If you are a salesperson or marketer, using the negative reverse selling technique can help you streamline the sales process and increase the profits of your business.
Hence, here’s everything you need to know about reverse psychology and how to use negative reverse selling.
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What Is Negative Reverse Selling? 👈🏽
Negative reverse selling is a sales technique that uses a completely opposite approach to the one used in regular selling strategies.
Instead of trying to convince potential customers that they need to purchase your products, you let them try to convince you that they are worthy of buying your products.
Of course, this sounds like an impossible situation, but the negative reverse selling technique has been used for decades now – and quite successfully.
With a combination of asking questions about the prospect’s problems and using softening statements, you will be able to guide your potential client in the direction you want them to take.
Who Was David H. Sandler? 👈🏽
The term negative reverse selling was coined by David H. Sandler as a part of the Sandler Selling System (also known as the Sandler sales system) created in 1967.
At the moment, Sandler Training is a leading company specializing in sales training and helping both regular salespeople and leaders to take control of their sales.
Sandler was the one who came up with the idea and developed it.
More and more companies started adopting it, and now his methodology is considered to be one of the most important elements of any marketing strategy.
Sandler believed that selling is like fishing 🎣
While fishing, you need to be patient.
You shouldn’t hook right away when you feel the first nibble. Resist your urge and give the fish some line to run. Let it get serious about the bait and bite it; then, you can set the hook and reel it in.”
By using Sandler’s negative reverse selling technique, you will be able to follow up on your customers and get great results.
By marketing in the opposite direction, you have a chance of being successful and finding a new approach and increasing your profits.
- Understand What The Technique Actually Is
- Get Acquainted With The Process
- Listen And Ask Questions
- Exercise Patience 😤
- Consider Alternative Content (e.g. A Podcast)
- Use A Template For Consistency
- Proceed With Caution
#1. Understand What The Technique Actually Is
First and foremost, it’s crucial that you understand what negative reverse selling really is.
To put it simply, it is a reverse psychology technique meaning that it takes the opposite approach than what you would expect.
As a salesperson, you will ask questions and make statements that would discourage your customer from buying your products while in reality doing the opposite.
The key here is to make the person do the opposite of what you are telling them, but the problem is that not everyone will have this kind of response.
In some cases, people will be turned away from your offer, but in others, this reverse psychology will actually work.
This is why the negative reverse psychology technique needs to be used cautiously to avoid making the situation worse by overusing it.
Potential customers expect to be sold to, so they resist this as best as they can by voicing their concerns and objections and asking questions. But that’s exactly why the reverse psychology method works.
Normally, a sales rep would need to get through all of those concerns, objections, and questions, but with reverse psychology, the rep would agree with the prospect and continue asking them to explain what they mean without convincing them otherwise.
#2. Get Acquainted With The Process 👏🏼
So, how is the negative reverse selling actually happen? There are two main parts of the process:
- Softening Statement
The softening (or softener) statement is where the rep clarifies the customer’s concern and ensures they are heard and understood. The softening statement is meant to disarm your potential customer while also making sure that the negative statement doesn’t anger or provoke them. Some examples of the softening statement include “I understand what you mean”, “You’re absolutely right”, and “That is a valid concern.” - Negative Statement
The negative statement is the opposite of the statement you would usually make or the opposite of the position you want to take. The negative statement leans into the concern of your potential client and makes them start defending the product instead of objecting to it.
The negative reverse selling technique is about making your customer sell your products to themselves.
Most of the time, people tend to argue, so you need to take the right position to guide their argument in the direction you need. Negative reverse selling helps you be in control of the conversation.
#3. Listen And Ask Questions 🗣
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Ideally, the sales rep needs to be listening more than talking while also asking many questions.
These two tactics are at the foundation of the entire method of negative reverse selling, so you should take time to learn how to use them and perfect your skills as time goes by and you get more practice.
Once you have found out all the problems the prospect has and their relation to the products, you will be able to explain why your product or service will solve their particular problems.
The technique works when the prospect starts asking the right questions, voicing their concerns, and considering to “think about it”.
It’s worth remembering that the negative reverse selling approach does not fit any situation. In fact, it’s best used in difficult situations when you can’t get through to the customer.
It needs to be used carefully and smartly with some practice done before you actually start using it to know what you are doing.
#4. Exercise Patience 😤
One thing you should never forget about the negative reverse selling technique is that you must always exercise patience.
