Author Archives: Paul Mascetta

Basics Of Overcoming Objections

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In a perfect world, people would do everything we wanted them to do, when we wanted them to and no one would ever have objections. But then again, if that was the case, we wouldn’t be sales people; we would be order takers. That’s what separates person who takes orders from an experts sales professional who effectively persuades others to benefit from his/her service or product.

The first step in overcoming an objection is isolating it. Drill down to the specific objection and ask the person flat out if that is the only thing holding them back. Once you have isolated the objection, you must be empathic and understanding to the person but you must also remind them of why they are talking to you in the first place. If you asked the right questions in the beggining of your presentation and listened to the answers, you will easily be able to show that person why they need what you have to offer.

I make it a general rule to point out 3 benefits that the person is going to get by owning what I have to sell, tying it into their emotion and by watching their reaction; I can see if it’s working. If it’s not, I turn to what they have to lose by not owning it. Once I see the slightest sign of agreement (like a head nod for example), I reiterate the benefit and loss one more time and suggest that they buy. At this point, I do not ask. Once I see that the person understands and agrees with what I am saying, I suggest they make the purchase. I most cases, they do.

If the person poses another objection like the famous "I really need to think about it" (which isn’t an objection by the way). "I need to think about it" is a smoke-screen that camouflages the real underlying objection. This is where your rapport building comes into play. How many times have you convinced someone close to you (whom you have close relationship with) to do something because you either said something specific or said something a few more times than you would have to someone your not so close with because you may have "crossed the line?".

You see, in many cases, that invisible line needs to be crossed in order for the sale to be made. But you can only dare to cross the line if and only if the rapport you have built is strong enough to make the line seem as though it wasn’t crossed. Remember, for every level of rapport you build, the imaginary line that you cross gets further and further away; meaning more rapport means more room to overcome objections.

It’s a known statistic that 90 percent of all sales are made after the 4th attempt. So if that means overcoming an objection four times, so be it. Remember, four is the magical number and the reason why only 20 percent of sales people are top sales people is because roughly 80 percent do not ask for the sales more than twice. So set yourself apart from the sub par and align yourself with the elite.

Ten Steps To Master A Job Interview

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Now listen, before you read this it’s important to understand that I personally am not a fan of having a job or being an employee….never have been.

At nearly every job I’ve ever had, I spent most of my time and energy figuring out how I could get more of what was important to me done rather than what I should have been doing as part of my daily duties.

When I was really young, that was sleep. I was always out late partying so I would devise a plan to get at least an hour or maybe even two of nap time in at work.

As I got older and began leveraging the only 2 talents I ever had (selling and writing) the days that were supposed to spent getting projects done were spent writing sales copy for Internet marketers until of course I got to the point where I didn’t need a job anymore.

My point is this. I’ve never liked working for someone else. But that’s just me and it’s really a whole other topic which I’ll write about at some other time. The reason why I decided to publish this is because I realize that for many people, jobs are very important and valuable. Now even though I was always a lousy employee, I did manage to land a job almost every single time I went on an interview.

So I figured I’d share the things that I did that I know for a fact will dramatically increase your odds of getting a job; so here we go.

1.)    Search online using a trusted site like Monster or Career Builder but NEVER apply through them. Instead, search for a contact e-mail address and send a personal e-mail. If that’s not an option, pick up the phone and ask to speak to the head of HR. Applying through these websites consists of filling out a form that will be sent to the same contact person only it will be sent with everyone else who applied; meaning you’re just another number.  Part of getting what you want is beating the odds and separating yourself from the rest.

2.)    Don’t let the application scare you. If you come across an application which states that the job has requirements (availability times, work experience, etc.) that you don’t think you can fill, apply and go on the interview anyway. Everything is negotiable and subject to change….or at least there’s a chance that it is. I can’t tell you how many times I saw a requirement on an application that I knew I couldn’t pull off but I either charmed the pants of the person interviewing me, made them bend or I figured it out once I got the job.

