Selling and NLP

My original background was in Sales and Marketing and I attended many NLP based sales training courses over the years, this was also part of my initial interest in NLP and hypnotherapy.

It does work in a sales environment but nowadays it depends on who you are selling to. If you are selling to the public then yes, it works. If you're selling to corporates then it becomes more difficult as many of their buyers and senior staff have also done NLP based courses. I spent most of my former career in high level corporate sales to major brand names and to be honest, in that environment, I dropped the use of the NLP based techniques after a few years (especially after one buyer said "no point using that NLP based stuff on me, I've done the course that shows me how to spot it and turn it around and to be honest, I just find it annoying").

However, a few years ago I had a kitchen salesman come round to see me (with an appointment) and he heavily used NLP based sales techniques but actually quite aggressively. I didn't buy from him but then I pushed him right off his script/sales structure but I could see how a lot of people without my training would have easily fallen for the tactics.

I do use some NLP selling techniques for my hypnotherapy practice but not in an aggressive way. My conversion rate from enquiry to appointment is about 85% but more like 95% if the enquiry is by telephone, the few % that don't book also include people I don't particularly want as clients!

omg this sounds rather promising!!! i work with public. i dont get tho if it did work why dont all retail stores uses NLP lol is NLP scientifically proven or is it theory? i dont know anything about NLP at all to be honest!

Not sure how you would "scientifically prove" it's validity and don't know of any such study. However, many clients I see who are in senior management positions have attended NLP leadership courses paid for by their employers. I would assume these companies wouldn't shell out thousands of pounds each year if they didn't find them effective.

thats a very good point!!! i shall invest in this and buy a book and see if the course is for me... thanks for the advice 🙂

NLP nowadays is typically divided into the two camps of NLP for business/sales and NLP for therapies/coaching. Of course there's a great deal of similarity in the techniques as it's essentially the same thing, just that the teaching/books tend to focus more on scenarios and concepts that are more specialised in the particular field being focused on.

Some of the key things of NLP are reading and using body language, building a rapport and turning a situation around to work in your favour. As for "scientifically proven" I doubt anybody has really seen a need to do any double blind tests with placebo and control groups etc., probably because NLP techniques are known to work. You ask why don't all retail stores use NLP, well, in terms of the major stores, they do use such techniques (though they probably don't call it NLP) when training their staff and even in the way they word advertising and "offers" to make a person believe they are getting something better than they would otherwise get.

NLP isn't some sort of magical thing, or something that requires any belief or faith, it is a model of social and human interaction that, if you learn it to know what to look for, you can use it to your advantage in most situations. Even something as simple as phrasing negative things in a positive manner (an aspect of reframing) can be most beneficial, just in everyday life.

I learnt some NLP when I learnt EFT, and I also learnt NLP Life Coaching, and the techniques have proven to be very beneficial when dealing with any client, even to the most important bit of making them feel comfortable during their first visit in a strange environment.

Certainly get a book on it and have a read, or get yourself on an NLP course. You'll find it of great benefit in all things you do in your life.

All Love and Reiki Hugs

Power of NLP

Hi everyone,
just came across something interesting to do with the power of NLP while I was browsing.
This particular site is giving away some really interesting reports on the power of NLP and Coaching and how it really helps people.
Looks like a really useful resource to have

Funnily Enough Bannick....

... you have described in detail the problem I have with NLP... for me it is just too "tricksy" as a tool. As you say, if you both know the "trick" then what then?

I too have a long background in Sales and Marketing and I would firstly say, never assume because business spend a lot of money on a particular type of training it "must work"... you'd be surprised how much money is thrown away on training that doesn't make any difference at all.. (but that's another story! :rolleyes: !)

So, lovetheveg, NLP isn't the only tool that can help build rapport and improve communication with your customers. I trained as a Transactional Analyst 20 years ago and it has helped me to increase sales and improve profits every since.. understanding what motivates your customers to buy and what doesn't, and understanding your own barriers to selling is a far better long term strategy than learning a few "tricks" IMO.

I'd be very happy to explain more if you'd like to message me?

( PS just to say I don't have a similar problem with NLP used for therapeutic purposes, I think it can be very powerful, particularly when combined with other modalities)

I know a few people who use NLP in sales, but as written above, only for the public.
my brother is a salesman and he uses NLP all the time and it works like magic.
with NLP you talk to the subconscious so the person standing in front of you can't consciously resist what you are saying (people always resist a salesman's words, because they know they are only trying to sell.

NLP is useful to improve any form of communication - and selling is a form of communication...

There are some dodgy people around here ~ I wish (not really) I could reframe that, but that would be dishonest of me. 😉

As part of my job includes teaching, I was learning about NLP techniques to transfer knowledge and communicate more effectively. I did not buy anything, I've collected few online materials which were free to use and started reading/watching/applying.

I must admit, it was really fun thing to do, and it gives you more control and self confidence in interactions with people. Some techniques work, some others make no sense at all. As science is concerned, don't bother - not much science in there so far. Browse wikipedia pages about NLP scientific criticism to read more.