Have you ever came to an agreement with someone while the two of you were debating each other?
Probably not. It’s impossible to get agreement while the people in an interaction are disagreeing.
#1: Agreement is Essential in Sales
If your goal is to sell a product or service, you need to eventually come to an agreement on the transaction. This would include agreeing that your product will solve their problem, agreeing on the price and terms, agreeing on the start date, etc.
But what is your initial reaction as soon as the customer tells you “Your product is way overpriced” or “I wouldn’t be interested in that”?
You want to argue the fact that your product is totally worth the price, and ask them why they aren’t interested. This is just instinct, and everybody feels the urge to combat the customer like this.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t work if you want to build a relationship with the customer. This puts you into a defensive posture, which is a real turn-off for the other person. Think about the last time you got defensive when talking to a girl or guy that you wanted to ask out, and they shot you down.
In sales, your first instinct needs to become agreement! You need to practice, practice, practice in order to build this muscle of agreement, so that no matter what the customer throws at you, your first reaction is to agree.
- Price is too high – “I agree the price is too high”
- I’m not interested – “Of course you’re not. How could you be?”
- I’m busy – “I knew you would be”
- Your product sucks – “I’m with you”
- Need to think about this – “I agree you should think about this”
Do you see what’s happening? By initially agreeing or “leaning into” the objection or complaint, you are completely disarming the customer. It puts them at ease, relieves pressure, makes them feel understood and builds trust. You are just built commonality because you agreed, which is what friendships are built on, by the way!
Let me clear, just because you are agreeing with the customer, that doesn’t mean you have to think that the customer is right! You are merely agreeing with the fact that the customer thinks they are right. That’s their reality, and frankly the only reality they care about.
Only after you’ve first agreed can you then address their concerns. Because you’ve already disarmed them and put them at ease, they will be more open to hearing what you have to say. First agree, then respond.
“Always, always, always agree.”
Grant Cardone
#2: Agreement in Life
The same agreement rules apply to everyday life situations. Unfortunately, it’s much easier to start a debate with someone that you’re already comfortable with like your spouse, friends, family, kids, etc. This is where you can flex your agreement muscle!
I’ve personally found that because of all the practice I get at home and interacting with friends, I now just naturally agree as my first instinct. This takes some work upfront, but it doesn’t take long before you’ll be agreeing with everybody!
I should also mention, that nobody is perfect at this agreement thing all the time. But you will at least be aware of the times when you are not agreeable, so you can then correct yourself.
Here are a few examples of what this looks like:
- When your child doesn’t want to go to school – “I agree school can be no fun…”
- Spouse wants to watch a crappy movie – “Yeah let’s watch that. Or we could watch…”
- Friend thinks their team will win the championship – “I agree they have a shot”
- Buying a house – “The house is definitely worth that price, but…”
Is this making sense? Agreement is vital to every interaction, or at least agreeing FIRST before you counter is vital. If you want someone else’s agreement, you first have to agree yourself. If you start digging in to your perspective, they will do the same, and nobody will get what they want.
Summary
Agreement is critical to all aspects of influence, no matter if it’s in the workplace or at home. You can’t change someone’s mind by attacking their viewpoint. That will only make them not like you. You are telling them that you aren’t like them, and people like people that ARE like them.
Here’s a challenge… see if you can go for 24 hours without disagreeing. That means that your first response is agreement in every single interaction for 24 hours. If you fail, you have to start over. If you can even get through the first 2 hours, that would be shocking. Just keep practicing at this, and you will see your success in all interactions skyrocket!
If you really want to go deep into this subject, then you need to go on Cardone University and watch the videos. Grant has an entire course of agreement and positivity, because it is literally THAT important to selling and persuasion. After you watch the videos, you need to go out and practice agreeing with people. Do the agreement challenge every single day!
Be unreasonable,
Jake Martincic
JakeMartincic.com 