Reversals in Sales

When it comes to sales in general, persuasion is king, but only when the client doesn’t know they are being persuaded. If an individual thinks they are being persuaded, then it’s over, and you are almost guaranteed not to get a sale. Reversals come into the picture as a sales persuasion tactic which can prove to be very effective if used correctly. So what is a reversal? A reversal flips the normal sales script of saying “You really need this” to “Well Joe, I’m not sure this is what you are looking for” and then waiting for the client to come back and say “Well no, I do think this is a good product etc.” If the client goes on and agrees saying it isn’t something that would suit them, then you just saved yourself a lot of time, and it’s time to move on to the next prospect. The reason reversals work is because of something known as Reactance Theory which is the theory that people resist persuasion when they feel that they don’t have the freedom to choose between “yes” and “no”. Another thing that reversals do is create exclusivity by saying “im not sure this is right for you”, people naturally want to push back and to have something that they can’t have (aka whatever the product you’re offering is.” Another very important thing that reversals do is build trust with the client which is one of the most important things you can do in the sales process. By implementing a reversal, people will think you are more honest and trustworthy because you are looking out for their best interest saying this might not be a good fit for them, instead of trying to make commission off a sale for something that they possibly dont see why they need.