My parents were fond of the expression: “You can catch a lot more flies with honey than with vinegar!”

Exactly, and the same logic applies to snaring customers.

Most of us who do business to business selling have to get through secretarial screening, or at least handle these sentries deftly, if we hope to catch the decision maker. But we err, by sounding too cagey, too strategic, and generally, not agreeable enough.

We can change this and get better results by altering slightly a key exchange with the screener.

For example, let’s say I’m calling for Yoda, you know that hard to catch fellow, with the light saber and Zen-like expressions.

I’ll call and ask for Yoda, please.

“He stepped out. Can I take a message?”

At this moment, many will reply, “No, I’ll try him later.”

This sounds evasive.

Instead be agreeable.

Say, “Sure, do you expect he’ll be back in the next hour, or so?”

The screener will probably give you the information you need.

“Yes, he’ll be back in 15-20 minutes.”

Then, it’s easy to say thanks and that you’ll call back.

By the way, your voice is fresh on her mind, so when you do call, she’ll recognize you, and probably put you right through.

You may have noticed that I never gave her that message that she asked to take for me; only an affirmative reply, right?

This is a very, very powerful technique.

By saying “Sure,” you throw her off the scent, she feels successful, you’ve been nice, and she’ll disclose information and be cooperative from that moment, on.

That’s just one example of the power of agreeability in selling.

We’ll explore this topic further, in future articles.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.