In my two previous posts, I have discussed identifying and then appealing to a prospect’s internal representation system, their thinking pattern (Perceptual Modes) for greater understanding and acceptance of your sales message. Now what if you could know what your prospect is thinking without them saying a word? The eyes have it!
Yes, you can identify how a prospect is processing your message and thinking about any question you ask by watching their eyes (a.k.a. the accessing cues). Neurophysiology dictates how we process all data that comes to us. It is how we are all hardwired. If I want to picture, hear, feel, or make sense of something in my mind, my eyes will track to a very specific place. So, during your sales interaction, if your prospect:
- Looks up and to their right (your left as you are facing them), that is visually constructed. The prospect is picturing something never seen before.
- Looks up and to their left (your right as you are facing them), that is visually remembered. They are picturing something seen before.
These two accessing cues are visual accessing cues. A response could be: What picture came to mind as I was discussing . . . ? or Can you see yourself . . . ?
Also, with these two accessing cues you will need to immediately switch to using visual predicates in your discussion since they are processing the information in the visual mode.
- Looks to their right side (your left as you are facing them), that is auditory constructed. They are forming something they will say.
A response could be: What would you say about . . . ? Or, what would others say . . .?
- Looks to their left side (your right as you are facing them), that is auditory remembered. They are remembering something said before. They are actually hearing someone else’s voice talking to them.
A response could be: What have other people said about . . . ? Or What are you hearing with regards to . . . ?
Also, with these two accessing cues you will need to immediately switch to using auditory predicates in your discussion since they are processing the information in the auditory mode.
- Looks down and to their right (your left as you are facing them), that is kinesthetic (feeling). They are internally experiencing how they did feel, are feeling, or will feel about something.
A response could be: How do you feel about . . . ? Or, what would it feel like to . . . ?
Also, you will need to immediately switch to using kinesthetic predicates in your discussion since they are processing information in the kinesthetic mode.
- Looks down and to their left (your right as you are facing them), that is auditory digital (self-talk), they are actually talking to themselves. They are hearing their own voice . . . having an internal conversation with themselves.
A response could be: Does this make sense? Or what are you telling yourself about . . . ?
Also, you will need to immediately switch to using the auditory digital predicates in your discussion since they are processing information in the auditory digital mode.
These accessing cues are generally for a right-handed person and for left-handed people it is usually reversed. I always watch to see what hand a prospect writes with since writing is typically a kinesthetic skill. Use it as a guide as to how they are more than likely organized until you get additional information to the contrary.
Once you become adept at recognizing the prospect’s accessing cues, you can structure your message moment by moment to “fit” the way they process information for understanding and acceptance for a more compelling sales message.
If you want to practice and experience recognizing the accessing cues, a good question to ask is one that gets the prospect thinking about a previous decision or about making a decision. For example:
How will you go about making the decision to . . . ?
Why wait? Your practice arena is all around you!
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