You Don't Need a Sales Technique. You Need Creative Ideas

No matter what you want to accomplish, chances are there's a so-called "shortcut" or "secret" to success. Whether you aim to close a sale faster or get a client to accept your ideas, it's likely someone has written a four-step plan or devised some technique to help you do that.

The trouble with so many of these techniques is that they may seem appealing, but they usually don't work for selling high-value services. And more important, they often end up making your job harder, not easier.

Let's Make a Deal

I'm pretty sure my eyes rolled back into my head when the car salesperson tried–for a third time–to close the sale. I didn't bite on the "end-of-month-price-reduction" gambit or the "no-money-down" tactic. Undaunted, with a flourish of his well-worn Sharpie, the salesperson scrawled out the "we-can't-go-lower-than-this" number and looked at me expectantly.

That didn't work either.

Like me, you've probably been in a situation where someone tried to get you to do something you weren't ready for or didn't want to do. Salespeople are infamous for attempting to manipulate buyers using a range of techniques, including those for building rapport, handling objections, and closing the sale.