Have you ever had the experience of feeling coerced into buying something?
Maybe you’ve pretended you weren’t home when the doorbell rang and you peeked outside to see a salesperson standing on your front step.
Or maybe you’ve avoided scheduling a “discovery call” with someone, even if you were interested in their services, out of fear that you might feel pressured into saying “yes” prematurely.
This is because most of us associate sales with coercion.
We’re afraid we might be manipulated or pushed.
We dread having to say “no”, because let’s face it, it doesn’t feel great to reject another human!
It’s time to put an end to sales tactics that make us feel cornered.
We need a modern sales approach, one that revolves around CONSENT instead of coercion.
WATCH THIS VIDEO! A MODERN SALES APPROACH: Ditch the outdated advice & Get more clients
This blog post (and accompanying video) are part of one big in-depth series all about our Empowering Enrollment Experience. This is Part 2. (Jump back to Part 1 here)
When we create a sales environment based on consent, the entire vibe changes.
Your enrollment process can actually feel empowering – for you AND your clients!
So how do you know if a sales strategy is leaning too hard on coercion and not incorporating enough consent?
Here are a few common pitfalls to watch out for, followed by their fixes:
❌ Wanting or needing to get a final “yes or no” while live on the sales call
We’ve seriously heard sales trainers say things like, “Don’t let them get off the call without making a decision!”
Their advice is to simply stay on the phone with a prospect at all costs until they get their credit card and say “yes”.
This sales mentality says do whatever it takes to get the sale right then, on the call.
If that strategy feels so gross you want to hide under a rock just thinking about it, we’re right there with you.
It’s never okay to put that kind of pressure on someone or coerce them into taking an action they aren’t fully on board with.
And the great news is, it’s just not necessary – there are better, more ethical ways to get people enrolled in your program!
❌ They just heard the details a moment ago and haven’t had time to process
The way sales calls are typically taught, your prospects have only just heard the details of the offer for the first time mere moments ago when you start pitching (on traditional sales calls).
They hopped on the call and ran through the program at a high level verbally.
And then 10 minutes later, they’re supposed to make a final decision on a major investment?
For most people, it’s just way too fast to feel comfortable.
It’s time we stop expecting our prospects to ask “where do I sign?” just minutes after getting the details for the first time.
Just because they need to digest the information does not mean they aren’t seriously considering investing with you!
❌ The heightened emotional space of being “face to face” with you leads to fear of how you will react if they say “no”
Here’s the worst part: if someone is afraid to say “no”, they’re more likely to say “yes” — only to regret it later.
Can we really expect someone to make an informed decision when they’re in an emotionally heightened space, face to face with you on zoom, and unsure how you’ll react if they say “no?”
Your prospect might fear, “What if they shame me? Are they gonna say I just make excuses? What if they argue with me or won’t let me off the phone?”
It’s the same exact reason you’d rather hide from the salesperson on your porch instead of open the door.
Creating this type of coercive environment creates the possibility of people pleasing behavior from your prospects.
You might say, “Well, I’m not using any kind of high pressure tactics on my sales calls!”
But when your leads are face to face with you, an invisible pressure is often created.
It’s the pressure to make you happy, to stay friendly with you or keep you from getting upset. They don’t want to be the jerk who ruins your day!
People pleasing is a slippery habit your prospects could fall into when they feel pressure, even if you’re not intentionally being pushy at all.
It’s important to note that we aren’t saying every person who conducts sales calls is intentionally trying to coerce people.
Instead, we’re raising this question:
Can you really say that someone has made their best decision when they are in front of someone in real-time, on the spot, and just found out about the offer 10 minutes ago?
Is that really the best decision-making environment… or could there be a better way?
✅ Consent means the client controls the enrollment experience
In an empowering enrollment experience, the entire process is completely client-centric.
They control the pace.
They control the content they are watching, absorbing and processing.
If and when they talk to you, they control that too with the help of asynchronous communication.
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