Graham McGregor: How to turn 'no' into 'yes'

CVS to BVS will be helpful to get potential clients to say 'yes' to what you are selling. Photo / Thinkstock

Opinion

Marketing consultant Graham McGregor explains why CVS to BVS is helpful to get potential clients to say 'yes' to what you are selling.

One of my favourite marketing books is called WOMBAT Selling by creative thinking expert Dr Michael Hewitt Gleeson.

One of the reasons that I like WOMBAT Selling is a concept that Michael calls CVS to BVS. This is an easy way to turn a 'no' into a 'yes. Let me explain...

CVS stands for the current view of the situation.

This is the way a person views something.

Here's an important point.

People will usually tend to act consistent with their current view of the situation.

Example:

Many years ago I did very well in a sales competition and won a brand new computer with all the trimmings. However there was a problem.

My CVS or current view of the situation about computers was that they were handy if you wanted to write an occasional letter. (And that was all they were useful for.)

I had this CVS for about three years and my actions were always consistent with this viewpoint. I had no interest in computers and took no notice of anything to do with them. (I think I used my computer to write four letters in three years.)

The only way you can get a person to change their actions is to show them a BVS.

A BVS stands for a better view of the situation.

This happened with my computer. I read a very interesting book on technology called Technotrends by Daniel Burrus. The book explained in detail the effect of technology on our lives. It said not being able to use a computer in business was like not being able to use a telephone. Once I read that book my CVS changed. I saw that I to succeed in today's business environment I had to master computers. If I didn't I would be left behind.

My BVS was that computers were indispensable; they had hundreds of helpful uses, they could save me time and make me a lot of money!

Once I had a BVS guess what changed?

That's right. My actions!

Suddenly I was interested in anything to do with computers. I bought computer manuals and software. I invested in tuition. I began reading everything I could get my hands on about computers. I upgraded my existing computer and bought a new one.

All these actions were consistent with my new BVS.

This has tremendous relevance in all selling.

Right now many of your customers or prospects have a CVS about your product or service that is not particularly helpful to them buying it.

And as long as they have this view point they will never be receptive to investing in it. (In my computer example I would never have bought a new computer if my CVS had not been changed by a BVS.)

So we need to give our clients a BVS that makes it easy for them to say 'yes' to what we are offering. And when we come up with the right BVS for our clients, then making sales suddenly becomes a lot easier.

Action Exercise:

1. What is the CVS that many of your potential clients have about your product or service?

2. What is a BVS that would make it logical behaviour for them to want to invest in your product or service?

3. Explain this BVS to a number of your potential clients this week.

"I would rather try to persuade a man to go along, because once I have persuaded him, he will stick. If I scare him, he will stay just as long as he is scared, and then he is gone." Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) Thirty-fourth President of the USA.

Graham McGregor is a marketing consultant and the creator of the 396 page Unfair Business Advantage Report www.theunfairbusinessadvantage.com (This is free and has now been read by business owners from 11 countries.)