I consider most marketers to be jacks-of-all-trades.

To really be a marketing expert, you have to intimately know about psychology, human behavior, demographics, psychographics, ethnographics, and every step of the sales and marketing funnel.

You have to know about copy, design, branding, targeting, converting, and so much more. And even then, marketing keeps changing...so we have to keep up with the times!

But, if you want to know what I consider to be my top, #1, absolutely most essential skill, the answer might surprise you...because it's not any of the fancy tech things you might suspect.

Instead, my #1 marketing skill is the ability to reframe.

Have you ever heard of "reframing" as a general practice?

You might not...and that's no accident. See, the best marketers in the world are masters at reframing...and it's so fundamental to our psychology that people rarely talk about it.

Reframing is the art of persuading your prospect by aligning your product, service or solution to their own belief system.

That's a fancy way of saying that, when you reframe, you make it easier for your prospect to agree with what you're selling.

This happens all the time, and you've seen countless examples and might never have thought about it. For instance:

Avoid hair loss --> Grow a head of hair that everyone will want to touch.
Cut down trees --> Repurpose the land so everyone can enjoy it.
Lose weight --> Tone your body into your dream wardrobe.
Prevent deaths --> Save more lives.
Bailout the banks --> Give the banks much-needed relief.

In each of these cases, we could express something in a wide variety of ways. But in each case, hopefully you agree that the second way is much softer, easier to take and agreeable.

For instance, look at the last one about banks. When you "bail out" a bank, it implies that the bank has done something wrong and isn't worth bailing out.

On the other hand, if you give the banks "relief," it implies that the banks are doing right and just need a break.

Same outcome...very different framing.

The key here is that how you frame your marketing and sales should always be in the form that is most agreeable to your prospect.

Those of you who have heard me speak have probably heard me say something like, "you can't change their mind...you can only reinforce what they already believe."

So, what do your prospects believe, and how can you frame your sales and marketing position so that you're selling downhill?

Solve that, and you'll be well on your way to closing more deals.

How to Use Framing to Close More Deals:

• Reframing is the art of persuading your prospect by aligning your product, service or solution to their own belief system.
• An example is taking one message and turning it into another: Bailout the banks --> Give the banks much-needed relief.
• When you "bail out" a bank, it implies that the bank has done something wrong and isn't worth bailing out. On the other hand, if you give the banks "relief," it implies that the banks are doing right and just need a break.
  
• The key here is that how you frame your marketing and sales should always be in the form that is most agreeable to your prospect.
  
• Ask yourself: What do your prospects believe, and how can you frame your sales and marketing position so that you're selling downhill?