Once I was able to walk again I joined a gym since I had nothing else to do I became a fixture in the place and eventually got a job there.
It was there that I met "The Magician".
We called him that because he could magically make anyone join the gym.
No money?
Didn’t matter.
Needed to talk to their spouse?
Didn’t matter.
Needed to think about it?
Didn’t matter.
In fact one day a woman from a non-profit organization came in looking for donations for some cause.
She was overweight.
He sold her a membership and $2500 worth of personal training.
Truth is he could make anyone do just about anything.
And here’s the thing…
In every single case these people were happy.
They loved the magician and were grateful for his help.
Imagine that…
Selling someone something and having them feel like they owe you something.
What a concept.
His real name was Noah and he was the sales manager of the place.
I came to find out later that he’d previously owned five clubs of his own and sold them for a few million dollars.
He was now a consultant who got paid enormous amounts of money to come into an
existing business and turn it around using his secret strategies.
Part of his role was sales management.
Anyway..
When I first started there I had a difficult time overcoming objections.
For example when someone would say "I need to talk to my wife before joining", I said "OK here's my card".
The magician would look at me as if I was crazy.
"Paul, you do realize that you get paid mostly on commission right?”
"Yes but I don't wanna be pushy." I told him. "I feel weird trying to sell. And because of that I can't sell".
That's when he shared something with me that I'll never forget.
Listen up because this important.
He told me that the issue wasn't that I couldn't sell but that I couldn't persuade.
And the big difference is that when you use sales tactics, you force the customer to buy your stuff.
When you use persuasion, the customer wants to buy your stuff.
Then it's just a matter of providing it to them.
And this guy was living proof of this.
Day in and day out I watched him effortlessly persuade people to join.
Even the most resistant people.
That’s why we called him the Magician.
But here's what's interesting.
Most of the time, it wasn't a new sales technique or closing method that got him the sale.
That's when I realized that there must be something to storytelling if both Tony and the Magician were using it.
Turns out I was right.