Improving sales techniques for closing deals

From: alexhormozi

Successful sales professionals differentiate themselves by mastering specific skills that maintain rapport and control during conversations, ultimately leading to more closed deals. A key skill is reframing, a technique designed to respond to prospects when they say “anything but yes” in a way that increases the likelihood of a sale [00:00:17].

What is Reframing?

Reframing involves asking a question about the prospect’s question or statement, rather than directly answering it [00:00:46]. This approach prevents the salesperson from being put on the defensive and allows them to maintain control of the conversation, a crucial aspect of sales control [00:01:24]. Reframing has been successfully applied to sales ranging from $100[[enhancin{g}_{s}ale{s}_{s}kill{s}_{t}hroug{h}_{l}o{w}_{t}icke{t}_{t}ransactions|lowtickettransactions]]toover$1 million service packages high ticket sales [00:01:43].

Examples of Reframing in action:

• Prospect: “How many certifications do your trainers have?” [00:00:30]
• Reframe: “Which certifications are you looking for specifically?” [00:00:52]
• Prospect: “How many questions can I ask via email in support?” [00:00:59]
• Reframe: “Why do you want to ask additional questions? How many questions do you want to ask? Is there a purpose that you’re trying to solve with this? What are you most afraid of?” [00:01:10]

The most productive salespeople ask for the sale more frequently, but it’s vital to do so in a way that doesn’t decrease rapport with the customer [00:02:42]. Reframing helps achieve this by allowing multiple “asks” while maintaining a positive relationship [00:03:10].

The 3A Framework for Reframing

The 3A framework provides a structured approach to ethical and effective reframing [00:01:10]:

1. Acknowledge [00:03:21]

This step builds rapport by restating what the prospect said [00:03:23].

• Benefit 1: Shows active listening, fostering trust [00:03:35].
• Benefit 2: Buys the salesperson time to think about their next response or objection handling [00:03:40].
• Example:
  • Prospect: “What kind of certifications do your trainers have?” [00:04:56]
  • Acknowledgement: “So you’re curious about what our certifications are.” [00:05:00]

2. Associate [00:03:57]

This is where the salesperson links the prospect’s question or behavior to traits of successful customers or positive outcomes [00:04:03].

• Goal: To make the prospect feel like they are taking a step towards buying, rather than away from it, by validating their inquiry as a positive sign [00:04:14].
• Example (continued):
  • Association: “It’s a great question, it actually shows that you’re a really rational person and you’re making a serious decision here, which is amazing.” [00:05:04]

3. Ask [00:04:31]

After acknowledging and associating, the salesperson asks their next question to reframe the conversation [00:04:32].

• Goal: To “attack the frame” of the original question, getting more specific information without immediately providing an answer that could be judged negatively [00:05:22].
• Example (continued):
  • Ask: “Which certification are you looking for specifically?” [00:05:26]
  • If the prospect names a specific certification not held, the salesperson can further reframe: “Why those certifications specifically?” [00:05:48] This allows them to explain the company’s chosen certifications without “failing” or losing the sale [00:06:03].

Five Rules for Ethical Reframing

Using the 3A framework ethically is crucial to maintain a good reputation in sales [00:01:58].

Rule 1: The Person Asking the Questions is in Control [00:06:49]

• Prospects believe almost nothing you say, but almost everything they say [00:06:56]. The goal is to ask questions that lead them to conclude they are a good fit [00:07:02].
• Avoid asking “Do you have any questions?”, as this invites objections and hands control to the prospect [00:07:42].
• If a prospect insists on answers, use analogies (e.g., secretary/surgeon, mechanic) to explain why an immediate answer might be unethical without a proper assessment [00:08:16]. This helps maintain the ethical high ground [00:08:57].

Rule 2: No One Can Disagree with a Question [00:09:04]

• Sales should be like “smoke”; impossible to catch, as you’re always shifting with questions [00:09:06].
• Never disagree with a prospect. Winning an argument means losing the sale [00:09:47].
• The objective is to get them to change their minds agreeably, not through insult or confrontation [00:09:56].
• Common Objection Example:
  • Prospect: “I need to think about it.” [00:10:37]
  • Reframe: “Totally understand. What are the main things you’re considering? What are the variables? What’s your main concern? What are you most afraid of having happen? What would make this a no? What would it take for you to say yes?” [00:10:41]
• Timing Objection Example:
  • Prospect: “I don’t have time. Timing is off right now for me.” [00:11:00]
  • Reframe: “Great, totally understand. Timing is kind of tough for you right now. I think it’s smart that you’re already thinking about implementation. Our biggest success stories are actually people who think about the process the same way you are right now. So what would make it a good time?” [00:11:04]
• Spouse Objection Example:
  • Prospect: “I need to talk to my spouse.” [00:11:35]
  • Reframe: “Totally understand. I think it’s really sensible that you’d want to talk to your spouse and super fair. Just so I understand out of curiosity, what parts do you think they wouldn’t like? What parts do you think they would disagree with?” [00:11:36]

