It’s always great to share new sales techniques with our clients. It’s even better when we learn something that we weren’t aware of previously. That’s what this post will focus on. It’s called the Power of 3 and it works! So much so, that we’ve incorporated this into the sales training programs of all our partners. Here how it works.
As sales trainers and revenue growth specialists, its our job to be aware of consultative selling techniques and approaches. By relying on our sales experience, reading great books and staying in touch with new content we can pass that expertise on to the Professional Salespeople that we work with. When I discovered the concept of the Power of 3, I was excited to put it to good use before sharing it with our clients.
The Power of 3 is the ability for you to communicate with buyers with three-part messaging. Let me give you some examples:
“There are 3 reasons why you might consider our company.”
“The clients who love this product do so for 3 reasons.”
“Here are 3 things that we can offer you.”
The Power of 3 allows you to make your point clearly and concisely by telling your customers this:
“I’m about to tell you something important, so you might want to pay attention. It’s short and powerful and will come in 3 easy to understand benefits that could impact your decision making. So listen up!”
Since childhood, we have been influenced by the Power of 3. Most of us weren’t even aware of it. Learning the alphabet was expressed with the term “ABCs.” Remember The 3 Bears, 3 Little Pigs, 3 Blind Mice and 3 Stooges? The advertising industry learned the Power of 3 with slogans and jingles like Snap Crackle Pop. There’s something about using a grouping of three things to illustrate your point that makes a lasting impression on communication.
As Professional Salespeople, many of us talk too much. We feel that sales success is closely linked to talking, however, smart Salespeople know that the greatest power of influence is listening to your clients to learn their needs. Add that to the fact that many great Salespeople are extroverts and enjoy talking and sharing. You can find out how to fight this by checking out our book and online course at the end of this post.
With our predisposition to talk so much, we feel that giving buyers a wealth of information to influence their decisions is the right thing to do. It’s not. It can easily backfire. As we ramble on about how great our product is and why it should be considered, the client slips into a coma thinking about the emails in their inbox or how they’re going to manage all the tasks on their schedule.
A smart Salesperson follows the Power of 3 for these reasons:
And yes, this is a great example of the Power of 3 at work. By using this technique, you want to continue to read this post and consider implementing it into your selling style.
After reading more on this concept, I was sold on the idea of using it in the field and integrated it into discussions with prospects. I harnessed the attention of our current clients by expressing points in groups of 3, even going so far as to list only 3 needs in our sales training proposals. Being a fluent talker and writer, I had to condition myself to pick only 3 things to make the strongest presentation of my beliefs. I used to think that over-delivering was only giving decision makers more reasons to listen to me, yet the opposite was true.
I always appreciate those Salespeople who are skeptical. Without them, we wouldn’t question ourselves and push outside the box for answers. Ask a co-worker for 1 minute of their time. Tell them you’re going to verbally give them 3 numbers to remember and you’d like them to repeat them back to you. Then ask them to repeat 4 or 5 numbers.
Our mind is geared to groups of 3.
Start using this technique in your conversations with buyers and carry it forward in your written proposals and emails. You will begin to focus your thinking with the Power of 3 for simplicity and brevity in getting noticed and creating memorable discussions. You will become a better communicator which influences your ability to make more sales.
I’d love to hear how this works for you. Please feel free to reach out to us. We always respond to anyone who takes the time to reach out to us.
Thanks!
Dave Warawa – PROSALESGUY
