapy, all to help clients change their inner self-limiting storylines (in psychology ‘Cognitive Loops’) to happier, healthier and more goal-oriented thinking and outcomes. Like any reputable discipline, if it’s applied correctly, positive results (although never 100%) can be confidently predicted. But what if anything does this have to do with sales, you might ask. Well, in a word, everything!
Regardless of the product or industry, few will argue today that we work in the most competitive global marketplace the world has ever seen. In a customer’s eyes, products, solutions and pricing are more the same than they are different. Often, the difference between getting a sale or not comes down to one small thing: the metaphoric “split hair.” Sellers at the top 1% level know that nothing today can be left to chance. They look for any advantage they can to differentiate themselves, their products, company or services from that of their competition. NLP can give them that advantage. In almost any reputable sales course, we’re taught to ‘mirror’ our customer’s movements, verbal speed and tonality to better bond with that particular customer. Using this method can give you a distinct advantage over your competitors.
Think for a second. What if you could watch your customer’s hand movements and know the degree to which he or she experiences discomfort in answering a question? Would it give you an advantage to know that what they just said may not be totally based in truth? Although it may not be a lie, it is – at least in their mind – something subliminal. But you saw it and now it helps you to better focus your probing questions to uncover and understand what really stands between you, your customer, and satisfying their needs with your product or service.
Would it give you an advantage to watch where your customer’s eyes go (upper left-right, middle left-right or lower left-right) and know instantly what part of the brain they were accessing? What if you could tell if they were recalling a image, a sound or a feeling – or if they were using the other side of their brain to try and make up a picture, sound or words that they hoped would convey what they wanted to communicate (but likely not based totally in truth or experience)? Would it give you an added sales advantage to listen, see and hear, incongruencies between what they say, how they say it, and their body language and/or movements? You bet it would!
The bottom line
In this competitive global marketplace, nothing can be left to chance. The psychology that exists within NLP operates as a ‘system of influence’ within the fundamental art and science of professional selling. Metaphorically speaking, it’s another arrow in your quiver that minimizes the delta between you, your customer and the final sale, while increasing the distance-delta between you and your competition.
Paul Shearstone MACP, NLP/CCP, is a recognized expert on Sales and Persuasion. He’s an International speaker, twice Certified Coaching Practitioner, Psychotherapist, NLP Therapist and Author of several books including, Up Your Income! Solution Selling for Profitability and Amazon #1 Best Seller: 3X Sales Success! How to move your sales team to the Top 1%. To comment on this article or book Paul for your next sales event, please call 289-234-3544 or 833-285-3544 or e-mail paul@success150.com or visit www.success150.com.