Is your radio station in tune?

This approach does not completely replace the old way of selling; instead, it adjusts it to be customer-focused rather than product-focused. It applies your approach with a client according to their frequency and the flow of the interaction that takes place during selling. Traditional closing is the process of “closing off” paths that the customer may take in order to lead them down the path that the salesperson wants them to take. Anyone who has been through basic sales training understands the concept of open-ended questions followed by either/or choices, giving the customer a choice between one package or product and another.

You are taught to never ask questions that could lead to a yes or no answer, because psychologically-speaking once a customer starts giving “no” or negative answers, the likelihood of closing the sale drops exponentially.

Your questions are instead something like “Which of these options do you think would work best for you?” There is nothing inherently wrong with these types of questions, but when they are part of a product-focused selling process instead of a customer-focused selling process, you are much less likely to create long-term success in your selling – even if you generate sales in the short-term. Customers want to trust that what they are buying has value to them and that they are getting the best value for their money. The RADIO process helps to build that trust.

Rapport

Rapport has to do with body language, wording, and the tempo of your speech. These will be adjusted for each frequency of personality, as all four types relate differently to these. A quiet, fact-based buyer will be turned off by fast speech and hyperbole, whereas an emotional or social buyer will not be impressed by the technical specs of a product, but will be very interested in stories you can tell to relate how it has helped someone, and what that experience was like.

Authority

Authority refers to the authority that the prospect grants you in the process, and you must earn their trust for this step to lead to an effective transaction. The customer walks into a situation possessing all of the authority of their decision. They will grant you some or even all of that authority if they trust you, you know what you are talking about, and if you are able to gain that trust and present your knowledge in a manner that they can relate to.

Again, you are required to tune in to their frequency to do this most effectively.

Direction

Direction refers to how well and how much the prospect will take direction from you. In other words, you must be able to get them engaged in the process. If they are a spectator or bystander in the sales process, they will likely not buy anything. They must not only care about what is going on, but they must also be a participant in the game.

Being able to give them direction that they will willingly accept is all about conducting the flow of the process – much like a symphony conductor directs the movement of the music through tempo and dynamics, as opposed to actually playing an instrument him or herself. Your goal is to get the customer playing their instrument and then direct them, and you definitely need solid rapport and to have been granted the authority in order to give them the direction.

Information

Information is where most salespeople go wrong. Overloading a customer with information is often counterproductive because it generally just confuses them and makes it much harder to make a decision. When you have been granted the authority to give them direction and they are actively involved with the sales process, the information, which you give them, should validate the value of the product in their mind.

You have to discover what the value is to them through properly building rapport and assessing their needs. Your information must be relevant to them and their perception of the value.

Ownership

Ownership is the final step, which makes the value you have led the customer to perceive that is there will be real, authentic and genuine value to them personally when they purchase your service or product. They must not only understand that your product or service has value, but that it has value to them specifically. They must see it as the solution to their problem, the answer to their challenge. If they can’t see how you or your product can be beneficial to them in their own lives, you will not get the sale.