Don't Convince and Coerce Prospects, Influence Them—An Interview with John Doerr

RainToday.com's Podcast: Marketing & Selling Professional Services

Often salespeople think they have to convince prospects to buy their services, and they won't let up until they finally say yes and they get their money. That is not how you develop longtime clients that sustain your business over the years.

You want to influence them: ask questions, make recommendations, and take them on an emotional journey where they see how their lives will be better if they work with you, says RAIN Group co-president John Doerr, who is presenting a webinar Aug. 16 titled, The Power of Influence: 16 Ways to Get Buyers on Your Side.

"If I set the agenda by sharing certain ideas that I have, that's influencing people down a certain path. If I summarize and communicate the impact of taking a certain course of action, and let people see what may or may not happen if they choose that course of action, that's influence as well. And finally, if I just recommend an action, the influence that I might have because I've shown myself to be an expert and I've developed trust with a particular person, all those things are helping to influence the sale," Doerr says.

Listen as John discusses:

• How to use the power of influence for the good of their prospects
• How to create desire within buyers
• The impact of painting a picture of a new reality for prospects
• Explains three of the 16 Principles of Influence