My elder sister, who was married with 2 beautiful kids, recently related to me an amusing story that got me chuckling for days after that. She told me how her teenaged son had asked her for more allowance because he needed the extra cash for a ticket to the upcoming Red Hot Chilli Peppers concert. She flat out refused, telling him that he should’ve managed his monthly pocket money better. Then he said: “But mom, didn’t you swear to yourself that you’d never do this to your kids, when you sneaked into a concert back when you were a kid like me?” Needless to say, he enjoyed his concert later on, courtesy of my sister, his blushing mother.

See how easy it was changing a resounding NO to a YES in seconds? Likewise with marketing, all you have to do is to start asking great and related questions that would make your customers think twice. Your customers also have got a clear idea of what they DON’T want, but your job is to help them say what they DO want, seeing how most have trouble admitting and expressing that.

You should also appreciate your customers saying NO, but don’t give up yet! Give them a sense of entitlement and treat them with genuine honesty. People also take a lot more precautions to avoid unnecessary pain than to gain pleasure so you should tell your customers how they are missing out if they don’t take action now!

Lastly, don’t shut out your prospects. Hear what they have to say and steer the conversation slowly but surely to your objective. That way, you don’t conform to the Babbling Salesman syndrome!