“a process which cannot happen unless they are actively engaged in the conversation.” Right I totally agree that your prospect has to “sell them self”. If the prospect you speak to does not talk back or engage in that conversation with you, what do you do? You ask questions of course. Tie downs are as you already know are just mini questions. They are also used to close the prospect on whatever deal.

I know people hate the whole “close” thing but that is the reality of sales. You need to close your prospect on whatever product/service your selling.

Qualify. Present. Close.

And especially in your case, when your wife’s arguing with you

the example I gave was pretty aggressive, I do not doubt that. However, even though a few people might be repelled, being aggressive is required to make a lot of sales. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean being rude, because there is a huge difference between the two.

And also, you do make a very valid point on “depends on the scenario”. It’s one of those things where it SHOULD be like common sense to understand if your prospect is getting annoyed or not. Also, an important factor that comes into play is your level of rapport with the person.

Tie downs are must to sell. Selling is asking questions. Selling isn’t telling.