3 Simple Techniques to Close Any Sale, Every Time (MICHAEL BERNOFF)

Hi, everyone. So excited to be here today. And I mean that. We are here on Allie and you, the business success and lifestyle show. I am Alison Maslin. My friends call me Allie. And I'm a business growth mentor, all things business. We want to really help you get to the next level, especially here now. January 2018, the first show of 2018. Wow. So I'm so excited. And how apropos that on the first show of 2018 that I have one of my most favorite people in the world, and I don't say that lightly, is my dear friend Michael Bernoff, who is the go to expert on persuasion and influence and also helping people break through old patterns that have been holding them back for their entire life. And so I've had the honor of knowing Michael now for, I don't know, I've lost time. Three years, something like that. Four years.

Three, four years.

Wow. And so Michael works with people all over the world and he works with a lot of my clients and, and helping them to improve on sales. And there's a lot of things that we have to break through personally to be great at sales as well. And so. Well, first of all, Michael, welcome.

Thank you. Thank you, Allison. I love that. I appreciate it. You said apropos and I'm like, I'm attempting to figure out how to spell that. But thank you so much for having me here on your first show of the year. And this is exciting. I'm really excited to talk influence and sales and help everybody who watches this. And if you're watching right now and you know someone else in this community, send them, send them a little message, let them know we're here. Our secret, little, secret little call going on. Let a friend know.

Yeah, definitely. We want to get this message far and wide because I do know that in working with so many business owners over the years and, you know, running my own companies, I'd say the number one thing that business owners struggle with is sales. You know, you have a craft, you have an expertise and something, a gift, an art or whatever your skill is you've been working at all these years. And you think running a business is that you're going to do that skill when the truth is you have to sell that thing. And so being able to improve your sales conversion, even 10% or 20% can be life changing. Right?

Well, I think the biggest thing at the end of the day, I think a lot of people, we get so excited about, we get so excited about our products. And I think a lot of times at the end of the day. If you don't understand your product as well, you don't understand your service as well, but you can sell well, which means open up somebody's idea to it. What's interesting is they don't need to know all the data. They need to know it's okay to make a decision. And that's one of the biggest things I teach people. It's not about making, maneuvering somebody. It's actually about tweaking the conversation in a way that allows somebody to say, it's okay to move forward, it's okay to buy, it's okay to decide to do something a little bit different.

You know, I think that it's so interesting because getting back to this idea of making a decision is so hard for so many people. And, you know, and sometimes even for myself, if I'm in a moment of overwhelm and I have a lot going on and, you know, in that moment when you just decide to say, okay, we're going to do this, we're going to do this, we're going to do that, we're not doing that, we're doing this. It's so freeing when you finally make the fricking decision. Why is that, Michael, that people struggle with that so much?

Well, there's a lot attached to it. And let's talk about layers real quick. And let's talk about your desire to explain your product and your reason that you think people buy your product. I'm going to put that as a table topic for last off. I'll cover that more later. But for now, let's. And it's so much to get into that piece of the puzzle. But let's talk about why people have trouble making decisions. A decision means that you're committing to something. Committing to something, at least in your mind you think it does, means that you're getting rid of other options. You also feel like other people are looking. So as soon as you think, like our own ego is like, you have. You have a child, I have kids. It's like our kids think the whole world revolves around them. And as adults, our decision making typically was sculpted as a child. So we think everybody's looking, Everybody thinks it matters the same reason. Like a man or woman's in a relationship they should not be in. Right? And the reason they don't get out is because what if someone asks me how my relationship's going? And then there's shame and there's guilt and there's fear and there's doubt and. And all we're asking you to pick is where do you want to go to dinner? And instantly it's attached to every major decision you made in your life. Because when a friend asks, where do you want to go to dinner? Here's what code word is getting translated in the brain. And I'll do it secretly so everyone can understand this is the unconscious mind. Very important. Ask me where do I want to go to dinner. Just ask those. Oh, I have to make a big decision here. If I pick the wrong place.

Allison may not of 2018. So we're going to talk about sales. Like, Michael's going to share lots more stuff with you right now, but really diving in there and develop your blueprint for your revenue streams. Marketing, sales, time management. And you know, when you have a plan, you just, you're, you know, you just get there so much faster without spinning, spinning in circles. So if you put blueprint in the comments, we'll send you some information and a promo code for a really great.

