Sales is a game of agreement, not competition and superiority. It is a way to find a win-win position, not one of acting smarter and stronger than your prospect. Even if you get to a point of disagreement, agree to agree. This is very crucial in all sales transactions. The moment you disagree with the prospect, the sale is lost.

Many people view prospects as opponents other than partners who are promoting a common good. Prospects are there to help you fulfill your purpose and mission of selling not to be a hindrance on your way to success. It is the prospects that give you the revenue and the commission. It is the prospect that will consume your product. It is the prospect that will give you referrals. It is the prospect that has given you an appointment. This is not your enemy, the prospect is your friend.

Many people spend so much time disagreeing with their prospects in their minds that they end up not getting any agreement when they get the appointment. We become what we think. Any time you think of objections rather than agreements before the sales pitch, the sale is dead before it begins. The problem is, any time you think of objections, the prospect becomes your hindrance to making the sale other than the person to give you the sale. You become emotional and pushy from the word go. You are ready to defend your product, your price, and even yourself at all costs. You end up disagreeing sharply with the client.

The problem is that this is what most sales trainers advocate. They advocate that you figure out all possible objections and become ready to defend them at all costs to close the sale. This formula does not work. It only makes you an enemy of your prospects.

I prefer to spend time thinking of the good things the prospect will say to me, how they will buy the product, what we will agree on, and so on. In short, I focus on the positive aspects and ignore the negative. This has helped me to maintain a great attitude before my client. They notice my genuine friendship and concern because I treat them as my partners, not as hindrances to the sale.

Your mind is a strong magnet that attracts what you think about most of the time. This is called the law of attraction. You do not get success; you attract it by focusing on it. If you focus on what is negative, you become negative. The vice versa is also true. Therefore, you are supposed to spend time figuring out the possibilities of success, not the barriers. The moment you focus on the possibilities, the mind will attract those possibilities to you, and success will be guaranteed.

When it comes to dealing with the prospect, the rule of thumb is that you have to agree even when you are disagreeing. You have to distinguish what is material from what is immaterial. A material conversation is what can directly affect the sale

significantly. An immaterial conversation is what cannot affect the sale, at least not to a large extent.

For example, when you are building rapport with the prospect and you find yourself talking about politics. This is an immaterial conversation that is not directly related to the sale. In this type of conversation, always agree. Even if they say that your favorite presidential candidate is corrupt and you feel that it is not so, do not argue, just agree. An immaterial conversation will always focus on a third party. The rule is, always to agree with the prospect when the conversation is immaterial.

A material conversation is what focuses on you, the prospect, or your product. This is the substance of the sale. Anything that is material can significantly affect the outcome of the sales process. If the prospect raises a point of objection on a material conversation, disagree agreeably. It is the manner that you disagree that causes the sale to continue or to flop.

For example, if the customer says, “This product seems like it is fake.” You cannot just agree and say that the rule is, always to agree with the prospect. That is not wise. If you agree to that, the sale is dead right there and then. You have to first find a point of agreement with the prospect and then disagree. For instance, you can say the following, “There are indeed many products that are fake in the market and that is a fact that no one can disagree with. I have even seen them being sold around in the open market. But let me explain to you what differentiates our product from the rest… we even have testimonials from our clients right here. We

have served many households and we often get feedback that our product is working even after many years of use.”

The customer can also attack you personally. For example, “I have seen many salespeople who are just after the money and you seem like one of them.” Can you just agree even if you have not paid your rent? Hell no! If you agree, the sale is dead. You can also use the above example to disagree agreeably. Always make sure that you agree with the prospect first before you disagree.

The prospect may also say something about themselves that may affect the sale negatively. For example, “The economy is very bad and I do not think I have the money to purchase your product.” If you agree with the customer on this, the sale flops. When the prospect says this, they just want an assurance that they will get value for their money. They are just telling you that they can have other things they can do with the money and they are not sure whether they are making the right decision by purchasing your product. This is the point where you give them guarantees and warranties. Promise them everything you can. Do not swear because it will make you look desperate.

If you find a way of disagreeing agreeably, you will maintain a conducive environment to close the sale. Never tell your prospect that they are wrong. If you do, it will spark a supremacy battle that the prospect always wins. All prospects will always want to look like they are in control. If they cannot feel like they are in control of the sales process and outcome, they will find ways of feeling superior. They will do this by denying you the sale.

When you have the right attitude and the right motive when doing the sale, you can disagree with the prospect without them noticing it. What you say is not as important as the feeling and the attitude you portray when saying it. The facial expression will always tell more than what you are saying. Therefore, having the right attitude will help you obey this commandment. Have the right perspective towards your prospect and about the sale and this will help you avoid disagreeing with the client emotionally.

Disagreeing without causing a quarrel or a fight is a skill that takes wisdom and emotional control. You have to hold back from having your emotions take over the sales process. Some prospects can be very wicked and nasty; they can even attack you personally. If you do not control your emotions, you will quarrel with more than 60% of your prospect. You have to develop skin and take everything lightly. Whoever rejects your product does not reject you so, do not take it personally.

I believe that if you can master this skill, you can start enjoying the sales process and closing more sales. After all, this is what every salesperson wants.