Book SummaryExactly What to Say, by Phil M. Jones

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of Exactly What to Say

Do you have a great business product and want to land new customers quickly? Exactly What to Say teaches you how to improve your business interactions by using key phrases that guide your listener to a decisive “yes.”

Business expert Phil M. Jones explains how using his key phrases helps you appeal to the customer’s subconscious mind, gain the upper hand in conversations, and increase your chances of making a sale. Jones’s advice is geared toward business interactions, but he notes that the principles are transferable across many industries and contexts.

Jones has been a professional salesman since he was a teenager, in industries ranging from professional soccer to real estate. He does [motivational speaking events and trainings around the...

Exactly What to Say Summary The Key to Making a Sale: Leverage Subconscious Persuasion

The common thread in Jones’s advice for landing a sale is that all the key phrases target a subconscious tendency in the listener. Jones emphasizes that the phrases are meant to trigger a reflexive response, without the listener actively analyzing and thinking about what you’ve said. Using this tactic gets people to agree with you faster and avoids time they might otherwise spend being indecisive and critical. For example, when you tell someone, “Just imagine how happy you’ll be when you add this item to your collection,” the person automatically envisions this scenario and feels the emotion associated with it rather than focusing on a logical assessment of the purchase.

**Strategies for Appealing to the Customer’s...

Exactly What to Say Summary What to Say When You Introduce an Idea

Now that we’ve covered the overarching philosophy behind subconscious persuasion, we’ll describe Jones’s key phrases that give you an advantage when you first introduce your idea or product. The strategies encompassed by these phrases include piquing interest while lowering the stakes, appealing to universal traits, and preempting potential objections.

Identify Your Customer Type Early

In The Psychology of Selling, Tracy argues that before you begin using persuasion strategies, getting a sense of your audience early in the conversation helps you tailor your responses to the customer’s personality and needs. Here are his six common types of customers and how to best interact with them:

• The Reluctant Customer is cynical and uninterested. Spend minimal time with them.

• The Certain Customer has a clear idea of what they want and how much they’re willing to pay. Don’t try to oversell them.

• The Analytical Customer likes to move slowly to ensure they’re making the right decision. Focus...

Exactly What to Say Summary What to Say When Someone Is Undecided

The first sections focused on the concept of subconscious persuasion and what to say at the beginning of a sales pitch to increase your chance of success. Now, we’ll discuss which of Jones’s key phrases to use when people are still undecided during your conversation. The primary tactics for persuading undecided customers are motivating them with appeals to emotion, providing polarizing options, and creating a path of least resistance for your desired response.

Appeal to Emotion

Because people are emotionally driven, one way to persuade an undecided customer is to leverage their natural desire to feel positive emotions and avoid negative emotions. Jones argues that when you use the phrase “How would you feel if…” you make people actually experience the emotion of the conditional scenario.

For example, you can say, “How would you feel if you bought this product, and it helped you surpass your sales goal within six months?” This language makes the customer feel a positive emotion in the context of your product and makes them believe that the described outcome is possible, motivating them to accept your offer to manifest that feeling in the future.

On the...

Exactly What to Say Summary What to Say When Someone Has an Objection

The previous sections covered what to say when you introduce an idea and how to steer an undecided person toward a yes. This next section focuses on key phrases Jones recommends using when a prospective customer raises an objection to what you’re selling. The strategies for overcoming objections include getting more information and eliminating customer-identified barriers.

Get More Information

The phrase, “What makes you say that?” is an effective response to a customer’s objection because it prevents the discussion from turning into an argument and leads to more information about the other person’s needs. Instead of suggesting the customer is wrong (for example, by saying “Yes, you actually would benefit from this product.”), Jones explains that posing this question forces the person to justify their objection. The person might realize that they don’t have a strong argument for their opinion, or they could provide more transparency on their specific needs, which will help you negotiate.

For example, if a prospective customer says, “I don’t think your product is a good fit for me,” using this key phrase as a response encourages the customer to tell you_ why...

Exactly What to Say Summary What to Say to Capitalize on a “No” or “Yes”

Now that we’ve covered what to say when you initiate a sales pitch, what to say when someone is undecided, and how to respond to an objection, this section explains Jones’s advice for how to end on a strong note after the customer makes a decision. These key phrases help you get a downsell if a prospective customer says no and help you get a referral if someone says yes.

Offer a Downsell After a Rejection

When a customer says no, Jones encourages using the phrase “Just one more thing…” to achieve a downsell, or the next best offer after the first deal you tried to make. Instead of walking away from the conversation with nothing, this phrase creates an opportunity to get something, even if it wasn’t your original goal.

For example, if you offer someone an expensive new software, and they reject it, you could say, “Okay, just one more thing. I have a free version of this software that also works really well. Would you be interested in trying that?” By achieving a downsell you make the conversation worthwhile.

“Just One More Thing…” as a Strategy for the Primary Sale

Jones describes the downsell as a last resort in a business transaction, but his...

Shortform Exercise: Identify an Area for Improvement in a Past Sale

Think about a time in the past when you failed to make a sale to a customer, and consider how Jones’s key phrases could have helped you succeed in that situation.

Write down at what point the customer rejected your product or service. Was it right at the beginning, when you tried to approach them? Was it after you gave them some additional information, and they said they needed to think about it?

Shortform Exercise: Strategize for Your Next Sale

Now that you’ve learned Jones’s persuasive key phrases, think about how you can use them in your next sales pitch.

Based on your past experience, what challenges do you anticipate for your next sale? Are there common objections that customers generally raise, such as the price of your product? Are your customers busy people with limited time and lots of important decisions to make in their daily work?