What if we could look into the minds of the very best salespeople and find the exact words and phrases they use to capture a customer's attention and interest - and then use those exact words and phrases ourselves?

I surveyed a small, select group of the most successful salespeople I have ever met, and I found three things they all have in common. Two of those things you would have expected, but one thing they all had in common will completely surprise you.

The two sentences above are designed to capture your attention, to draw you towards me in anticipation. You’re wondering: “What are the exact words and phrases that top salespeople use? What are the three things they all have in common? And particularly, what is the one that will surprise me?”

Public speakers use very specific strategies to immediately capture the attention of their listeners. Average speakers begin with the usual - "hello I'm John Smith, Vice President of Sales at ABC Industries, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak with you today. ABC is the leading provider of…. blah blah blah."

And you can give a perfectly good speech with a dry, boring opening - but great speakers immediately capture your attention, make it interesting, and draw you in throughout their talk.

What if we could go into the mind of these great speakers and pull out their secrets?

Not only do they immediately capture your attention, THEY SET YOUR MIND TO A STATE OF WAITING EXPECTATION. They promise you something, and now you are going to listen intently for the payoff.

Before they even introduce themselves they say something like...

"I've always wondered what it would be like if..."
"Which approach do you think would work better..."

"We all face a very difficult choice..."

"How do the very best people in the world solve the problem of... have you ever wondered?"

"There are two skills you need that will lead to closing a lot more sales than you are now..."

"You have two choices..."

"Over the past four years our company has been brainstorming with a select group of our most successful clients, and we have come up with three game changing pieces of advice..."

"Do you remember the first time you..."

"What if we could look into the minds of the very best salespeople and find the exact words and phrases they use to capture a customer's attention and interest - and then use those exact words and phrases ourselves?"

And I also said... "I surveyed a small, select group of the most successful salespeople with the highest closing ratios, and I found three things they all have in common - one of those three things will completely surprise you."

The word "surprise" is one of the most attention grabbing words you can use. It sets their mind to a state of waiting expectation. They are listening for the surprise. If you start by asking a great question or promising great new information, your listeners will wait in anticipation for the payoff.

Obviously, if you're asked to say a few words or give a presentation - you want to use this type of introduction to immediately grab the attention of your audience.

But is there a way to use these same techniques in our own sales conversations?

Unfortunately, most people are poor listeners. So when you're talking to your customers, you can assume they are not good listeners, they are distracted, or they are anxious to interrupt you.

So choose your words and phrases, and your tone of voice to pull people in immediately.

"We did some research, and were surprised at the results..."

“We were shocked at what we found!”

"This is a game changer..."

"This solves a very important problem, and it solves it in a very unique way..."

“We discovered three things that the best _______ do all the time, and we wanted to find out exactly how they do it.”

"You have two choices. Which one do you think would work better..."

"What if we could..."

"I was very surprised to find..."

"What if we could look at this from a completely different angle..."

Try adding the subtle skill of opening your communications with a promise to deliver great new information. You will not only get their full attention, you will create in their minds a sense of waiting expectation. They will wait to hear what you have to say, and wait to hear how the story ends. Then, when you’re ready you give them the payoff.