Savings and lottery ticket numbers for tonight in advance. All of you win.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Scratchers. Yes.

But I just wanted to throw that out there to see if people were paying attention, which they are. So type blueprint in and we'll send you some more info on how you can hang out with Allison and I and a group of how many entrepreneurs are going to be there. We got a lot of people coming.

500 from all over the planet.

If you can't find some of the network, connect with, do business with, talk to make a new friend. Just the sheer fact that you make one new friend there. I mean, I would pay just the price of airfare in a hotel and a couple bucks for a ticket just to make one new friend. That's just.

People make thousands and thousands of dollars at this event just from the business that they. Just from who they're sitting next to. So it's really, really cool.

And I got some ridiculous stuff to share with you that you're. You're going to love. So back to. So my ADD doesn't kick in. Let me get back to my. My question. Yes. Sales people don't take a look at, like, what state of mind am I in? We bring our garbage and we forget that the most important thing in the world, it's like a relationship, is to make that person feel like the most important person in the world at that moment and to ask ourselves another question, like, what state of mind am I in? Get focused. It's just you and I. It's just us. You're the most important person I'm going to pay attention. I'm going to listen, I'm going to be here. This may or may not go and anything like what? And I'll explain what these boxes mean later when I, when I get there. Live with you because it's really cool. I'm going to teach you how to box somebody in so they feel like making a decision is great and they want to, like, just live with you forever and be with your customer forever. I'll show that in a minute. The other thing you need to ask is what state of mind are they in right now? Where are they at? And question three is where do they need to be? Because most of us don't recognize if I'm focused on you, I can pay attention to figure out what state of mind you're in. Like you mentioned earlier, your contacts aren't in. So I need to talk to you right now because you can't see 100% what's going on, right? So I need to talk to you in a way that it's all auditory right now because your senses have shifted. Or when you're showing up, you're say a real estate agent or you own a hair salon or like one of your students owns bridal dresses. What state of mind are they're in? Like, oh, they want to dress. No, they're scared, they're excited. They, they're nervous and talking to them where they're at is huge. But also remember, the point of your sales presentation is not about delivering the information. It's about delivering it in a way that makes it okay for them to make a decision. So instead of explaining your product, we need to spend more time getting them in the right state of mind so you can go, boo. And they buy. And that's, you know, I've done so many explanations before where afterwards I've had like camera guys come up to me and go, michael, you didn't even explain what they were buying. And 100 people just went and bought from you. What did you just do? I let them know it's okay to decide. And I know that you, one on one sitting with someone at a Starbucks explaining your business or even selling a. Selling your employee on a new compensation plan requires put them in the right state of mind, you're in the right state of mind, and you can get them where you need them to go. It's not about asking about their kids or the weather or building rapport, making them feel good. It's about entering that channel of their brain where it's okay to decide. Now it's very, very powerful.

Yeah, no, I love that. And I do think that when someone is so caught up in trying to make a good sales presentation, you're too focused on yourself. When you really need to be focused on the person that you're talking to, the state of mind that they're in, the needs that they have, and you can meet them where they're at. I love that you say that your.

Knowledge is less important than how much you truly care, no matter who you're dealing with. Because you can always get the knowledge. You can get the knowledge from the Internet, you can get the knowledge from Google. You can call your supplier. If you're selling somebody something like, you know, I know one of, one of your students, Robin, one of our good friends we do business with. If she doesn't have an answer, she'll say, you know what, let me call the supplier. I don't know, but I know for a fact I'll have you an answer by five. Now, if she calls me by five, she may be watching this right now. If she calls us back by five, what's so cool about this is that I know she cared. And that is why I'll do business with her. And that's why we do business. That's. That's the part is the power. It's like I was reading Phil Knight's book about Nike and he goes, isn't a great book. Like, he didn't know. Like, he hired lawyers and stuff. And he hired accountants and lawyers because you know what? They have the skill set they needed to make the decisions. I'll explain to you that one of the biggest dilemmas you can have, like when I watched the movie about McDonald's, he didn't know about burgers. He knew how to make people feel good and buy into an idea. And I'm going to tell you, if you could learn how to get people to buy into ideas, it doesn't matter how much you know about your product. And I think your knowledge is what trips you up. You know way too much. You'd better off when you didn't know. Ignorance on fire is going to be more powerful any day than all knowledge in the world.