It’s not about jumping right in and pulling your fish 🎣 (the customer) out of the water once you can feel it on the hook. If you do so, you can lose them just as quickly as or even faster than you hooked them.
Patience is key when using the negative reverse selling technique. Undoubtedly, you need to listen a lot and ask many questions, but you can’t do that if you don’t have patience.
In fact, patience might be the most important personality trait that a good sales rep needs to truly succeed. If you possess it, treasure it. If you don’t, develop it.
#5. Consider Alternative Content (e.g. A Podcast) 👀
Though it’s obvious that the potential client will be doing all the selling (to themselves), you can still use some additional content to prepare them and make the process faster.
This is especially true for potential customers that were first exposed to your online marketing campaigns and saw some of your content that could have already convinced them to an extent.
All of your social media marketing, PPC ad campaigns, and podcasts will need to prepare your customers without pushing them to make the purchase too much.
This way, it will be easier to convince them with the reverse psychology technique (or perhaps even your regular selling technique).
#6. Use A Template For Consistency 📃
Another thing to consider is using a template that can help you consistently make your negative reverse selling strategy more straightforward to your audience and less difficult for you to execute.
In other words, you need to outline what you do during every step when you do decide to implement the negative reverse selling technique.
First, you will need to assess the situation and consider whether there are any other sales techniques that could work. Next, you need to start with the softening statements.
After that, you have to use negative statements. And finally, you’ll have to guide your customer to make the purchase.
#7. Proceed With Caution 🤫
Last but not least, it’s worth repeating again that you need to proceed with caution.
You should always remember that the negative reverse selling technique is not a magical solution for any situation.
It should be used cautiously and only when you are certain that you know what you are doing. Only when the situation calls for it, this technique can and will be very effective and fruitful.
Always analyze the situation before jumping into it and starting to use the technique. Don’t use it every single time because that could be counterproductive.
Practice, test, experiment, and try again 🙌🏽
Examples Of Negative Reverse Selling 👈🏽
To truly be able to understand how you need to use all the techniques presented in this article, you need a firm grasp on which phrases and sentences should be a part of your sales language.
“Feeling” these phrases and sentences will help you become much better at negative reverse selling than you would have if you only focused on techniques.
Here are the key examples you should stick to (but you are free to come up with your own as well):
- “I see what you mean”: This phrase shows that you truly hear your client and know what they are talking about. It’s important to show them that you understand them because this establishes a connection between you and creates an effect that many customers value. Everyone wants to be heard, but people often end up listening to the same salesy phrases from sellers and marketers over and over again.
- “I understand” is another phrase that will show your potential customer that you hear them and know what they are talking about. But unlike the phrase above, it is much shorter and more exact which will allow you to make sure that the message is as clear as possible. In other words, “I understand” won’t confuse your client while “I see what you mean” can be a bit off-putting if your customer is suspicious about you.
- “You’re absolutely right”: This phrase will allow you to show your potential client that you think their ideas are worth hearing and, moreover, they are pretty good. Doing this will also help you establish an even stronger connection with them because they will think you truly believe in them. In addition to that, most people like hearing that someone appreciates their ideas which is another reason why this phrase is so effective.
- “Which means…?”: This question is just as necessary as the regular matter-of-fact phrases you use because it makes your potential customers talk even more than they are already. Remember that you shouldn’t be the one talking most of the time. This question will encourage them to elaborate on what they meant.
- “That’s a completely valid concern”: This sentence, like some of the phrases above, also helps you show your client that you hear them and understand what they are talking about. It also shows them that you are particularly interested in what their worries are which is crucial for the success of the negative reverse selling tactic.
- “That’s a great idea”: This sentence, just as “You’re absolutely right”, is also great for showing that you appreciate your potential customer’s ideas. It is also a sentence that uses the exact words for conveying its message which means your client won’t misunderstand what you mean.
- “Tell me more”: This sentence, like the question “Which means…?” encourages your client to continue talking which is exactly what you want them to be doing. It is a simple and short sentence that uses exact words, so it will be at its maximum effectiveness when you decide to use it.
Final Thoughts 💁🏻♂️
All in all, using the negative reverse selling technique can help you improve your sales strategy and increase your profits. Educate your sales representatives about this tactic if you are a business owner.
If you are a sales rep, use the tips in this article to get started with the negative reverse selling technique.