A veteran salesman once gave me this sales strategy tip: Let your prospect get her “no” out first.

He explained that whenever you approach someone, her first instinct is to say “no.” So it’s important to let your prospect get that “no” out of her system.

The easiest way to do that is to craft a question designed to elicit a “no” response.

For example, “Have you had a chance to sample our new cookie yet?” Your prospect replies, “No.” Smiling, you hand her a cookie and say, “Here you go.”

This is just enough time for the prospect to let her guard down and think, “What’s the harm of trying this cookie?”

This approach can also be used at trade shows to get more folks to your table.

Instead of a cookie, you might want to have a survey that’s designed to get an email address. For example, you promise to send them the final survey results by email after the convention.

As folks walk by your table, you say, “Have you completed the Furniture Outlook Survey, yet?” When they say, “no,” you simply hand them the survey clipboard and pen. You might even have a chart on your table that shows how many trade show attendees have already participated and the results thus far. Try to make the survey as “official” looking as possible.

I’ve used this sales strategy at conventions and about 80% of the people who walk by will participate. When I would simply ask people to fill out the survey without getting a “no” first, only 20% participated.

Give it a try.

Getting a “no” out of the way first can also work on a sales web page. You simply work the concept into your headline and copy.

Easy Web Tip #74: First get your prospect to say “no” and then go for the “yes.”