3.)    Google the company and find out as much info as humanly possible before the interview. Check out the link that says corporate structure or investor relations if they have one and find out the names of the officers in the company. If they are a public company, read the statements of the COO, CEO, President or Chairman when they reported their last quarter earnings. You can also check out their mission statement but hearing what an officer in the company has to say will give you a better indication of what direction they plan moving in the near future.  Be sure to make it clear that you are onboard and in alignment with the company’s vision and objectives.

4.)    Google the name of the person that is interviewing you. Check out their company profile or Facebook page (if applicable) and find out exactly who you’re going to be dealing with. See what their interests are, how long they’ve been with the company, if they have children, where they live, what sports teams they like, etc. These are all things you can use to create rapport with them during the interview.

5.)    This one is just for guys. Since I’m not a woman, I can’t really make any suggestions on this topic without sounding sexist. Buy a new suit or borrow one if you don’t have one. It makes all the difference. Navy blue is your best bet because it’s pretty versatile. You can wear it on an interview, to a meeting, a wedding and even funeral (if you really had to). Wear a white shirt and shoot for a tie that has a little bit of red in it somewhere. Statistics show that this color combination makes people appear more credible in the eyes of others than any other. Make sure your shirt fits you and that the collar is not too lose or the sleeves are too long. Little inconsistencies like this make you appear as though you don’t pay attention to detail. Always wear a pair of shoes that are in good condition (even if they are cheap).

6.)    Give yourself enough time to get there plus an hour. Invest the few minutes you have (because you arrived early) in getting to know the receptionist and/or anyone else that may be at the front desk. If you’re able to connect with them on some level, they’ll tell the person that you’re interviewing that they like you when that person shows you to the door. Social validation is always great. If you wind up getting there too, too early, go get a cup of coffee or feed the pigeons. NEVER under any circumstances, take the slightest risk of being late. Things happen… …trains get stuck, buses stall, traffic jams up....at the end of the day no one cares. You’ll always be remembered as the person who showed up late for an interview.

7.)    Give a firm handshake and do not sit until the other person does. Once the process begins, always look in their eyes and never shy away. This sends a message that you are both confident and truthful.

8.)    Make sure you know your resume inside out and be prepared to answer questions about it like why your average time length at each job was less than 2 years for example. Be prepared also  to present your case in 5 different ways. Chances are the person interviewing you falls into one of five categories when it comes to the way they make decisions. They are either a Thinker, Skeptic, Action Taker, Follower or a Leader.

9.)    Ask them how they got to be where they are in the company. People love to hear themselves talk. The more they share with you, the greater your odds of being liked. Every time someone shares something about themselves with you, they subconsciously become vested in thinking you are trustworthy, genuine and someone they would like to have more dialogue with.

10.) Send an e-mail within 2 hours after the interview has finished thanking the person for their time and stating that you look forward to coming onboard.  Waiting any longer gets risky because that one e-mail could strike the final cord needed for you to get  the job but if someone else - who interviews better – gets there before you send your e-mail, you could be in trouble. 

This list is by no means the end to all when it comes to getting a job and I left out most of the stuff that in my opinion is just common sense like having references available or being able to articulate how you perform certain job related tasks. This was more or less stuff that you may not have necessarily given a second thought to.

The Most Important Thing You Can Do As An Expert Persuader

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Selling is something I have been involved in since as far back as I can remember. It’s something that’s always come quite easy to me.

Some of my friends however, feel that making a living in sales is crazy. “How could you work without knowing you’re getting a steady paycheck?” “How could you let other people determine how much money you are going to make?”

These are the same people that work at 9-5 jobs and get paid the same rate no matter how talented, committed or hardworking they are.

 I’ve always had different outlook on things. When they would ask me questions like that, I would ask “How could you work your _ss off and be paid the same as someone who slacks off all day?”

I believe people should be paid based on their ability. And rather than being nervous about not having a steady paycheck, I simply love the fact hat there is no cap on the amount of money I can make. I decide what my paycheck is.

One thing I have learned in sales is that the principles and techniques involved in closing a sale are also essential to improving your life overall.