Rule 3: Tell Them What Their Question Means [00:13:50]

This is an advanced application of the “Associate” step [00:13:50].

• The salesperson should never be caught off guard by a prospect’s questions, as they’ve had these conversations thousands of times [00:13:54].
• When a prospect throws up a “smoke screen” to get out of the sale, reframe it positively.
• Example: A prospect says they already have a wealth advisor. A reframe could be: “That’s amazing. 90% of the clients we have that shift over already have a wealth advisor, so it means you already know how a lot of these things work, which means you’ll be up the learning curve.” [00:13:25] This turns an objection into a positive association, making the prospect feel like a successful customer [00:13:30].
• If the prospect is qualified and the product helps them, you have an ethical obligation to help them make the decision to buy [00:14:37].
• Sales is a dance, not a fight; seduction, not force [00:15:07]. People like being asked questions about themselves and being complimented [00:15:15]. Saying “that’s a smart question” or “that makes you just like our best customers” validates them and builds trust [00:15:19].

Rule 4: Use Straw Men for Tough Truths [00:15:31]

When a prospect has a flawed belief that needs to be addressed directly, use “straw men” to deliver a tough truth without insulting the prospect directly [00:16:17]. This involves setting up a caricature of someone just like them, allowing you to have the tough conversation with the “caricature” rather than the prospect [00:16:25].

There are three ways to use this during the “Associate” phase:

1. Reference a past conversation: “It’s so funny you ask that because I had someone just earlier today who asked the same questions. Can I share with you what I just shared with them?” [00:16:51] This allows you to be “brutal” to the “other person” without insulting the current prospect [00:17:03].
2. Reference a successful past customer: “You know what, that actually makes you just like Sarah, who had a similar plumbing business and actually crushed it with our marketing agency. And she asked this question too…” [00:17:19] This connects the prospect’s concern to a positive outcome [00:17:28].
3. Appeal to authority: Instead of appealing to your own authority, appeal to someone else’s. “It’s so funny that you ask that. Alex just told me this thing earlier today. Can I share it with you?” [00:18:41] This makes you the messenger, delivering the information without directly confronting the prospect’s belief [00:18:49].

These subtle shifts are what separate beginners from pros [00:18:57]. By making positive associations and validating the prospect, you can deliver hard truths more effectively and cut to the heart of the matter faster [00:19:02].

Rule 5: Retain Childlike Curiosity at All Times [00:20:20]

• Maintain a tone of curiosity (e.g., saying “Huh, that’s so interesting you’d ask that question. Can I ask you a little bit more about that?“) [00:20:47]. This buys time and keeps the conversation inquisitive.
• The goal is to seek to understand, not to win [00:21:05].
• Keep the human first [00:21:13]. If you genuinely believe your product will help a qualified prospect, you want to understand their concerns to help them overcome them, knowing it’s the right decision for them [00:21:23].
• Approach the conversation as if you know the future and are trying to convince your past self to make a beneficial investment [00:21:40]. You would be empathetic and focus on understanding their concerns [00:22:10].
• You don’t close sales by being right; you close sales by making the prospect right [00:23:33]. Avoid combativeness; the point is to make money, not to win an argument [00:22:50].
• Be a guide, sharing information to help them make a good decision [00:23:01].
• Associate their question with a positive label (e.g., “smart,” “rational,” “good family man”) and then link that label back to the decision to buy [00:23:19]. This gives the prospect a positive identity to live up to during the closing process [00:23:19].

Universal Response for Objections

When further along in the sale, a powerful question to uncover the root issue is: “What are you most afraid of having happen?” [00:24:24] This cuts to the core concern. For initial objections, softer questions like “What’s your main concern?” or “What variables are you using to make the decision?” can be used [00:24:28].

Ultimately, these sales tactics and the 3A framework help maintain rapport and control throughout the sales process, leading to more successful outcomes and increased sales efficiency in closing deals [00:24:58].