How to sell with authority

First, let me describe a situation with which I am sure you can relate.

Imagine that someone goes to a doctor for a routine health check. During the check-up, the doctor becomes concerned and asks for more tests. The tests show a lump that may be cancerous and a biopsy is recommended. Based on the doctor’s testing and recommendation, the patient has moved from a state of apathy to urgency.

What has happened here?

Why could the doctor sell the recommended treatment with virtually zero resistance and without even being questioned about the price of the recommendation?

I am sure it is that the doctor has authority and trust – two of the most powerful factors of influence and persuasion.

How much difference would it make if you could sell with authority and trust, like the doctor, compared to selling with the traditional approach?

THE POWER SYSTEM FOR AUTHORITY SELLING 

The Power System works through these five steps:

• Position yourself as the authority
• Own the terms of engagement
• Win their confidence
• Educate
• Recommend

Position yourself as the authority

Positioning yourself as the authority happens before you ever meet with your client. You primarily need a degree of knowledge that enables you to be considered as an expert or authority. Now, you don’t have to be considered as the number one authority – just being knowledgeable is enough.

You also need to work to create the perception of authority by using any third-party artefacts that emphasise your expertise. These could be degrees, awards or certificates, or even photos with celebrity customers. You also gain credibility from social proof through client testimonials or articles or comments from other people. These days Facebook likes or views on YouTube create social proof too.

When you demonstrate a high level of expertise to solve your clients’ problems, you command more respect so that when you recommend the solution, they will frequently accept without checking to see if they can get it cheaper somewhere else.

Own the terms of engagement

Owning the terms of the engagement comes from how well you control the sales conversation.

First impressions are critical. You will undermine your credibility if you act like a typical salesperson instead of like a doctor. There are a number of elements that can help you to own the terms of engagement and to enhance your authority in the process:

• Confidence in your knowledge and your product or service.
• Having a process to follow will help you control the meeting and enhance your credibility.
• Your tone will also affect how your client perceives your authority. It’s important that you use authoritative command tonality when you ask your clients’ questions and not appear uncertain or needy.

Win their confidence

Winning the client’s confidence comes from diagnosing, not selling. When you diagnose, the focus is 100 per cent on your client’s situation, but as a result, they gain trust and confidence in you and your expertise. Imagine the doctor’s visit again: when the doctor asks you a question and then, based on your answer, they ask you a follow-up question that goes deeper into the problem, it shows they know what they are talking about.

Educate

It is great to be able to diagnose a problem, but often the client won’t know if an appropriate solution exists, or if you know what they need.

When you educate, you build authority by demonstrating that you not only know the solution, but you are even the authority in providing that solution.

The way you educate has to be interesting and relevant. When you give your knowledge freely, you invoke the influence triggers of reciprocity and commitment and consistency. When you give someone a gift, they feel the need to reciprocate. When people start to act a certain way, they tend to stay consistent with that decision.

Recommend

While salespeople offer a product or service, you will recommend a solution. Take note that in the Power System, every part of the process is focused on your client finding a solution to a problem. There has been no selling. There has only been diagnosing and advising. If you have done your job well, you now have a client who is eagerly wanting to know how you can help them.

By conducting your meeting with authority, you built trust and credibility, and you will have an even greater opportunity to recommend a solution that shows up your competitor’s typical offer as incomplete and ineffective.

Conclusion

As a professional salesperson, without becoming a subject matter expert, you will pay the price of being seen as a commodity. Becoming an expert and positioning yourself as an authority makes so much sense when you see how differently you are perceived by your clients.

When you use the Power System of authority selling, you create the greatest opportunity to demonstrate your expertise and give your clients the best chance of seeing how much better off they are to choose you or your products to help them than any other alternative. In fact, when you get this right, you become the only option.