As I’vealways said; no person has ever achieved anything great without the help of someone else. Cultivating the right relationships in life is a high leverage tool to achieve success.

Part of cultivating the right relationships is being persuasive. Persuasiveness is the ability to convince someone else to do exactly what you want them to do in an honest way.

Today, I’m going to share with out the single most important part of being an expert persuader. This will enable you to close the deal, win the date, get the job or do just about anything else that you need the help of someone else to do.

 In sales, we call this the 80/20 rule. Basically it involves listening 80 percent of the time and speaking 20 percent. This enables you to determine what the customer, potential lover, boss, date, etc. wants and what they perceive as valuable.

You see, it’s never about what you are selling or presenting to someone, it’s about what their perceived value is of what you are offering.

Every time I ever hired a new sales person who claims they are an expert closer, I ask them if they can close a person on anything or just certain things. The typical answer is “I can sell anything Paul.”

I then pull out my stapler and ask them to sell it to me. And so the show goes on, 95 percent of these so called “experts” begin taking about how sturdy the stapler is, how many staples it holds and all the wonderful things it’s capable of doing.

After letting the person go on for about 15 minutes, I say “that’s great but I have think about it. I’ll call you in a few days.”

And the person has nothing to say. Why? Because they never took the time to listen to what I perceive as valuable. Because if they had, they would have built the presentation around those value points. Plus, in the time they spent listening to me, they would have 1.) Built a rapport and 2.) Discovered any objections that I may bring up later so they could be prepared to overcome them.

So how do you determine what the other person perceives valuable? The answer is very simple. You ask questions.

In sales, we call this the needs analysis. Basically, you ask a series of questions that will help you determine what the other person considers valuable and help disclose any objections that may pop up later so you can prepare to effectively overcome them.

So the minute I interview a salesperson and they start their stapler presentation by asking me questions like “Is this for personal or professional use?” “Would you be purchasing just one stapler or multiple products?” I know this is truly an expert salesperson.

That’s what expert salespeople do. They ask questions and spend 80 percent of the time listening to what the other person says.  That way, they don’t waste the entire time making a presentation based on something that the person could care less about when they could have taken the time to listen and easily close the sale.

Now if you’re a person who has studied sales, influence, persuasion or any other body of knowledge related to gaining compliance from others, you know that what just shared is pretty basic stuff.

Here’s where I want to take things to the next level.

Most educated sales people know that to determine the other person’s needs, you need to ask questions, but what do you do if you find yourself in a situation where the person doesn’t feel like being questioned?

What do you do when you are dealing with someone that is extremely defensive and wants you to just “get to the point”?

These are 2 of the most popular questions that sales people always pose to me. So here’s the answer. First realize that without ever actually getting them to give you what you need, which is their true desire for having what you have to offer, your chances of closing them are next impossible. Simply put, you MUST get them to open up at some point; that’s your job. So don’t ever –under any circumstances – let that person take control of the conversation by skipping this crucial part of your presentation just because you’re afraid they’re going to get up and leave.

In order for the sale to take place, you must make your presentation and if you allow them to prevent you from doing that, odds are you will lose them anyway.

What you must do is appear to give them what they want so you can disarm them and ultimately get what you want.

To do that, you must first understand why this person is acting the way they are. Chances are it’s because of one of two reasons or both. The first is that they have been burned in the past by making a decision to buy something similar to what you are selling and either you, the environment or the current experience is taking them back that previous experience.

The second is that this person usually makes decisions from a skeptical standpoint and therefore is usually very defensive by nature.

In either case, their objective is to get the information from you as fast as possible so they can thoroughly scrutinize it – without you there trying to sell them -before making any rash decisions.

The key here is to convey the message that you want to be able to get them as much info as possible to ensure they make the best decision. And so rather than just asking them the set of questions that you normally would to uncover their desires, you first make them believe that the questions you are asking are for the sole purpose of enabling you to give them as much relevant data as possible.

