The 4 Stage Prospect Psychology Framework: How To Sell Anything To A Stranger, Without Selling At All
The 4 stages of prospect perception, and how I use them to convert friends into clients
Sit down, send hundreds of DMs, get a few replies, take a walk because you’re frustrated with all the rejections, jump on less calls, get even less clients.. repeat
This is the current state of outbound marketing for freelancers and digital marketers selling a service
People need something to focus their attention on..
So they focus on what everyone else is doing
Listkit, Apollo, Instagram, Linked In, Facebook, Phantombuster, Excel spreadsheets
These things all have one thing in common..
They are being used to send out thousands upon thousands of messages pitching services to potential clients
But there’s something these messages don’t contain..
Humanity
Messages are being sent to get more clients
Messages are being sent to get more sales
Messages are being sent to gain more sign ups
There is no humanity aspect to these things
Yes, on the surface there’s a method that looks like humanity
Asking them about their struggles, finding common ground with them etc.
But these are all tactics to eventually sell something
The problem with your current strategy, is you don’t keep the states of prospect perception in mind → Do they even trust you?
You can build real connections, AND sell
It takes more time, and depending on a few factors opportunities will differ..
But you’ll never have to worry about pissing people off, or “losing a client” again
Because this method of selling isn’t selling, it’s partnerships and opportunities
Forget worrying about rejection → You can just try to “close” them multiple times
This method ensures you never really piss someone off, you just give them an idea that might solve their current problem
And unlike with normal outreach, they will keep talking to you, be friends with you, and eventually if the solution you have for them is desirable, they will turn into a client
And also, forget about sending hundreds of DMs
You only need to send about 20-30 a week
The reason common method users require hundreds of messages, is because they are making up for their lack of humanity
Most people selling service only care about the person after they are paid
“A prospect is a prospect, not a friend”, they would say
You’ve probably heard it before..
“You can’t sell to your friends”
“Making friends with a prospect doesn’t work”
“You need to get to the point quickly”
Every single one of those points are nonsense
Making friends with a prospect is possible
I’ve pulled this off with about 4 people, without even trying to
One partnership turned into over $2000 in revenue
Another partnership turned into Over 1000 email subscribers
Another partnership turned into over $5,600 in revenue
And right now I have another partnership that’s going to do the same
What matters, is that you produce results, otherwise you’re wasting their time
I’ll be honest with you, not all partnerships will work out perfectly
Some people will depend on you and you won’t deliver the desired result
This happened with my friend (who was originally a client), 10yeartarget
I wrote some email sequences for him over a year & a half ago, but it didn’t produce significant results
But then I also teamed up with my very first client, that resulted in $2000 (I can’t share who as it’s confidential)
In this article, I will be explaining why so much trust was put in me, and how you can replicate the process
And remember..
This approach doesn’t work, if you don’t have experience in sales..
But if you’re reading this article, it means you’re getting access to my method
It means even with zero experience, you can pull this off (if you are consistent)
But you need to understand, this method is designed to build real connections..
Not for sneaky salesmen just trying to make a quick buck
Now then, let’s get started
Stage 1 - The Stranger Stage
Find common ground.
This guide assumes you have never spoken to this person before
This is fine, because we’re starting at zero
Remember, you’re going into this to build a real connection, not to sell
But if the opportunity shows itself down the line, then I will show you how to make use of it
Right now, in the person’s mind, you’re a complete stranger
They don’t know you, they don’t trust you, and they don’t particularly like you
This is normal
This is the 1st stage in the prospect psychology framework
The way they perceive you can be 2 ways:
As a threat
Or as a nobody
Your job, is to make you first encounter with them, as pleasant as possible
Because why wouldn’t you want to do that when building a real connection?
Finding common ground, means finding something about them, their personality, or their brand, that REALLY resonates with you
Read their newsletter, read their articles, read their posts, find something in them as a person or brand, that really stands out to you
This is how you find common ground
Because you know what people like? When someone shows a real interest in their work or personality
Creating content is mentally draining → Make them feel appreciated as a person
This is the last time I will mention this, but DO NOT use this to manipulate people
You’re building a real connection, that has the potential to turn into a business opportunity, a mentorship, or a long term client partnership down the line
Let’s use my DMs as an example
In my DMs there’s someone I occasionally talk to called “Jordan Parker”
If you’re reading this, thanx for reading Jordan :D
Jordan has been in tech and system building for over 15 years
Now I’ve seen people who’ve been in their profession for 15 years on X before..
Often they still have no idea how to navigate X properly, grow followers, or monetize
But due to the fact that technology is Jordan’s area of expertise..
He’s way ahead of me in many things
I’m sure If I searched really hard, I could find something we can partner up on
But that would require a bunch of extra effort
In the recent article where I released my writing framework that allows me to write 2000 word articles on a weekly basis, I said the point of a framework, is to make a process effortless
So keeping all that information into account, Jordan would be able to teach me a few things (even though I must admit, a lot of what we know seems to be on the same level)
So naturally, Jordan might make a great mentor when it comes to certain topics
This means Jordan presents a business opportunity
Maybe not revenue wise, but knowledge gain wise
And the way we started a conversation, is by simply having a chat about gaming
That was it.