You know, I love what you're sharing here. I think one of the reasons my companies have been successful over the years is because I really am passionate about what I'm doing at that given time. You know, when I had the beauty salon business, was very passionate about that. When I was in the scuba diving, was very passionate about that. When I was in the Homeopathy, very passionate about that. And now I help other business owners grow their business, and I'm super passionate about that. About that. And I think that's really what people feel, is that you care and you want to take care of them. You know, you care and you want. You want to see them succeed in using your product or service. If that comes out, then they can trust you, they can relax, and they can be open to receive the message.

That you have 100%. Let me teach you something I learned from a lady that we do financial stuff with. And here's what she taught me. I said, how do you. She goes, here's how you sell best, Michael. You offer yourself up front and you show them how your product works. So here's what we're going to do. How about I show you how to sell by not selling you anything, because there's nothing to buy right now from me. But how about I show you something really cool and I give you an example, because that's really. Anyone wants as an example.

Let's do it.

This is really fun. So we got a bunch of people watching. Why don't you ask a question on how you can influence somebody or sell better. Tell me your product. Tell me what you do. Throw it out there to me. I'll read it because Alison's not going to read right now. And why don't you throw at me a question of how you would sell something or something you're dealing with. And I will give you an example. Watch what I do here, because two things are going to happen at once. I'm going to give you really good knowledge. And number two is I'm going to show you. I'm going to put my energy, time and everything where my mouth is. And I believe this will be super fun. So show me any scenario, any idea, any concept, and all you got to do is type it in the little box down below. Say, Michael, I sell pet sitting service. What is the best way to get new customers interested in boarding their pets? Michael, I am a social media expert. What is. And I'm doing my fake typing right now.

Yeah.

Put one of these in, challenge me and put me on the spot, and we'll see what we can do. If not, Allison and I are going to do some makeshift stuff because I'll tell you who's on, Allison, and that way you can. You can see who. I'll tell you who's on. And give them a couple seconds to do this. Right now.

Yeah, go ahead and put it in the. In the chat. Any questions that you have for Michael. And in the meantime, while somebody is typing in their questions, let's go ahead and come up with a scenario. So let's say, say you're an accountant. We're talking about finances. And, you know, accountants are great at doing their numbers, but often uncomfortable in selling their services, their tax services, bookkeeping services. How would you approach that?

Okay, so give me a little more of the scenario. So are they already at a customer ready and they're already a customer and they want to sell them more stuff?

Yeah. So let's say that. Let's say that they were out networking and they got some good leads, and now they're following up with them, and now, you know, they set a time to talk, and now they're, you know, they want to take. Take it to a deeper level. So they're on the phone with them after while they're following up.

Okay, so they got them on the phone. So there's a few things I do on every phone call that are critical. These are what I would call respect techniques, and these are really, really powerful. The first thing I would do when I get on the phone is whatever you want to say. Hey, here's how we knew each other for the networking event. Then I would very quickly say this. So how much time are we working with? And the reason I asked that question is nobody asks that question, and they say, I don't know, I got about 20 minutes. You have now found how much. How important you are and how much they're willing to listen. So it's one of the most important questions.

How much time are we working with?

Yup. So I'm going to ask you not to change anything. I'm going to ask you to add. So whenever I teach diet to people, I say, don't quit eating bad things. Add broccoli. If you like broccoli. We'll consider getting rid of the Snickers bar and the crappy Starbucks coffee that you shouldn't have had five yesterday with the caramel macchiato stuff. Okay, but let's add broccoli. I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to that person back there. Right. You're not a macchiato fan, are you?

No, I don't like that.