For example, when I was selling health club memberships and I came across a person who is demanding the just know the price; I would say to them “Sir/ma’am, we have a number of different options which all depend on individual needs because we know people don’t like paying for things that they don’t need.” Then, without any hesitation I would ask a question that they believe is being asked for the benefit of giving them the data they need like “are you going to be using one club or multiple clubs? “

This instantly shifts their perception from me trying to pull information out of them so I can sell them to me just simply trying to figure out which option would be best for them so I can present the data that they need to make their decision in the best way possible.

But what I have really done is began the process of asking questions which opens up a form of dialog which if done correctly, will enable me to create rapport. Once, rapport has been established, my odds of making the sale dramatically increase because my odds of making the presentation increase because they will begin to lower their defense mechanisms and also think twice about trying to rush me and appear rude when I’m trying to help them.

Try to ask at least 4 questions like this because the more questions they answer, the easier it becomes to ask the questions that you really want to ask like “what are you hoping to accomplish here” which will peel back the layers and lead you to their desires.

Once you have the desire, you have the gold.

How People Really Make Decisions

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As human beings, we would like to think that when we make decisions, we scrutinize and evaluate the information that we’re given and then ultimately make a logical decision based on our evaluation. In reality however, nothing could be further from the truth. 

Human beings very rarely make decisions that way; most of the time our decision-making process takes place without us even realizing it. The is because when living in the in the age of information, there is just not enough time for anyone to really evaluate every single piece of information that comes our way and then decide what we’re going to do with it.

Let's face it, thinking is hard work.  There are so many things in life to think about that to consciously ponder every single decision that you're going to make is almost impossible. So instead, what we have are mental short cuts that we use to dissect all of this information and make rapid decisions.

These short cuts appear in the form of preconceived ideas about what we believe or how we believe certain things should be and when we come across something that involves making a decision, we subconsciously cross reference it with all the preconceived notions and beliefs that we have and then we make a decision.

Much research has shown that over 90% of the reason behind a person's decision to make a purchase on something is associated with a decision that takes place on a subconscious level. What that means is that most of the time when we buy something, we’re doing it for reasons that we really haven't even fully developed in our conscious minds.

Now there are many reasons why people don't really think about making decisions. It could be the fact that with so much information available people get overwhelmed or sometimes the decision really isn't going to impact our lives that dramatically or that it just simply doesn't involve much research or thinking.

 The bottom line is that as humans we love taking shortcuts because it makes the mental work much easier. How many times have you walked into a store and relied on the sales person's advice or brought a friend along to get their opinion when buying something?

Most people will never admit this but many of us can buy something just because of the way it looks or because of the label that's on it. Have you ever purchased a piece of clothing because of the manufacturer’s name as opposed to investigating the quality of the clothing and the fabric itself?

Realize this; you can never really logically understand why human beings behave in a certain way because we are not logical people. Instead, we are emotional people making decisions primarily based on emotions but thinking we are logical.

Therefore, the only way to predict how most people will behave is to organize them in groups, provide some sort of stimulus and then, monitor the response. These are known as studies and most of the time, the results that they provide prove how illogical people really are.

Countless psychological studies have shown people react more to the way that information is presented to them rather than the content of the information itself.  

But in a world where people are driven primarily by emotions, logic does have its place.

I've read tons of books on sales and dedicated most of my life to mastering the art of selling. Many sales experts or guru's claim that every decision that we make is primarily an emotional one and that logic is used later to justify that decision. This is true. Even the most logical decisions are driven by an emotion. Take the decision to not stand in front of a truck going 60 mph. While it may appear that this is a logical decision because you don’t want to get hurt or even die, it is the emotion of fear that is ultimately driving that decision.

Here is what most of the gurus don’t talk about…. Some people like to think they make decisions logically like “thinkers” for example. These people are not strayed by emotional arguments. They like hard data and facts that support a particular point of view. But this desire to make decisions logically is still driven by the emotion to want to be logical. Therefore, when persuading these types of people, it’s important to appear to appeal to the logical side of their brains but keep in mind that you are still triggering emotions within them. 

