What if I told you that there is no need to work hard, sacrifice and delay gratification till some distant time in the future? What if I told you that selling was meant to be fun, easy and abundant?
What if I told you that asking hypothetical questions could influence how other people will act? The way that you ask questions can be highly persuasive especially if the question starts with the words, ‘what if.’
Why it works…
The brain processes‘what if’ as if it isn’t even there. So people are processing your question as if it were fact according to recent research from the University of Alberta. Think about that?
Lets have some fun and run through a few examples of how you might use this seductively simple persuasion technique..
1) A realtor wants to get a listing on a home.
E.G. “What if I told you that I could get your home sold quicker and for more money by using our companies unique marketing system?”
Why it works?
If you dropped the ‘what if’ and just said, ‘I can sell your home quicker for more money by using our unique marketing system.’ The client would most likely be thinking to herself…‘yeah right, that’s what they all say’.
But if you precede the statement with ‘what if’ then the client allows the information into her brain without resistance and wonders to herself how might that be possible? The realtor now has an open door to continue the persuasion because she is now considering it as a possibility.
2) You want a client to sign up for your weight loss program.
E.G. What if you could lose 20 lbs before Christmas and you could eat as much as you like?
Why it works?
Again it gets past the resistance by not phrasing it in a way that would be perceived as a sales pitch. The client can’t help but imagine it being possible to lose those 20 lbs by Christmas. Remember you haven’t directly asked for the sale you have just proposed a possibility. The clients response will dictate how you react. If you’ve gained their interest with your ‘what if’ question the sale is half done.
3) The car sales person says, what if we could get the financing approved this afternoon and you could drive that beautiful SUV home today?
Why it works?
The buyer might start imagining his jealous friends reactions to his beautiful new machine. Or the feeling of pride driving home and parking it in front of his home for all the neighbours to admire. In short, the ’what if’ question causes him to mentally take ownership of the car.
Of course this will only work if your ’what if’ question is received as credible and plausible.
Will this work all of the time? No, nothing works all of the time despite what the self help Guru’s try to peddle us. But you will be surprised how often it works like magic.
Beyond the obvious..
Using ‘what if’ questions is a beautiful way to avoid flat out rejection because it is only a ‘what if’. If you don’t get a yes, you can re-phrase it and try again a little later.
What if you were to hit the facebook share button below, because it would make me happier than a mosquito at a nudist camp?

