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Wow I had never heard of the ZMOT. Thanks I will have some reading to do! At this point, I would add you to my Contact list, read about ZMOT some more, and in a week or two follow up with you about something I learned. You would love it.

That is a great question and I am glad you asked because analyzing myself is teaching me a lot. It kind of goes along with my whole philosophy - I really do get more out of it than other people.

The tipping point comes the moment they believe you can make them money, make their life easier, or resolve some problem they have.

In all types of sales methods, you are merely looking for people who will let you in. You are looking for people who will let you tell them your story. The people who do let you speak and will actually be open to the conversation are the only people you have a chance of selling. This method just keeps me in contact with those people in a much more natural way. I've never been completely shut down and rejected using this method.

For me, the tipping point comes the very moment they believe. I am a strong believer in the idea of transference.

If you have ever studied any hypnosis or persuasion training, you may have found the idea of "going first" into the mindset you want people to have. If you want them to trust you, you go first and trust them. If you want them to go into trance, you go first while you are talking to them.

If I want them to believe I can make them money or help them, I go first and believe it myself. This is much more than just believing I can help anyone. I may think I can help a lot of people, but that is not the same as genuinely knowing that I can help this specific person.

I reach that point by asking questions and learning about their business. This whole time we are building a connection, I am searching for the moment when I know, without a doubt, that they will benefit. If I never reach that point, neither will they.

Once I have found out exactly how I can help them, and I fully believe it is in their best interest, they believe it too. It is transferred. I don't know how - if someone knows please chime in. When you have strong rapport with someone, your beliefs affect each other.

The funny thing is, they will let me do whatever investigation I want to do in order to convince myself and find my role. "Can I drop by and see your place?" Sure! "Can you show me around?" Yeah! "Do you mind if I spend a few minutes chatting with your production team?" Absolutely!

Try that with other sales methods! It can be difficult just to get them to hear you out, much less let you wander around their business meeting people. I actually have people showing me their budgets and private files on a regular basis. On the first visit to their office!

When I come back with definite answers to definite problems that are definitely keeping them from making money or are frustrating them, they buy. That is it. They reach the tipping point. The ZMOT.

I went first, and they followed.

I said in another post that I am skeptical about taking anyone's money. It is really important not to abuse this trust and belief transference. It is very, very powerful and if you take advantage of people they will feel used and hurt.

My skepticism isn't an act. It is real. I simply cannot take any money unless I know, deep in my bones, that I can make it worth it for them.

At this point, people will pay you almost whatever you ask. I really learned to use self control, not ask too much, and look out for their best interests. They believe in me, on a deep level, and I have responsibility not to abuse that trust.

Thanks Ewen - I hear exactly what you are saying. People DO feel better sometimes when you give them a certain title. And, in my opinion, the title only makes them feel better if they know it is deserved.

If people are given a title that they know they shouldn't have, I believe it actually makes them feel worse. They have a constant reminder that they are kind of deceiving people about their level of knowledge.

I remember my first real corporate sales job. I had been doing door to door type stuff for years. I was with Sprint as a simple retail salesperson. Our business cards said "communication consultant" and I thought it was clever. But down somewhere inside, I knew I was not that. The customers kind of laughed about it too because they knew somewhere inside that we were not communications consultants either. It should have said sales & service.

I believe those small little feelings inside myself and the client only serve to erode the deep trust I am looking to build.


So true! Someone should label themselves exactly what they are, nothing more, and nothing less. My only point is that one should be completely honest with themselves about who they are and what they do.

Many people here play little mind games with themselves. They aren't totally honest. If they have a limited amount of knowledge, they try to cover it.

I believe I can never be totally honest with other people unless I am first totally honest with myself. Puffing up my ego when it was not deserved used to undermine my efforts.

Propping up my ego with a title is not helpful. And if I think about it, I can see that a title is a very weak thing to prop myself up with. Nothing beats real knowledge.