Emotions are essentially what fuel the world. Emotions are what create love, hate, war, life, death and just about everything else that we do but make no mistake, logic does play a role in the emotional experience.  And therefore, you must always remember to balance tapping in to logic and emotion when influencing certain people. People are definitely more likely to believe what you say, based on logic, but ultimately there will it is their emotion that will move them to take action.  Many different studies have shown that more than 90% of the decisions that we make are emotionally driven.  Yes, we use logic afterwards to justify our actions and why we did certain things, but ultimately it is emotion that prompts us to first take action.

When using emotion to guide behaviors or thought processes, you can sometimes first engage people using logic, and then tap into the emotion to get them to take action.  For example, if I wanted to persuade you to buy a car- but it was a $250,000 Ferrari - which you know logically you cannot afford - the fact is that we will never even get to the influence process, because you've already made a logical decision that would not even be worth it to speak with me.

Back to my point, human beings like logic in some cases. And in those cases, it’s extremely valuable.

For example, when we are trying to draw conclusions based on evidence that's been given to others, we use logic. In fact, for an argument to even make sense or to even be worth speaking about it has to be true and valid which means there has to be some level of logic involved. 

But the overall body governing a decision is the human emotion.

Using The Internal Conflict Trigger To Gain Compliance

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One of my favorite methods to gain compliance is the the Internal Conflict Trigger AKA The Law Of Cognitive Dissonance.  As humans, we feel the need to act in accordance with our core beliefs and values.  In other words, it is very difficult for us to behave or act in a way that is different from what we really believe deep down in our hearts.

A researcher at Stanford University by the name of Leon Festinger formulated something called the cognitive dissonance theory.  In his own words, he stated when our actions conflict with our attitudes or beliefs; we become uncomfortable and motivated to try to change.  The method by which the internal conflict trigger works is by leveraging the fact that people tend to act in a manner that is congruent to their beliefs and values. 

When we act in a way that is different than what our values and beliefs represent, we find ourselves in a state of discomfort.  Behaving in a way that is not consistent with your core beliefs and values can produce anxiety, negative emotions and all-around feelings of general discomfort.  It creates an immense amount of tension within us, and an overall feeling of being off balanced.  Human beings like balance and we will do just about anything to achieve it and relieve ourselves from internal discomfort or uneasiness that is caused when we act differently than what we believe is right. When we experience this internal conflict that I speak of, we don't like it and we will do whatever it takes to experience balance once again.  There are many different ways in which we do this. 

Rationalization - The first method is that we’re going to cover is rationalization.  Rationalization is when someone finds excuses or reasons why the loss of balance or inconsistency is acceptable.  We often find ourselves justifying our behavior or decisions to make ourselves feel better.  

Denial - Next on the list is denial. Denial is probably the most common and easiest form of reducing the tension.  In this case, the person we simply denies that the problem even exists. They can do this by ignoring the entire situation or choosing to believe that the source where the information is coming from is not reliable.  

Correction -The next method that we use to reduce internal conflict is trying to find evidence to support why the information we received is inaccurate. 

Reframing - The next method is called reframing. Here, the person essentially changes their interpretation of the meaning behind the message that was given. This results in them either changing their thought process entirely or reducing the level of value concerning the entire matter as if it’s just not that important to them.  

Separation - And last but not least is separation.  In this case the person simply separates themselves from events or matters that are causing the internal conflict.  They do this by saying things like “one thing has nothing to do with another.”  

All of the examples above simply illustrate how we alleviate the internal conflict within by doing whatever it takes to convince ourselves that we made the right decision.  This is why in sales, it is extremely important to get the prospect to make a purchase on the same day.  Once a person has made a purchase, they are mentally vested in the product or service and will then do whatever it takes to convince themselves that they have made the right decision.

Why Your Ability To Influence Others Supersedes Everything Else

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Ever since I was a little kid, I wondered how people could work for the same amount of money every week. I also couldn’t figure out why some people are paid the same as others simply because their titles are the same; even when some people work much harder than others.

I guess you could say I was born to be a sales person. And the truth is, I was. Not because I was born with a unique talent to persuade or the gift of gab but because I love the fact that I could always control my paycheck. 