So what I do, the first thing I say is when I get on the phone, how much time are we working with? And I say, we working with. Do not change and go, how much time do you have? How much time are we working with? Very important. Number two. Number two, I'd say Great. So I know we met the other day. What is your outcome for the next 10 or 15 minutes? What would you like to see happen with the amount of time we have? The reason I asked that up front is let them set the pace, let them tell you what they want, and then all you have to do is deliver on it. So in that scenario, here's what I'm going to guess they'd say, because I've only made that phone call a hundred thousand times. How much time are we working with? I don't know. I got about five, 10 minutes. And then they say, what would you like to see happen by the time we're done in 15 minutes? I don't know. I'd like to understand a little bit more about what you do. Great. I'd love to share that with you. Because my outcome is to find a fit for you and to see if there's a way that I can either save you money or make you money. Are you open to that? What you've done is you've just officially set up a sales call. Then all I would do is do what you normally would do. Don't change anything else right now. And at the end of the phone call, here's the magic line. This has made me millions of dollars, so use it at your will.

Okay, Wait a minute. Drum roll, Drumroll.

Are you ready?

Ready.

How would you like to proceed from here? And that's what I say. And what does everyone say, Allison, to that? I have just talked for 15 minutes about my products and services and the benefits. And I say to you, so, Alison, how would you like to proceed from here? What is everybody and their mother going to say?

Let's move forward.

You would wish them to say that. They're going to say, what do you recommend? They always say, what do you recommend?

Always?

I don't know, Michael, what do you recommend? And then who just got the ball back? I did. So here's what I recommend. Why don't we set up a follow up appointment? Or why don't we get you started on a checking account? Or why don't we get you started with initial dog sitting? Or why don't we get you started with this? So at the end of a meeting, how would you like to proceed from here? Remember, people aren't good at making what decisions, so who's going to make it for them? Why? Yeah, I just use your inability against you for you see how cool that was?

That's so great. So let's go over those steps again really quickly. And then While you're at it, if you have questions, please put that in the chat. And also put the word blueprint, because we're talking about making decisions, right? And we'll get you to have an opportunity to work more with myself and Michael. But let's go back over those steps. So the first is, how much time are we working with? Yeah.

So let me ask you, before we get started, I just want to check. I want to respect your time. How much time are we working with instantly? And your brain goes, man, this person cares about me. I just put it in your head that I care about you. Karen, great job typing blueprint. Awesome number step number two. Great. So to make sure I'm really concise with the 15 minutes, what would you like to see happen by the time we're done in the next 15 minutes? What that's code word for is, Michael, tell me what you got. All you're doing is adding this to your own shtick. Whatever you do right? Then at the end of the whole thing, you're going to very quickly say this one little thing. At the end, you're going to very, very simply say this. So great. I know. I just shared all that with you. I'm going to throw it back at you. Alison, how would you like to proceed from here with what I just shared with you? They're going to say, I don't know.

What do you recommend?

Well, here's what I recommend. And be ready. Here's what I recommend. I recommend that we definitely set up another time to talk based on what you shared. And those are big words. I never shared that at the first blast off I spoke at. These words have made me a lot of money, too. Based on what you shared. You know what that instantly says? I go back to homeopathic Alison. And she says, like I texted you the other night, and I said, my daughter's having trouble sleeping. And you said, based on her age, here's what I recommend. And I said, yes, master. Yes, doctor. You put yourself in a winning position. Everything is about positioning. It's all about framing. It is not about sales. So no such thing as sales anymore. Framing and positioning, I don't even sell framing and nuance.

Nuances.

These little nuances are so amazing. You know, Allison, based on what you shared, here's what I recommend. Really? What is it? And then they get the pen out, they're ready to roll, you know? How would you like to proceed from here? Code word for give me the ball back. All of these four things I just shared with you. I Dare you, double toucan. Dare you to go use one of these. And you will be shocked how much it impacts your connection with people. Almost immediately, use one or all four. And at first, you're going to sound a little odd saying it, and after a little bit of time, you're going to get comfortable with it, and after enough time, it'll become natural for you.

Wow. It's so simple. We make it so complicated. But I think what you're doing, too, is saying it is putting yourself in the place of authority, that you are, whatever it is that you're selling your product or service, you've been working at it, many of you, for years and years and years. You know way more about what you do and what you have to offer than I know about it. And so you have to put yourself into that position. If you go to the doctor, the doctor saying, okay, this is the issue. And then you say, well, doctor, what do you recommend? You're not thinking that the doctor is selling to you. You're leaning on them. That's their authority on, you know, their wisdom that they've developed over the years.

Remember the two words I said earlier? Knowing and caring.

Knowing and caring.

