The Secrets Of S.A.F.E. Selling

"S.A.F.E. Selling" is a phrase I coined to help new and veteran sales professionals understand a sales situation from the customer’s side of the table.

S.A.F.E. is an acronym for: Skepticism, Apathy, Fear and Egotism.

These four words sum up the four major emotions a prospect is struggling with during your sales presentation. You as the sales person must deal with each one of these emotions before you can close the sale.

Here are some brief examples of what your prospect is thinking and feeling as you present your product:

S = Skepticism ("It won’t work!" – "I don’t believe you!". . .)

A = Apathy ("I don’t need it right now!" – "I can’t afford it!". . .)

F = Fear ("What if I don’t like it?" – "Will you rip me off?". . .)

E = Egotism ("My problem is different!" – "It won’t work for me!". . .)

Your prospect will experience some or all of these emotions during the course of your presentation.

How do you find out which ones he is feeling and when? Through the use of effective probing.

But ultimately, your pitch should flow naturally so as to answer your prospect’s concerns as they are raised in his mind. Then, you can interject periodically with a trial close to make sure your prospect is satisfied.

Remember too, that advertising is merely salesmanship in print. Don’t think for a moment that your ads and sales letters aren’t required to heed this advice simply because no face-to-face presentation takes place.

In fact, advertising has an even tougher job. Sometimes, (and especially on the Internet) your sales letter must do the complete selling job. And that includes handling objections.

You must know your product. But more importantly, you must know your prospect.

Then, and only then, can you use "S.A.F.E. Selling" techniques to make your prospect feel SAFE enough to become your customer.

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