The Art of Enrollment, Part VIII – Yes!
This month, I am wrapping up my 2013 series on the Art of Enrollment. We have spent this entire year discussing enrollment so you must be very good at it by now! Today I will explain step #7, “Yes!” from my REALITY model of enrollment. Of course by now, you know that “enrollment” is
a way of supporting another person by offering a product, a service, or simply a solution; a way of communicating with another person that inspires them to move forward with something they want by using something you have. Enrollment is a way to interact with others so that they want to work with you. (As always, I am indebted to Source Point Training Co. for introducing me to this concept.)
As before, you may want to read parts I through VII on my blog.
This is the REALITY model of enrollment:
R apport – Create rapport; build trust.
E ngage — Be genuinely interested and focused on the other person.
A sk — Ask questions to clarify the other person’s desired outcomes.
L isten – Listen closely for what is important to him or her.
I nternalize – Understand the other person and what she wants and needs before you explain what you have. Be sure what you are offering fits the need.
T each – Show the other person that what you are offering will lead to the outcome they desire.
Y es! – Gain commitment and action.
As you no doubt recall, the first step even before engaging in the enrollment process, is to ask yourself, “what do I want to enroll this person IN?” It is important to know this and be intentional about your efforts.
Then, you will make sure you have rapport. You will focus on the other person, eliminate distractions and be engaged. You will ask questions to gain understanding of where this person is coming from, listen to the answers, internalize what you are hearing so that you understand fully and do not attempt to sell something that is not right for this person. Then once you have all the information you need, you will teach them how your product, service, solution is a great fit for them.
Once they realize and are clear that what you have is what they want, they will say “yes.” This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. But not so fast. There are two things about this step you must know.
First, what does not qualify as a “yes.”
• “Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you next week.”
• “I think that is the greatest thing ever and I will definitely buy it after I just run it past my husband/wife/boss/accountant.”
• “There is no doubt in my mind that I am going to use your service in the future.”
• “I just need to get the money together and I’ll be back.”
• “I am all in, but I don’t have the time right now; I’ll call you next month.”
In the “yes” step, what we are really looking for is commitment. Unfortunately, people’s words and inflection do not tell you they are committed. It often seems that they do, but they do not. You can only gauge commitment through observing action.
This leads us to the second thing about the “yes” step. Yes = action. So figure out what action will qualify as a yes for you.
• A deposit of money?
• A signature on a contract?
• A letter of intent?
• A meeting set for next week?
• They give you their contact info and set a time to talk to you next week?
Think about what you want and what you can ask for. When a person says yes to you, but does not sign up for your goods or services at that moment, consider what action you can ask for. If they take any kind of action, they are indicating a higher level of commitment than if they took no action at all. Furthermore, people are more likely to follow through if they have taken some action.
So never leave a phone call or a meeting where you believe the person is interested or enrolled without a next step that they have committed to. Even if they say “yes” clearly and emphatically, you must get commitment; i.e., action. Then they are enrolled.
Homework: Take your knowledge and practice it. “That which is not acted upon is not learned.” Feel free to ask questions and post your experiences here. I hope you have enjoyed the year of enrollment. I have learned a lot delving into this topic for an entire year. Happy December. We’ll see what the new year brings. I, for one, am excited!
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