I'm telling. Showing you that I care. Because I'm saying, what would you like to do, Allison? I care about you. What would you like to do with the next 15 minutes? That's basically what I'm saying. What would you like to do? I'm a caring person. How would you like to proceed? What would you like to see happen? It's all yours. You're in control, Allison. Even though you're not in freaking control, the guy writing the script is in control. But you think you're in control like me. You don't even want to make a decision. You want me to make it for you. So at the end of the day.

Don'T ask, what would you like to see happen? Or what would you like to do with the time that we have? I mean, that's. You know, I'm impressed with that.

What's your. What's your dog? What's your youngest dog's name? You have two dogs, right?

Yes. Well, Daisy's the bulldog. Yeah.

Okay, so Daisy. So you're bringing Daisy to the pet sitter. And the pet sitter says, great, so how long is Daisy going to be visiting us? And you say, oh, that's so sweet. Daisy will be here for the weekend because we're going to be going out of town. Great. What would you like to see happen while Daisy's Here. How would you like to get her back? Happier, healthier, and sleep for a day when I get back? Because they always come back so tired. And at the end, after. After you're done, whether you're a dentist, a doctor, or lawyer, how would you like to proceed from here? It's the same thing. Or based on the fact that she's a bulldog and based on the fact that you're at a pet sing, here's what I recommend.

Based on the fact that we just spent two incredible days together and look how happy she is. You know, why don't we book your.

Husband and you can go on another trip, right?

Yes. I love it. This is. Gosh, you know, every time we talk, there's just some incredible brilliance that just fused right out of your brain.

And that's what happens when you get people together. That's what I love about what you do with your events and your workshops is you put 500 people that are all on the same page in a room that you lead the. This isn't the Alison show. This is. Allison was smart enough to put together a group of 500 people and facilitate doing the work with you and your coaches. And it's so amazing. Like, when I first saw what you did, I heard about it. I'm like, yeah, okay. And then I went there. I go, holy. I mean, really doing this. They are high level people in a room that want to make things happen all together, collaborating. And you're facilitating this process for everybody to become better at what they do. That's the magic and the reason when you and I collaborate here and we get everybody watching and listening right now, what's so cool about this is, is, like, when you put the right people together in the right room, with the right attitude on the right day, everything wins. So I'm excited to see so many of you joining us for Blast Off. And Allison, I love being part of this family. I mean, you and I are like brother and sister practically. We, like, met like that. We're, like, known each other so many reasons why. And I just love just what you do, and I just admire how much I don't have the patience to do what you do. But I just admire how well you coach everybody and how the success stories that I hear coming out of your event. But I'm glad you're doing that. And I do what I do. That's what's exciting.

Thank you. I really appreciate it. But I think the work that we do definitely jives very well. And so, you know, and this I do this event in January because this is the time and you only get to kick off your year one time. That's it. It's only January one time until next January. And I really believe how you start the year is how you carry out the year. And so I wanted to help as many people as I could to just create a mind blowing year, a phenomenal experience and really see big growth in your company. So Michael, you and I have had the opportunity, you've spoken at several of my events. We only do this once a year. I can't believe it's happening again. And we just have a few spots left. We are almost sold out, which I'm excited about.

I mean that's 500 people. Listen, sending 500 emails is hard enough. Getting 500 people in one room, that is incredible. And I'll tell you one, one of the biggest breakthroughs that I ever had in my life. The event is a breakthrough in itself. But what I didn't know, that I know now, that I didn't know then, that I do know now, that sounds kind of like nutty thing to say is that the biggest breakthrough that you ever get is deciding to show up. And what's amazing is by putting yourself in a position to win, that's when you allow yourself to even get the ball. So I'm just going to challenge any of you if you're, you have no idea what we're talking about, Type blueprint and learn what we're talking about. You want to really have an amazing 2018, click the link, learn about it and go, I don't even know what I'm doing. I'm in. And you are going to wind up in a room three weeks from now with 499 people plus you and probably a few more plus us that all care about making your business work. And the saddest part about all this is that when you come home afterwards, for some of you, you're going to realize, whoa, I wish I had a life of these kind of people around me on a regular basis. And, and you're going to recognize some of your deficits when you go. That's the cool part. And we're going to help you take those deficits and turn them into strengths, which I'm super excited about.

