Think of what having your “Face in the door” would be like. Basically, the sales technique is just that. You start off your sale with a pretty unrealistic or super expensive request. This might be to get their attention or to even gauge the patience/interest of your prospective client. Then you work down to something less ridiculous, then finally something that the client would want (which was your goal in the very beginning). In comparison, the client would find your final offered item/service much more reasonable than the first and psychologically, might rope themselves into buying into what you have to offer. It’s kind of like jumping head first into a cold swimming pool rather than inching your way in.

Ok, an example….. I approach you with these Puma Air Sneakers that are made of real reptile skin and laced with gold and pearl dust. I tell you how cool they are and let’s say you’re really starting to get excited. Then I drop the bomb and tell you that they’re $500. Your jaw drops and right before you walk away, I tell you that those were the limited edition ones that only the celebrities buy anyway… instead, there are these other shoes called Puma Sky Sneakers that look and feel the same, but without all that extra junk you really didn’t need in the first place. You get excited again, then I tell you they are $300. You’re startled but I can tell the price isn’t in your comfort zone. I finally tell you that those shoes were all hype and that the REAL deal is the Puma Air Blast Sneakers that have the same material, even better traction and support, and is only $90. You buy them instantly.

Ok, normally it wouldn’t be that smooth, but you get the idea. Start waaaaayyyyy up top, then work your way down to the item/service price you really want to sell at. But the key? You HAVE to get them interested and hyped about the expensive thing. If not, it’ll fail because they weren’t interested enough to begin with. Although the first item is expensive, they liked it… the second price is bearable, but it should be something that they’re even more interested in (add more details about features or have it set up to where you release more information about the second item than you did the first). Then on the last item, you give them all features and guide them to compare that this product/service is not only cheaper buy way better than your first presentation. You can even slightly bash the first thing you mentioned in order to bring up your final sale.

Face in the door techniques are used more commonly on infomercials, by network marketing salespeople, and most of all by little kids.

Kind of a sidebar … infomercials usually slam their own face in the door like this: “I have this product that’s so awesome and it’s worth $500! Do you think I’m going to sell it to you for $500? No, because I’m going to give you a deal that includes this and that and some more of this for only $300! But no, I’m not going to REALLY sell it for $300. To show my appreciation, I’m not going to even sell it to you for $100! Instead, if you hurry and buy now, I will give you all of this and that and some of this and ALSO two more of this and that….. for, nope not $80, not $50, but for only 4 installments of $9.99!!!!! WOHOOO!!!”

In a nutshell, it’s when you present a low priced or lower valued product or service to get your “foot in the door”, then work your way up for a higher sale. For example, if start talking to you about this new MP3 player that’s $30, I’ll begin by telling you about all the great features and how awesome it is. Once I see that twinkle in your eye, I’ll start talking about other features (those that aren’t with this cheaper model)… As you get interested, you might ask “so this thing does THAT too???” I’d say no, but for only $10 more, you can get that feature as well as these 3 other features! Then as we start talking about that model, I might talk to you about the next model up or even talk you up on a nifty insurance/warranty plan for it. By the end of it, you might wind up with a $100 purchase.

Ok, now here’s the difference between someone who makes a sale vs a salesperson. If I just try to make the sale, that’s it….. I sold up the product and we’re done. You might be super happy but then when you get home you’ll be like “Waaaaiiitttt…… a second…. Did I just get ripped off?” In contrast, a salesperson wants you to realize the value of your purchase and also continue to believe in it. In other words, I might end up selling you the newer model, but it is my goal and responsibility as a salesperson to make sure that this is the product or service you really want AND one that you really need. If not, I’m just hawking a sale.

But if used correctly “Foot in the Door” can help, if nothing else, bring you a step closer in the sales or help you plant the seed for a future sale. What’s cool about this technique is that you can apply it to pretty much anything. Even asking someone out on a date (which is essentially a sales pitch), you can start off small and work your way up.

“Let’s grab some coffee sometime” turns to “Well, coffee won’t really fill you up and you do have to eat… how about I meet up with you during your lunch break?” and finally … “Well, instead of rushing through lunch, why don’t we have a good dinner after work. You deserve to it! And you can tell me about your day” (Ok, not as cheesy as that, but you get the picture. LOL)

It’s funny how we take observation for granted. Imagine you spend hours of research on this client and can practically recite the history of the company, sales percentages, ROI, etc.. but when you see them face to face, you have absolutely nothing to hold their interest besides the service/product you offer and they blow you off without hesitation because they’re “busy.”

Don’t get me wrong, research is important for any sales opportunity, essential actually. But if all your homework is done, getting the client’s attention and holding it is even more key. By entering their establishment, you have the greatest advantage of all. Observe your surroundings. Are there trophies, photos of family, awards, certain types of clientele, etc…? What’s the style or decor like? Is there anything you can latch on to that you have knowledge of?

For example, you notice on the client’s wall there are framed awards of their restaurant for the past 5 years. Then you see photos of their restaurant when they first were a Mom and Pop diner, then a restaurant, and finally a franchise. With this, you can approach the client and offer features such as online ordering, videos, or something more advanced because you gathered that they have been proactive with the growth of their company and have “gone with the trends” and are open to change. If you researched that their company has been open for 13 years and only the past 5 years have they begun receiving awards, it could very well be because of their willingness to reboot their company image. That’s your introduction; your sales theme.

There’s so much you can get from doing a little detective work while you’re waiting to see the client or even if you scope out the place before you do a cold call or show your intentions of giving them a marketing or product solution. Never take what you see for granted.

As sales, there will be a lot of times where you run into someone who seems stingy or loves to try to ask for “their price”. Some prospective clients do this because they can sense weakness or wavering. There are times where you will have to either weigh what you’re willing/able to do and cave in, or just put your foot down and preserve your company’s integrity with the risk of losing the sale.

But, it’s not always going to be about money… in fact, “value” trumps price. Even if you can’t offer more features or more leeway in your services, it might not be that you have to give more, rather just explain more. The reason being is that a client either has their own ideas of what you’re offering or they might be clueless and are going into using your service or product head first, scared that they might still be getting ripped off. We have to be careful and put ourselves in their shoes, given their personality, experience, and ability to grasp your terminology.

A client might misunderstand what you’re offering and think “gee, that doesn’t sound like I’m getting a good deal”. But if you reiterate, in terms they understand and give examples of how these features will help them with their business, you might find that that’s all the reassurance they need and there was never a need to add features or lower the overall price.

Being able to accurately give clients perspective on the value of what you offer is essential for effective and honest sales.

Ok joking aside, I’ve seen way to many people rely on guerilla sales tactics and care more about trying to close a deal from as soon as the introduction, that they forget to be sensitive about the client. It’s true, clients have feelings too!

If a client did create the site themselves and they put a lot of their own ideas into it, it really doesn’t matter if they used geocities, front page, or some online software… it’s a big step for them to have to hire someone else to redo their own work. Be careful how you word things because I don’t care how awesome you are, nobody likes their ideas put on the guillotine. So even if you have to offer suggestions, start at a high point, acknowledging what they have accomplished and start offering “ideas”, not “criticism”. That does not meant brown-nosing either. Just be honest, but not brutal. Give them ways to improve upon what they already have without making them feel like you’re completely trashing it.