Getting the “Internal Yes”

When I’m asked what the difference is between my style of heart-centred sales and the more traditional sales techniques you can learn elsewhere, there is one really big distinction for me…

It’s the difference between the internal “yes” that you get from a more heart-centred conversation and the sort of “yes” that comes as a result of more traditional sales approaches.

Watch the video or scroll down to read more.

Traditional sales vs the Heart-centred approach

The way I see it, the more traditional sales approaches, with their focus on closing techniques, are typically designed to “get” the client to say yes. The main focus is on the agenda of the person who’s doing the selling and their desire to “close” the sale or maybe hit their targets.  The assumption is that the sales person can cause the “yes” to happen within the other person, almost whether they like it or not.

One of these closing techniques is the “Yes Set”.  The theory is that if you ask somebody a series of questions and get a yes as the answer three times in a row, then they are much more like to say yes when you ask them to buy from you because the response has been programmed and is almost automatic.  Like many other techniques this plays on human psychology in order to get someone to say yes.

Even if they haven’t formed their own deep emotional connection to the decision.

However, what I call the “Internal Yes” is something that comes from within the client. It’s an almost visceral feeling. It might bubble up from their belly, or it might be something they feel in their heart. The feeling is almost like an energetic pulling forward, so that rather than having to persuade, cajole, push or manipulate them, the client is already leaning into you energetically. They know whether your offer is right for them (or not) and so the right decision is easy.

With the internal yes, your potential client will already be having an internal conversation with themselves that goes something like this…

“Oh, everything she has said so far makes total sense. I’ve never heard anybody who understands what I’m going through so well.”

“What she’s saying about the programme and how she’s going to help me sounds like something I really need.”

“I think I want to do this. I can’t wait to hear what the details are and what it costs, and if I can make it work and if I can afford it, I think I’m going to say yes.”

An “Internal Yes” becomes an external yes

Remember, that at this point they haven’t said the yes externally yet.  But they are much more likely to say yes when you ask them if they’ve already felt the “internal yes”.   They are also much less likely to have “buyers remorse” and change their mind later.

Whether you’re a healer, a consultant, an accountant, or a coach, if you’re in the business of making a difference to others then the chances are that you’re going to be working quite closely with your client over a period of time and they’ll be opening up to you in a way that they wouldn’t perhaps open up to just anybody.

So when a new client says yes to working with you, you’re entering into a relationship where trust and openness are essential for you to get a good result. But if you’ve got them to say yes based on manipulative or psychological techniques, that trust simply won’t be there. This is one of the reasons why a lot of traditional sales techniques are simply not effective for a heart-centred business.

Not only that but as a heart-centred business owner you probably won’t want to use that type of approach anyway.  If you genuinely care about other people, you’re going to feel uncomfortable trying to learn and apply these techniques.

A more Heart-centred approach

Instead I prefer to teach you how to take your clients through a conversation in very structured and supportive way. It starts with you coming from a place of serving their best interests (rather than the best interests of your bank account).  Then you can create a meaningful connection and really take the time to listen to them, get to know them and understand what they need.

Because you’ve guided them through the conversation in a structured way, covering all the right things in the right order, your client will be able to decide for themselves whether working with you is the right thing for them.

What’s important about this approach is that it treats the client with respect – as someone who is perfectly able to make their own decisions.

All you need to do is guide them through that conversation so that they can fully understand the benefits of the work that you do, the difference it can make to them, and the value it gives them in relation to what you charge.

If you’d like to know how to do this, you can sign up for my free video training “The Seven Steps to Yes” where I teach you how to guide a client step-by-step through a sales conversation that feels totally authentic and comfortable for both of you, and which – if you do it well and what you have to offer is right for your client- will result in that “internal yes”.

Get the “Internal Yes” first

Now, this doesn’t automatically mean that your potential client will say yes when you ask “So, would you like to go ahead?” Remember, they are still a human being, full of all the wonderful complexity that comes with that, so they will have their concerns, doubts, and resistance. But as long as they’ve already felt that internal yes, you won’t have to twist their arm, cajole, or manipulate them. Instead all you will need to do is gently help them to explore and overcome some of that resistance.

It’s only when you don’t have the “internal yes” that you need to get all of these pushy tools out of your toolkit to start to persuade them.

Your client doesn’t want to be dealing with a pushy salesperson who is on a mission to get them to say yes, and you don’t want to be one either, do you?

Getting the internal yes first allows the whole experience to flow so much more beautifully for both of you. You’ll both feel more comfortable and the external, out-loud, “yes please” will easily follow.

I’d love to know how this has landed for you today. Do you recognise that “internal yes” from your own experiences?  Does this approach feel more in alignment for you?  Please do share in the comments below – I always love to hear from you.

And of course, if you found value in this article or video, please do share it on social media or forward it on to someone you know.