Yeah, I mean literally thousands of people have attended this event over the years. Many come every year to set their plan for the year. And just the success stories. I mean you've met so many of the people that have attended and you know their business going from 50,000 to a million in a year. Katherine Sullivan. We have Christine Sanchez. She might be on here now. Had been in business for 10 years with her husband. They've got a construction company. You're making 300,000 and did close to 5 million last year. Within two years. I mean, all from blast off everything that they've learned and been able to apply. So that's what psychs me up. Like what we're talking about earlier. Show up, show you care. And you know, my heart and soul is in this event. And we just work together to make magic happen over those three days. So if you're really, really serious, a lot of you set resolutions and they kind of fade out. So if what you need is, you don't need just the resolution, need the support and the steps to make it happen. So that's what we're going to give you.

I agree. And I'll tell you, the greatest gift you can give yourself is the ability to influence yourself to make the appropriate decisions in your life. And when you learn to do that, that's when things change. So I can guarantee you Alison's time with you is going to be worth 10,000 times more just the weekend than anything you invest to get there. I'm going to tell you that. I can guarantee you what I share with you at the event is going to beyond make your life easier than it currently is. And you're going to start having a lot of fun marketing what you do. And we're going to have a blast. We're going to get a laugh, we're going to have some fun. And you're going to come with some really slick ideas to share with yourself and your team. And you're going to make sales easier for you and influence much simpler. So push blueprint. Anything else you want me to share, Alison? Other than that, I think they've got some gold here today. That Nugget section is. I forgot I even knew that. I forgot I even knew that.

I love that. I'm going to go back over and listen to this again.

Me too.

That technique and that's the way that Michael works. And what he'll be sharing is that he makes it so simple and. And we just trip ourselves up and make things more complicated than it needs to be. So that's so 2017, right?

We're not doing that no more.

Forget that. That's. Bye. Bye. So anyway, well, this has been so much fun and love having you on the show and cannot wait to see you in Las Vegas.

It's going to be blast super Excited.

Mike will be there, too. You get to see him. Exactly. Do what?

Daisy's not coming.

No. Daisy? Yeah, she, you know, she. She gets a little antsy in crowds, so I think she's better at home, so. But she'll be waiting for me when I get back, which is always the thing about having a doggie. So wait a minute. You got a new doggie? Cinnamon.

You want to hear a sales pitch? And this is a story in itself.

Okay.

Two reasons. I have a dog. And this is. This is how good sales are around my house and influence. I said no to a dog for years because I had a basset on years ago. She shed. Deborah didn't want to have a dog. Blah, blah, blah. Both kids wanted a dog and they put it on their goal list. Like, what do you want for your birthday? What do you want for the holidays? What do you want for Christmas? What do you want? Like that, that. That. Dog, dog, dog, dog, dog. And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, no. And then Maya, first off, they both grew and became more mature. And then Maya's old enough to take care. And Tara matured because she went from being 14 to almost 17 now. So it's a totally different maturity level in her. And Maya pulled this on me, daddy, all I want is a dog. And I'm like, still like, no. And then she said, you know when you're doing your duty and you're at work and you're doing. You're taking care of the family, you and mom, there's about an hour. This is a five year old. The hour and a half before you get home. Wouldn't it be nice if I had somebody to play with?

Oh, God, she's learning from you, brown eyes.

And I looked at her, she goes. And then I wouldn't have to be alone. Even though we have a nanny and friends over some sports activities, I'm on the Internet five minutes later having a dog shipped overnight.

That is. I'm impressed, man.

She got me. He looked at me and said, then I don't have to be alone. So she reframed it. It wasn't about getting a dog. It's now my daughter feels alone. What? My daughter feels alone. She feels insecure. Oh, my God. Oh, wow.

I can mess with you, loser. Dad, you know, how could you do this to your daughter? Get the dog.

So now and then I was so excited with the name Chewy for Chewbacca because she looks like Chewbacca. My little. Oh, it is Chewy would have been cute. And Maya goes daddy. My first dog I'd like to name Cinnamon. Oh, she got me. Couldn't even name my dog Chewy. Dale's pitch.

Oh, that's so funny. I love it. I love it.

Good stuff.

All right. Thanks, Michael. This is so much fun. Type in blueprint and we'll see you in Las Vegas. Bye, everybody.

Bye. Bye.