by Jeffrey Hedquist
Feel, Felt, Found is one of the ways salespeople overcome objections when they’re meeting with prospects. Now the abbreviated sales interaction we call a commercial is slightly different because we don’t hear the person’s objection directly. But we can anticipate the objection and counter it as part of our 30 or 60 second sales call.
The shorthand version of this technique is: “I know how you feel, I felt the same way, but what I found was…”
Technique:
First empathize with your listeners, telling them that you understand how they feel. Begin your commercial by describing the pain, discomfort or dissatisfaction they’re experiencing. This alone will make your commercials stand out because very few advertisers do it.
Then tell them how you or others have found that things weren’t so bad and that when they did what you want listeners to do they found that their pain was reduced or their lives were improved.
Examples:
• I understand what you’re going through. Many others have felt the same way. And what they have found with this solution is that....
• You drive up in front of the big grey warehouse and start to have doubts. You step inside – concrete floors, naked fluorescent lighting, very few salespeople…hmmm. Then you see the incredible furniture and the unbelievable prices plainly marked on each item and you realize you’ve stumbled into a treasure trove of bargains.
Feel: How do you feel when you think about going to work on Monday morning?
Felt: Yeah, that’s what I thought. Millions of people experience Monday morning sickness when they think about going to that same old job again.
Found: I think I‘ve found a way out of the rat race. It’s called Career Helper…
Feel: I’ll bet you feel stupid when you’ve forgotten a birthday or anniversary.
Felt: You’re not the only one. We all do. Other than turning back the hands of time, is there anything we can do?
Found: There may be a solution waiting for you at Arnold’s Florist. It’s called the “please forgive me” bouquet. It comes in 3 sizes: “Oops,” “I Can’t Believe I Did That,” and “The End of the World As We Know It.” Just come in and tell Arnie you blew it. He’ll know what to recommend.
Feel: I’ll bet you’re like me. I hated starting another exercise program.
Felt: I’d begin with good intentions, but then a few weeks into it, I’d skip a day, then two, and pretty soon…
Found: I found though, when I had a partner to exercise with, it wasn’t so easy to skip. With “Workout Buddy,” a program sponsored by the City Recreational Department, I have someone keeping me going, and I’m seeing some great results…
How this technique works: By empathizing with how your target audience feels, you build harmony with them, creating rapport. When you talk about how others felt, you expand the focus and make the listener a part of a group so they don’t feel alone. When they’re attached to that group, you move the whole group by telling how the person in the group changed their mind. The listener, being attached to the group, should change their mind at the same time.
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