Why Your Dentist Is Termed Dennis, Perhaps not James

According to the US Census Bureau, James is the most popular name for males in the Usa accounting for 3.3% of the population and representing over 4.8 thousand individuals.  Dennis happens to be the 40th most popular men's name, given to just over 600 thousand men which is 0.4% of the male population.If that is the situation, why is your gum surgery sample  more likely to be named Dennis than James?More importantly, how is that appropriate to the occupation of selling?The solution to the first issue, while not obvious to most people at first, has to do with the strong similarity between the two words.  Say them out loud:Dennis...DentistDentist...DennisOne can very easily trade the two words in a sentence and still be understood:  I went to the dennis yesterday.So why does the similarity between the sounds of the two words cause a disproportionate number of men named Dennis to choose a career in dentistry?  It has to do with the bond that we have with our name, and by extension to anything that sounds or appears like it.  This powerful connection goes even further when you consider that Hardware store homeowners are 80% more likely to have a name that begins with the letter H than the general population, and Roofers are 70% more likely to have a name starting with R.  There's a strong tendency to be drawn to things that we associate with ourselves, even when that connection is with something as apparently unimportant as the first letter of a profession.If you have a dentist named Dennis,  know a roofing named Randy, or a hardware store manager named Hank, and you asked them if their name had anything to do with their choice of career they will truly tell you that it did not.  Yet, even though they don't know it, it most likely did.There are more Washingtons that live on Washington streets and more Jeffersons on Jefferson streets, more Florences that move to Florida, more Louises that move to Louisiana, and more married couples with first names starting with the same letter than the averages would suggest.So we have proven that similarities between names and alternatives are significant influences on the selection people make.  How do we use this data as skilled salespeople to inspire prospects to take action to buy our products and services?The first, and perhaps the most obvious, is to use the prospects name when speaking to them.  Dale Carnegie put it this way, 'Remember that a man's name is to him the nicest and most important sound in the English language.'  I've seen frequent salespeople give a two hours sales presentation and not once use a customer's name and then wonder why the customer had such a simple time saying no to the purchase without even giving a reason.  The fact is that the use of a name is an indication of respect and trust, and develops a personal relationship between prospect and salesperson that makes is significantly more hard to say no to an offer without at least providing a great reason.  The partnership of being on a first name basis eliminates the evasiveness, dishonesty, and panic that a prospect can demonstrate during a sales call and allows salesman and prospect to communicate honestly and interact toward the purchase.Start the method by inquiring for a prospects name if you do not know it, and use it often as you communicate with them.  Write it down if you feel you'll forget it.  The difference from the client's perspective is between the conception of you as a salesperson to be skeptical of, and you as a real individual, a friend, and some one they'll trust with their money.You can further strengthen this connection by enabling the prospect to use your name.  How do you do this?  You advise them of it and write it down for them in a place they continues in front of them during your visit.  Remember that while it is your job to remember and use their name it is also your job to help them remember and use yours.  I execute every sales call with a pad of paper to take notes and clarify particulars of my product's benefits.  I begin by writing my name at the top of the paper, upside down to me, right side up to them so that they can look down at it when actually they need to use it.  After a few moments looking down at my name and talking it out loud they will remember it and in doing so strengthen the bond they experience toward me.  This bond allows me to believe the proper function of a sales representative; as a consultant, adviser, partner.Moving to the end of your sales call, the time will come to present the prospect with an offer to buy your product or service.  I show my students to generally do this clearly and in writing.  But how can we use what we know about the connection of names to make them more likely to buy?  By marking the offer presentation page, or price page, with the clients name.  For example, if I am trying to sell to Bob Smith I name the offer page 'The Bob Smith Project.'  The connection of their name to the offer generates a feeling of ownership that means a wish to possess it in real conditions by agreeing to the purchase.Before we end, I want to offer a hint for sales managers who allocate sales leads to their sales team.  Pay attention to the names of the prospects and any similarities to the names of your sales reps.  If I have a guide for a Bob Johnson and a sales rep named Ed Johnson, all things being equal, I will give him that lead.  The connection of the names will give the sales rep an initial edge in the connection that they have with the prospect since a connection will be initiated by the similarity in names.Fantastic Selling!