I asked about him playing Diablo, and if he was having fun
A simple conversation over shared interests
And Jordan gave a really nice reply
Now remember, not everyone is going to be open to just having a chat
Some people might be so defensive that they don’t reply
Some people might have no interest in responding to you
That’s okay, you don’t have to build connections with everyone
Now that we’ve established common ground, Jordan is technically in stage 2 of the framework
Stage 2 — The Authority Stage
Now that you’ve found common ground, they need to know they can depend on you for certain things
In this stage they believe:
You 2 have something in common
But you’re not an authority on anything relevant to them
Normally, in cold outreach, people try to rush through this stage, which results in pissed off prospects and small conversions → But it’s much faster than building a connection
But since we’re building a real connection here, this process will take more time
Don’t think about it, just be a fellow human being
This is the stage where you start asking questions
Ask them about their business, what they are working on, what they are struggling with etc.
Get a good idea of what they are working on, and what they might need help with..
But don’t try to sell something. Just provide guidance
Talk about a related personal experience to their problem, and how you solved it
Bonus points if you helped someone else solve it too
Have a casual conversation about business goals, and where the two of you are headed
But mention about your experience regarding their problem
Just drop random tips to help them out, and maybe let them know they can ask you for advice
They need to look at you and immediately think, “Ian can help me with this problem”
This is how you establish authority, without even thinking about selling something
And then? You move on to the next stage
Because by now, you’ve found common ground, and they hopefully see you as an authority on the topic related to their problem
If you really have no authority regarding their problem, then don’t worry!
You’ve built a real human connection with someone who has a few things in common with you → This will turn into a long term friendship
One final note on this stage. You need an optimized profile and bio. Because they will see your bio profile when you message them and think, “That’s some impressive achievements, but are they actually an authority?”
Then when you reach out to them, and get to this stage, they will know that you are the real deal
Stage 3 — The Opportunity Stage
When we get to this point, there’s an opportunity in the palm of your hands
In this stage they are thinking:
They are an authority on these topics
They still might try to sell me something
Here you can offer to partner with them on a project you’re working on, or you can offer to help them on a project they are working on
If their expertise is relevant to your project or vice versa, make a revenue share deal while the two of you are partnered
It can be a product sale bundle, it can be a paid community you want to build, it can be a program you’re launching..
It doesn’t matter
What they need to understand, is that you believe you can depend on them
If they say yes (which they might not), then whenever you take on a business project, you try to include them when their skillset is relevant
In this stage, it’s your job to prove your ability
They are your partner, so they need to really believe in you too
What you’re doing here is establishing a partnership, not selling a service
This stage we are now in, is the same stage clients who already paid you are in
They have a form of trust in you due to the results you helped them get, so when you ask for a partnership, they immediately believe you can pull it off, and they will benefit
But you don’t need to send hundreds of cold DMs until someone trusts you a tiny bit, then get results for them, then get them to this stage (which will take a long time)
You just follow the stages in this framework instead, then when you get to this stage..
You suggest a partnership
Some connections will say no, and that’s okay
Remember, since you’re not a sneaky salesman trying to sell them something, they will keep talking to you, they will keep replying, because you two are friends
And if they keep replying, then a new opportunity will present itself eventually
You can do this as many times as you want, and both of you will benefit when your friend says yes
This is also the stage where you can suggest jumping on a call, and just having a chat about their current problem
If you can solve their problem, then bring up some case studies of when you did it for other people
Since they’ve already formed trust in you, they will be open to your thoughts, and most likely take them seriously (unless they know everything you’re saying already)
But if they know everything you know, it means you didn’t follow the framework correctly
If they know everything you know, then they might know more, and you can work with them on a project anyway, almost like a mentorship
I’ve used these methods to build a 263,600 follower network, and it will keep expanding with more experts in their field
Currently I’m friends with a niche page expert (Over $2000), a personal branding expert ($5,600), a productivity expert (Close to project launch), and a sales funnel expert (mentorship and guidance)
It will get difficult to keep track of everyone, so many sure you’ve got a PRM for these people | PRM = Partnership Relationship Manager
Stage 4 — The Client Stage
If the two of you have worked hard together on a few things, then there’s a powerful trust between the two of you by now
Here they are thinking:
I can trust this person
If they offer a solution to something, I know it will most likely work..
And even in the event it doesn’t work, I can always count on them
I want you to pay close attention here..
Because you followed the stages of perception, they no longer think you are selling them something -> Their perception has changed
The way they perceive you has changed
As a result, you’ve overcome the “solicitation barrier”
The barrier everyone has when a random person tries to sell them something
They now think you can offer them the solution to their problem..
Instead of “this person is trying to sell me something”
The less defensive a person is, the simpler the sales process is
Of course, your main intention should not be to sell, but this development is massive for prospect psychology
And even if you f#ck up, your partner or friend will most likely support you anyway
But when it comes to what they know you’re an authority on (you’ve shown this using your profile, your guidance, and your partnership results), they won’t mind putting their trust in you
So if you wanted to, you could offer to help them with their current business project, for a fee, or for revenue share
See, now that they know they can trust you to be ethical and you know what you’re doing, turning them into a client will be much easier
Of course, this doesn’t have a 100% success rate, but it’s sitting at an 80% success rate..
Provided you can actually solve their problem that is
This process can take weeks, or even months..
But if you follow the framework, and you don’t stop talking to this person at least once every few days, you’re bound to see tremendous results
And btw, if you use this to land clients or customers, the amount of money you can make is easily 10x that of cold outreach
The partnership I had with my personal branding friend turned into $5,600 in revenue, but we stopped the business project since he pivoted due to unforeseen circumstances
If we had be able to continue on that business project, we’d be close or over $20,000 in revenue from one project by now
Incredible results come through consistent effort
But the entire purpose of this framework is to network, build life changing partnerships, and make a lot of money on the way
Unlike every day prospecting or outreach methods, this is about building a real connection 1st, and potentially making money 2nd
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