Shift your thinking: Ari Galper

Many companies are still using ineffective traditional sales techniques according to the Founder and CEO of Unlock The Game, Ari Galper. As he explains, potential clients no longer want to feel they are being sold to, persuaded or pursued and, in his new book, Unlock The Sales Game, he shares new trust-based selling strategies to transform a business’s sales culture to achieve more effective results.

"CEOs need to take a hard look at their sales process to not only focus on how many sales they are making, but also to focus on why they are losing many of their most lucrative sales opportunities," he explains.

"They need to begin shifting the mindset of their sales teams away from being solution-focused to being intensely problem-focused, so their potential clients feel their core issues are deeply understood, creating an unbreakable bond of trust. Never offer your solution until you have diagnosed the potential client’s problems at such a deep level that they actually ask you for help."

Ari believes companies should hold back from offering their services too early in the sales process. "Don’t jump in and say, ‘Oh, we can help you with that.’ That’s way too early in the trust building process," he explains.

"Here’s the thing, they don’t care about how you solve their problem, they care about whether you’re the one to solve it. They’re deciding whether to trust you every second of the conversation. Many sales teams don’t realise this. Salespeople can’t wait to talk about their solutions, slipping into sales pitch mode, without any self-awareness that deep trust has not yet been created – this is the moment most sales are lost."

Like the elephant in the room, people will happily listen to your sales pitch, even though they decided to go with your competitor. "As the CEO of the business, if you don’t address the core issue of your salespeople offering their solutions too early in the sales process, your team will continue to play the chasing and numbers game, wondering why they aren’t hitting their sales goals," Ari points out.

"Time and time again, I hear from CEOs who are frustrated with their sales teams, because they aren’t converting enough leads into sales. Our in-deal coaching process helps salespeople at all levels to recover deals they are chasing. It makes them aware of their own subconscious behaviours getting in their way."

Trust-based languaging is a critical part of Ari’s sales approach. He’s developed his own unique words and phrases that replace traditional sales languaging. "For instance, rather than saying to someone, ‘Would you be interested in this?’, you’d say, ‘Would you be open to considering this?’," he explains.

"The word ‘open’ doesn’t force them into a yes or no. It allows the person to tell their truth, and that’s the goal: to get to the truth with people so you can decide whether it’s worth your time or not to invest in the relationship."

Ari notes that many executives and salespeople are so focused on their personal objective of making the sale, they aren’t able to do a deep dive into the world of their potential client, breaking the trust-building process.

"Salespeople can’t wait to talk about their solutions," he states. "They love what they do, so they can’t wait to tell people about it. The problem is, if someone doesn’t know you well, they think that all you care about is selling your services because you’re not able to connect with them at a deep level of authenticity and trust. My advice is to fall out of love with your solution and fall in love with the problems that your ideal clients are experiencing, so they feel you understand them at a level that would impress them."

When Ari consults with CEOs, he works with their sales teams to be diagnostic, with empathy and warmth, like a family doctor. "If you jump in too early and say, ‘We can definitely help you with that,’ then the potential client will, in most cases, say, ‘I’ll think about it’, which is the kiss of death in selling.

"In the new economy, the sale is no longer made at the end of the sales process, it’s made at the beginning, almost at ‘hello’. That’s a big shift for CEOs who have only been exposed to traditional selling from their past."

This article is part two of a three-part series with Ari Galper. In our May issue, we look at the importance of humility and integrity throughout the sales process. If you’d like a complimentary copy of Ari’s book, Unlock The Sales Game, visit TrustBasedSelling.com.au