Sigmund Freud, the famous 19th century psychologist, had been searching for a way to dive deeper into what was troubling people. He discovered when he asked people to say anything that came to their mind, they would sometimes connect what they said to a crucial memory of a painful event. He called this Free Association. What Freud discovered is that sometimes if someone says something spontaneously it may be linked to what they are thinking or some memory of a significant past experience. It may even expose what they are feeling even though they are consciously or unconsciously trying to suppress those feelings. While Free Association may be considered by some psychologists an older and less used technique, the salesperson can use it to possibly find out what some people are thinking even when they don't want to expose their thoughts.

Everybody freely associates from time to time. Therapists will use free association to help get a clue to what is going on in your mind. Therapists will get you to do it by asking you to tell them the first thing that comes to your mind. Or by asking you what impression do you have of something. (The Rorschach test is another method everybody's familiar with, invented by the Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach (ror-shock) in the 1920's. It uses inkblot patterns to evoke hidden emotions & personality traits - though the test itself is regarded as very controversal).

Free Association can be either what you say or the way you say it. Okay, you say that's silly. Perhaps not. It's not really a scientific method nor does it work all the time. (Remember this was an observation by Freud). But if you are a pretty perceptive person, (like salespeople are), you may be able to detect when it happens. You have to be pretty tuned in to know how to work it. You have to be a really good listener and observer. But if you know what I'm talking about, it can be a pretty good tool to help understand unconscious behavior; even tell if someone is eluding questions or lying. A salesperson need to what someone is really thinking, especially when they suspect they're not getting the straight story. Free Association can sometimes give you a window into their unconscious.

It's as simple as asking questions and listening to what someone says. You can ask an off-guard question that throws them. If they answer really quickly, it might be linked to the truth. (Answer without thinking first can be Free Association - avoiding the truth or telling a lie takes thinking power and if you don't have the time to think, the truth can be exposed). The more they talk, the better the chance something will be exposed.

I think it's obvious this process works when the person is cooperating with you and wants to expose what they're thinking. You can't exactly begin a Free Association game with a customer. However, you can ask leading questions, and if you're perceptive enough, you may detect when the person is trying to mask their response. Telling lies or masking information takes energy and concentration. If the concentration gets broken while they're talking, they may say something that was unintended, but reflects what they are consciously or unconsciously thinking. The thing that can interrupt their concentration can be as simple as a cell phone suddenly ringing while they are in sentence. Or it can be the CEO suddenly appears in the lobby while you're talking with this person. Any kind of distraction can break their conversation and cause them to momentarily freely associate. Stress analyzers take advantage of detecting that someone is using a lot of energy in trying to keep a story straight. They work only on the conscious person where they are aware they are lying and feel the pressure of it. When the unconscious lies, it doesn't effect the conscious. The conscious person can unconsciously lie and pass every stress analyzer and lie detector test given to them. But when a person is distracted or momentarily loses control, an unconscious masking can be exposed.

The Freudian slip (see Conscious & Unconscious Person), is when the person accidentally says something they wanted repressed. (You could make the case, Mr. Psychologist, the person actually wanted it to be exposed, but unconsciously made it look like an accident). The Freudian slip happens when when the person (unconsciously) exposes something without an external trigger like a distraction. This is another way people inadvertently expose their true thoughts.

If you use your salesperson antenna, you can detect when someone is putting a lot of energy into a story. A small diversion can make them accidentally drop their defense and momentarily let out a blurb of something that is really what they are thinking. As a salesperson, you can pick this up if you carefully listen and observe the person.

Many salespeople use Free Association unconsciously in their conversations with people. That's why salespeople are such perceptive listeners. All you have to do is be a very good listener and watch for little distractions which may cause someone to reveal what they are really thinking.
Summary Of This Essay:

When a person says the first thing that occurs to them, it may happen so fast, they don't think about what they say. People sometimes want to say something that is different from what they are thinking or feeling. The most obvious case is when someone lies. Saying what you want, not what you feel or think takes energy and a conscious thought process. If someone speaks before they can think about it, they may say let out what they want to keep behind the mask. Free Association is the process of asking someone to say the first thing that comes to their mind so they can release what is really on their mind.
Copyright 2005 by Tony Rea
"There is nothing so dangerous for anyone who has something to hide as conversation! A human being, Hastings, cannot resist the opportunity to reveal himself and express his personality which conversation gives him. Every time he will give himself away." - Agatha Christie - The world's most widely published author except for William Shakespeare. She published over 80 works which have sold over 1 billion copies in English and another billion copies in 45 other languages. She is best known for her stories of detective fiction.
Sales Advice: You never can stop improving yourself. If you think you're finished with your education, you're finished with your career.
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