Theory of Constraints Handbook - James Cox Iii [425]
There are several types of proof, and here they are in preferred order: customer story or case study, a demonstration, data, or trust me.
Proof of the results your offer will provide is the core of your message. Your evidence must be tangible, factual, and provable. The gains you’re touting must be greater than the cost of your product or service to demonstrate the value you’re offering.
Close
There are many conventional close techniques out there, but if you have followed the solution for sales and TOC buy-in processes and delivered to the old reptilian brain, you don’t need anything fancy. Nevertheless, we also know that the old brain pays particular attention to the end of a presentation. Therefore, the most effective closing technique for the old brain is simple. Renvoise’ and Morin (2007, 127–131) recommend three closing steps:
1. Repeat your offer one final time because the old brain remembers the end. “We will reduce your inventory by half, reducing the amount of cash you have to tie up, and at the same time we guarantee you will never stock out, reducing your chaos and costs, and allowing you to better meet your customers’ needs. And if you ever do stock you out, we will pay you $500 per day per SKU.”
2. Next, go for positive public feedback by asking, “What do you think?” If you have a large group, direct this question to a particular person. Then wait for an answer. Waiting is uncomfortable but very important. The psychology of this is beautiful. The responding person will want to remain consistent with any public statement they make, and will later defend their initial position. Therefore, if they take a positive position about you or your offer, you end up with an internal advocate that remains after you leave. It’s called the Law of Consistency (Cialdini, 2007).
It has also been found that a small initial commitment will trigger a larger commitment later (Cialdini, 2007). Have you ever noticed that after you purchase something you are more sure of the benefits you will receive? Even though just before you made the purchase decision, you were comparing and contrasting it among several alternatives? Therefore, the initial commitment that the internal advocate makes will lead to stronger statements later.
If the comments you hear are not positive, then you have the opportunity to address any concerns with everyone present. It’s better to air any negatives in your presence than to have them arise when you’re not around. However, if you have done the Mafia Offer analysis well and have followed the solutions for sales process, then you will have very few, if any, objections.
3. Once you have answered all the questions and addressed any concerns, ask, “Where do we go from here?” Again, be patient and wait for an answer. Their answer is their commitment. The key to invoking the Law of Consistency is to wait for them to state the next steps. When your prospect finally says, “Let’s pick a representative portion of labels and trial the proposed solution,” it is more likely to actually happen than when you suggest it. Moreover, the person who made the suggestion will become the internal champion for the trial.
Use each presentation opportunity to improve your offer presentation and technique continuously. I find it helpful to have someone along who can help you to gauge your prospect’s reaction and document any process deviations that occurred.
For Whom Can You Develop Offers?
Mafia Offers can be developed for each product or service and for each of your market segments. Some companies will have an offer for each product, while others will have offers that vary by market segment. For example, the label company uses the same offer regardless of which label is sold. However, if they decided to go into different markets, they may need a new offer for the new market. This would certainly be true if they decided to make labels for the equipment manufacturers market. In reality, they target new customers who they know suffer