“Yes, and … ”

That two-word phrase can deepen your relationships and make you better at sales. That’s the word from Isaac Rodriguez, CEO of Provident Loan, and an amateur improv performer. He learned “yes, and … ” as an improv technique for continuing or escalating a scene, but then discovered it was very effective in the business world as well. I’d never really thought about “yes, and … ” before he recommended it but now that I have, I see how it’s a surprisingly powerful tool.

It helps you upsell.

A customer says something like, “Your product is really working well for us.”

Your first instinct might be to say something like, “Thanks! I’m so glad you’re happy with it.” That would certainly be anybody’s first instinct.

But consider a “yes, and … ” response instead. “Yes, we’re glad it’s fitting your needs so well. And many of our customers also have good results when they pair it with this other complementary product.”…