Success in selling requires rapport building, impeccable communication skills, and a thorough understanding of your customer. While some sales people can claim those things come naturally to them, the wise sales professional knows they can learn and further enhance those skills. This is where trainings and methods that make use of Neuro Linguistic Programming or NLP comes in.

So, what is Neuro Linguistic Programming? First introduced in the 1970s by Richard Bandler and John Grinder, NLP is the practice of understanding how individuals organise their feeling, language, thinking, and behaviour to produce their results. NLP also provides a methodology that allows people to model exceptional performances achieved by those who are considered leaders and geniuses in their fields.

Taking into account all the benefits it offers, it’s not surprising Neuro Linguistic Programming techniques are used widely by many sales people to boost their sales dramatically. If this is something you would like to do as well, the following NLP techniques should get your efforts off to a good start:

Word Power

Your ability to choose and say the right words can greatly help produce the results you are looking for. Words referred to as “magic” or “power” words are used to elicit certain responses and emotions that can help overcome objections and successfully close the sale.

And no, we are not talking of literal magic words here but a selection of words that have been found to be positive, beneficial, and influential. For instance, if you are looking to invoke positive emotions, using certain words like success, happy, change, believe, etc. can be effective.

To make the words even more potent, you can also emphasise them and turn them into action commands. In addition, you can also repeat key phrases like “You’ll surely love this product” in different subtle ways so you can lead the customer in the desired direction and eventually win the sale.

Mirroring

Not everyone may be aware of it but building rapport is crucial if you want your sales to soar. Fortunately, there’s no shortage of Neuro Linguistic Programming techniques you can use to achieve your sales objectives. One NLP technique many swear by is called mirroring. Simply put, mirroring is a method of imitating the behaviour and language of others so you can establish rapport instantly.

Numerous research has indicated that people are drawn to people who are like them. So subtly mirroring a person’s tone of voice, gestures, speech rate, body language, choice of words, etc. can help make them feel you are alike.

Another effective way to create rapport would be to determine and use the other party’s preferred communication style. If the person is auditory, visual, or kinaesthetic (tactile), it would work to your advantage to adapt the same style of language when communicating.

A person’s preferred style can be evident from the words they use or how they structure their sentences. For instance:

Do you see what I mean? (Visual)

< >Do you hear what I’m saying? (Auditory)Do you get a feel for this? (Kinaesthetic)

Reframing

To achieve excellence in sales, maintaining a positive mindset is key. When you have a more optimistic mind frame, you can easily reprogram yourself and boost your motivation so you can achieve success. Reframing has been known to work wonders when it comes to overcoming any unfavourable selling experiences you may have had so you can focus on the positive instead of dwelling on the negatives.

While the NLP techniques mentioned here are just the tip of the iceberg, they can definitely encourage and introduce you to a totally different way of thinking and help you get started on the road to sales success.