Throughout my life, I have met a ton of people (many whom are very close to me) who strongly disagree with how I see things. 

Growing up, even my own mom would say “You need a stable job with a steady paycheck”. Most of my close friends thought I was a big risk taker living on the wild side by working in commission based environments for most of my adulthood. 

Their theory is that working in a setting where your next check isn’t guaranteed is very risky and dangerous. My theory is a little different. I see it as risky but rewarding. 

And trust me when I say, I’m not a gambler. In fact, the last time I went to a casino, I decided to live a little dangerously and put 20 dollars in a slot machine. I lost it in about 2 minutes flat and did not give the casino one more red cent. That was the extent of my risk taking. 

Working in a sales environment is completely different. Here’s why. 

People will always need products and services. And people will always have to sell them and in some cases, be paid very handsomely to do so. So why not be one of those people? 

“Because selling is just not for me; I’m not interested in haggling with people for a living.” 

These are the responses that I usually get when I ask that question. Once I would show them my paycheck however, they would begin to ask things like “Well what exactly is involved in what you sell Paul?” 

In other words, their curiosity gets sparked and they begin to wonder what life would be like if they could write their own paychecks. Well the good news is, sales people are made not born. And the steps involved in becoming a master of influence are easy to learn; providing you have a good teacher with a sound system. 

Anyone can be trained to be a master sales person or persuasion specialist as I like to call it. Whether you want to devote your entire life to selling high commissioned things like property or jets or you just want to position yourself to gain compliance from your friends, business partners, colleagues or life partner.

Here’s where things get interesting. Let’s say you have absolutely no interest in selling anything. Perhaps you are living your dream, doing what you arte truly passionate about and make a ton of money doing so. You have no need to generate any extra cash by devoting time to things that you’re not interested in. Selling is just not for you…..period. 

Let me ask you these few questions. 

Do you buy products or services from others? 

Do you like getting a deal on something? 

Are you currently making a living from your craft? 

Do you desire deep, meaningful relationships?

Are there certain aspects of your life that you think would be better if someone in your life would just see things a little differently? 

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then persuasion and influence is in fact for you. The truth is becoming better at influence is for not only for everyone, but if you’re not placing the demand on yourself to master it, you are doing yourself a huge disservice in life. 

Make no mistake; your ability to influence will supersede every other favorable attribute that you may have including your education, skill, experience, knowledge or ability simply because it magnifies the results you can achieve in all of those areas. 

You could graduate from Harvard Law, but if you can’t convince a judge, a jury or at the very least, your clients that you know what you’re talking about, you will lose to the guy (who may even be less educated) that can. 

You could have all the great qualities of a life partner but if you can never presuade someone to give you an opportunity to go on a date, your chances of remaining alone forever drastically increase. 

Whether you realize it or not, you are always selling something to someone and someone is always selling something to you. It may not be a physical thing with a price tag attached to it. It could be an opinion, a point of view or even a feeling. 

Selling something to someone is nothing more than persuasion. And persuasion – whether done consciously with a strategy or unconsciously without even thinking about it -is taking place in all of our lives every single day. 

So why not become better at it? Back to my questions above…..

If you buy products or services from others, they are selling you on why they feel the price is justified. If you mastered persuasion, you would be a better negotiator and may perhaps get more for less. 

If you like getting a deal on something, the same truth applies. Being able to effectively negotiate will ensure your best chances of getting a bargain. 

If you’re in a position where you own your own business or make a living from your craft, being more persuasive will multiply the volume at which others pay for your service or product. 

In the relationship department, you will be able to effectively communicate with others which is the basis from which relationships are built.

And if there is a boss or loved one who has the ability to make your life just a little more enjoyable if they just better understood you, being more persuasive will enable you to convey your message in the best way possible. 

Here’s my point. The techniques involved in influence and persuasion carry through to nearly every aspect of one’s life. That’s why it is so important to learn those techniques.

Check out more articles and blog updates at www.InfluenceMaster.com