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direction in life, and some career guidance, you will
have that self-satisfaction you’re looking for.”
Evidence
You’ll notice that, in our examples, the recruiters
showed the prospect a map, a postcard from a prior
recruit, and a newspaper article to illustrate Navy
opportunities. This is called using evidence. The
purpose of evidence is to add credibility to your words
when you feel the need to be more convincing,
Evidence can be used anytime, but is especially
effective toward the end of the conviction step of the
sale. Visual evidence is especially effective. The saying
“a picture is worth a thousand words” is proven in
sales. People normally are more likely to believe what
they can see. There are four types of evidence that are
represented by the acronym STAR:
l Stories. A story-type example about yourself, a
shipmate, or another prospect. Stories are especially
effective if you can relate one about someone from the
prospect’s own school or area.
l ~estimonials. A testimonial is verbal or written
proof of your benefit. A letter from a recruit, a copy of
your college degree and an explanation of how you
used Navy education programs to obtain it, or a
newspaper article about a hometown recruit realizing
some of the prospect’s own desires are all examples of
testimonials.
l Analogy. An analogy is a comparison. A good
example of an analogy is to compare getting a college
degree in the Navy with traditional 4-year institutions.
Another might be to compare a military pay chart and
added monetary value of benefits with what a prospect
is now being paid. The idea is to compare your
evidence with something the prospect can relate to.
l Recruiting aids. A multitude of recruiting aids
can provide additional proof during your unit of
conviction. Supporting materials are especially effective
when explaining
benefits such as educational
opportunities and training programs.
THE SUBTLE SIGNALS
Recognizing a prospect’s buying signals can help
shorten your interview time by as much as 50 percent
and sometimes even save a sale. We’ve all heard of
body language. Subtle signals are the individual
gestures, expressions, actions, and verbalizations that
make up body language. A recruiter must become
experienced at reading these subtle signals that can tell
him or her how the prospect actually feels about what
is being said or shown. Subtle signals can be positive
buying signals or negative signals. Buying signals are
defined as anything the prospect says or does that
indicates mental ownership. Negative signals indicate
lack of interest or belief.
Buying Signals
Buying signals may be either physical or verbal.
The following are provided as examples, but are by no
means all-inclusive:
l Physical buying signals. Stroking the chin,
sparkling eyes, sudden relaxation, suddenly reexamining
a product-related object or recruiting aid, or suddenly
becoming friendlier
l Verbal or audible buying signals. Exhalation of
breath, friendlier tone of voice, asking questions that
indicate the prospect is mentally involved in some
aspect of Navy life; for example: “How much will I get
paid?”
Negative Signals
Recruiters must be just as receptive of negative
signals so they can alter the interview course and regain
rapport or provide additional evidence. Negative signals
also can indicate misidentification of the prospect’s
want, need, or DBM. Some examples of negative
signals include the following:
l Tenseness
l Crossed arms
l Negative facial expressions
l Touching the nose
l Checking watch or clock often
l Nervous energy
Some prospects may be nervous about coming to
the recruiting station. For some it is the first job
interview they have been on. Others may simply be ill
at ease in talking with an authority figure. Negative
subtle signals that result from this type of anxiety
should be handled the same as those that are caused by
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