#972 Conviction

Ronald Reagan was known as the great communicator. His success at moving people to his point of view was undeniable. His speeches penetrated the hearts of Americans and moved doubters towards his point of view. Critics chalked his success up to his past career.  They said that he learned to play a part as an actor, and that was what he was doing.

It was the exact opposite. What made Reagan so moving, so convincing, was his conviction. Reagan believed without any doubt in the policies he was selling. It was in his bones.

Conviction is a massive component in convincing anyone of anything. But you can’t fake sincerity; you can’t fabricate conviction. If you aren’t entirely convinced of what you are proposing, how can you expect me to be?

I see this a lot when it comes time to hammer out pricing. If I know that my service is worth X and I feel it in my bones when I give you the price, you will be far less likely to ask me for a discount.

My coach has a phase I love. She tells me and other speakers she coaches to “Stand tall in your fees.” She’s telling us to remember the incredible value we give and to know, for sure, that we’re worth it.

I remember my number one salesperson from back in my days of managing copier reps. Copying machine pricing was negotiable, like cars.

He said one of the keys to his success was to show up with his price written down. He’d do all the research as to models and features before he visited. After his presentation, when the client asked for a price, he didn’t pull out a calculator and price list and start figuring. He took his notes, made a show of looking up the exact price, put his finger on it, and gave it with conviction. He told me that salespeople who started looking things up and adding them together at the time of sale were insinuating that the price was not fixed and inviting the client to make a lower offer. He, on the other hand, gave his price firmly and was rarely negotiated with.

Own Your Sales Gene…