4 Ways to Bust Any Frame For More Sales

If you've ever read Oren Klaff's book, "Pitch Anything", then you know that establishing frame control is the key to closing more deals than the traditional sales techniques. The whole idea that sales reps just need to make more phone calls, build a larger prospect lists, and "always be closing", is just an outdated and ineffective philosophy that will burn out any salesman and produce little in their return on investment.

Rather, focusing on increasing your closing rate by using the S.T.R.O.N.G. method is what will truly allow your sales people to land those BIG accounts.

S: Set the frame - Everyone enters into a social situation with unsaid rules governing the way people think and act. Learning how to set the frame in a sales meeting will allow you to control what people are feeling, allowing you to steer the conversation in a favorable direction.

T: Tell the story - People are natural story tellers and when you come in to a sales pitch thinking that people want to hear about all the features your company has, you're wrong. Oren discovers how most sales people craft their pitch for someone using their Neocortex. However, most people use their old brain to process new information, or rather, their "croc brain". By telling you a story, you are appealing to this croc brain by creating suspense.

R: Reveal the intrigue - At the start of the meeting, you have the audience’s attention. It’s a rare moment, but not for the reason you may think. Audience members are, with full concentration and at the most basic and primal level, trying to figure out the answer to this question: “How similar is your idea to something I already know about or to a problem I have already solved?” If audience members discover that the answer is close to what they had earlier guessed, they will mentally check out on you. They will experience a quick ping of self-satisfaction at the moment of realization, just before they mentally check out. There's a million ways you can create intrigue within a sales pitch. One way is by walking through some major accomplishments that you have under your belt. Understanding the science behind building intrigue in a pitch is extremely powerful for closing more deals.

O: Offer the prize - Prizing is a way to deal with threatening and fast-approaching frames that are likely to push you into a low-status position. Prizing is the sum of the actions you take to get to your target to understand that he is a commodity and you are the prize. Successful prizing results in your target chasing you, asking to be involved in your deal.

N: Nail the hookpoint - When a person is feeling both desire and tension, that person is paying serious attention to what’s in front of him or her. Now, Describe to your audience what they are going to receive when they decide to do business with you.

G: Get the deal - Don't make things more confusing than they should be. Once they agree to your deal, sign the contract and get to work. Use these philosophies over and over and you'll see more and more deals roll in.

SELLING A BIG IDEA to a skeptical customer, investor, or partner is one of the hardest jobs in business, so when it's time to really Go Big, use my methodology to get attention, to frame your thoughts, and convince others your ideas will truly change the world. - Oren Klaff

Frame 1: The Power Frame

When you run into someone with a big ego, lack of interest, and a "higher than thou" attitude, you're encountering a power frame. These frames can be tough to crack if you're timid, but there are some techniques to help retake power in the sales pitch.

Let me start off by giving you an example that Oren gives in his book. He speaks about a pitch he was making to a big time executive that thought extremely highly of himself. He was ignoring Oren and eating an apple that he put on the table next to him. In order to gain this guy's attention, Oren grabbed the apple, asked the man "if he minded", and took a big bite out of the apple.

I won't get into the relevant points Oren made while chomping down on the fruit, but it definitley grabbed Mr. Executive's attention and put the power back into the hands of Oren. These small acts of defiance can help you to bust up power frames as well. Be creative and humorous when doing so. But be bold, that's the point.

Frame 2: The Moral Authority Frame

The classic example of the moral authority frame is a cop pulling you over for a speeding ticket. Generally, you will automatically comply with all of the officer's request, because he has moral authority over the situation. You were speeding. Speeding is bad. He is there to correct this behavior. And you are there to follow orders.

It is very tough to bust the moral authority frame. And if you find yourself on the receiving end of it, run. However, you can always try and craft your message to stack this frame on top of a power frame or time frame. It might be tricky at first, but there are definitely ways...

Customer: “Ahhh. We’re not ready to order a couple of pallets this month. Call us in 6 months.”

Salesman: "Mr. buyer, you're trying to save money and I get that. But you do know that you'd be saving more money by ordering this month right?"

This is extremely subtle, but effective. You see, the salesman in this situation is wondering why Mr. Buyer wouldn't want to save his company more money. It's his obligation to save the company money. The salesman is almost confused by the whole matter. And the moral authority frame crushes the time frame Mr. Buyer tried to use.

Frame 3: Time Frame

The time frame is commonplace in a sales meeting. Buyers will use this frame at the very beginning of the meeting and make you feel as small as a bug. They may say something like this right after you shake their hand:

"Nice to meet you Justin, I have about 15 minutes so let's get started".

Fair enough, but I want more than just 15 minutes. Not only that, the power swiftly went into the hands of the buyer and you wan tot take it back. So, you might say something like...

"No problem Mr buyer, I only have 10 minutes so I agree, let's jump right into it".

If you say this in a playful manner, it has astounding affects on the meeting. First, it starts building rapport with the buyer. Secondly, it gives you back your power and adds value to your presence.

Frame 4: Analyst Frame

You may encounter the analyst frame at some point in your pitch when someone interrupts and ask you about the numbers. They may say something like...

"I'm just wanting to know what the monthly costs will be and what the return will be at at the end of Q1 of this year".

This is highly analytical and if you're not careful, you could easily be sucked into the trap and spend the rest of your meeting spitting out numbers and projections that no one will pay attention to.

If this happens to you, directly answer the question as fast as you can, but redirect the conversation back to your pitch. You might say something like this...

"The monthly is $2,500 and you'll see a 10% increase in total revenue by Q2. I'll send you over the stats later and you'll see all the numbers work out. But I really wanted to meet today to get to know you guys a little better and see if this would be a good fit, that's all".

And then proceed with your pitch.

Conclusion

I would practice busting some of these frames in the mirror sometime. Don't try and be a master of frame control on day one. You may end up looking a little silly if you do. This is something that takes a lot of education, practice, and experience.

Sometimes I'll run through every possible scenario in front of a mirror just to nail down the timing. Remember, keep things light. Once you become good at frame control, you'll begin to close more deals than ever. For more

About the author: 

Justin Hackney is the Director of Business Development for Marketing Eye. Starting out his career in the military, he trained Iraqi Police near the Syrian border in Mosul, Iraq.

Thinking that he was going to be a career military man, he went to one of six senior military colleges in the US at the University of North Georgia and graduated with a degree in International Affairs.

Always operating in a sales and marketing role, he ended up working with nonprofits, Fortune 100 companies, and small tech startups. Drawing from years of experience in growing businesses through digital marketing and sales, he took the first opportunity to join the Marketing Eye team.

?Based out of Atlanta, GA, Justin is now on the way to expanding the company into New York and Dallas. Feel free to reach out to Justin by messaging him on LinkedIn or emailing him at [email protected]