If you are reading this review, chances are you’re interested in Jordan Belfort’s sales strategy of Straight Line Persuasion.
Jordan Belfort became so famous after the movie The Wolf of Wall Street which popularised his life of excesses on Wall Street.
As someone who is passionate about sales and always looking to learn and improve myself, I learned so much from watching the Youtube videos of Jordan Belfort. But I’m not here to endorse him or Straight Line Persuasion.
You can rest assured that what I tell you is genuine because I’m not affiliated with Jordan Belfort.
I’m here to share with you my views on Straight Line Persuasion so that you can make a more informed decision.
At the end of this review, I’ll also tell you the best alternative that has enabled me to make a 4-5 figure monthly passive income.
Below is what I’ll be covering in the review of Jordan Belfort and Straight Line Persuasion.
Table of Contents
- Who is Jordan Belfort?
- What is Straight Line Persuasion?
- An Overview of Straight Line Persuasion
- Pros of Straight Line Persuasion
- Straight Line Persuasion’s Course Quality
- Cons and Complaints of Straight Line Persuasion
- Straight Line Persuasion Pricing
- Who Is Straight Line Persuasion For?
- Positive and Negative Feedback From Students of Straight Line Persuasion
- The Problems with Straight Line Persuasion
- Does Jordan Belfort Deliver?
- Is Straight Line Worth the Money?
- Is Straight Line Persuasion a Scam or Legit?
- Better Alternative to Straight Line Persuasion to Make Passive Income
Who is Jordan Belfort?
Jordan Belfort is a former New York stockbroker who became a celebrity in 2013 when “The Wolf of Wall Street” movie came out based on his life story.
Before Joran was put into jail, he made over $200 Million Dollars a year while running his company Stratton Oakmont.
He used to call up investors and persuade them to invest in worthless IPOS, penny stocks, money laundering and a lot of other illegal and unethical things, making himself super-rich in the process.
In 1998 Jordan was sentenced to 22 months in jail after being convicted of money laundering, stock market manipulation and securities fraud, and was ordered to refund his clients $100 million that he stole from them.
Since getting out of jail, Jordan now works as a sales trainer at seminars all over the world.
In the next section, I will give you a brief summary of the strategies and techniques taught in the 10 DVD “Straight Line Persuasion” course which is worth $2000.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
What is Straight Line Persuasion?
The straight Line Persuasion system is about influence, persuasion and sales.
It is called Straight Line Persuasion because the shortest distance between any two points is a straight line and you’re trying to get a customer to sign as quickly as possible.
Straight Line Persuasion is a goal-oriented selling system rather than random conversations that go nowhere.
The 3 keys to the success of the Straight Line Persuasion system are:
- Developing a good relationship with the customer
- Asking specific questions to gather intelligence and to understand the customer needs
- Always control the sale by bringing it right back every time the customer tries to sidetrack
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
An Overview of Straight Line Persuasion
Module 1: Tenets of Straight Line Persuasion
In this module, Jordan teaches you how to develop a rapport with your customer by sounding like an expert, also “active listening” i.e. making certain noises as you listen to like “mhhmm” “ahhh” “yup” “gotcha”.
Besides, you can also ask some intelligent questions to find out their pain points and desires.
This gives the prospect that he is being heard & understood.
Always remember to keep them on the straight line which moves prospect closer and closer towards the sale.
If you feel the conversation slipping into Pluto, just gently bring that conversation back to the line without being pushy or breaking rapport.
Module 2: The Art and Science of Prospecting
This section focuses on the art of qualifying buyers from non-buyers.
But Jordan’s way of persuasion is not trying to convince non-buyers into buyers. It is all about identifying the non-buyers quickly and weed them out of your potential prospects.
This kind of sales training is practical and helpful. It enhances your efficiency and increases your potency on every sale. That way, you can make more money in less time.
Module 3: Mastering Art of Tonality
In this lesson, Jordan shows you how to make an impression on someone at the subconscious level that you’re an expert and empathetic, by changing the tones of your voice to make the prospects feel that you can solve their problems.
This is about consciously wielding different tonalities to talk to your prospect in the way a friend does to them, instead of another dead-pan salesperson that’s harassing them.
Once you have mastered these skills, you can empower someone to overcome their limiting beliefs and purchase something if that’s really going to help them in some way.
Module 4: Being a Leader and Visionary
The crux of this lesson is that people buy into a vision instead of their goals.
Most people don’t have a vision for the future so they always look for someone with a compelling vision.
This explains why the entire world was sold on Steve Jobs because he has a purpose to impact the world.
People want to do business with people that are up to big things, especially when you’re selling higher ticket items.
Module 5: Inner Game of Sales
Jordan has a gift in the way he speaks and the tonality he uses at the unconscious level.
This allows him to sell at the highest level and convinces you that you’re capable of achieving extraordinary things despite being an ordinary person.
For me, Jordan is as great as Tony Robbins.
The way he utters his words and the tonality really grips you at the heart and inspires you to become someone great if you just work hard on your sales skills.
Module 6: The 5 Key Elements of the Straight Line System
1. The art of sifting
At the stage of intelligence gathering, don’t go straight to the sales pitch, instead find out the possible reasons why the prospect might refuse to buy your product.
2. The action threshold
This refers to the threshold at which the prospect will claim your offer. Everyone has a certain threshold before they make a buying decision.
The goal in SLP is to make use of language pattern and tonality to help your prospect overcome their limiting beliefs and choose to buy right now.
3. Tipping the scales
The real skill in SLP begins by looking at all the possible negative outcomes and then addressing each of those concerns.
Prospects are weighing the risk and reward of the decision during your sales pitch.
So you are actually making the case that the gains of the product or service works, far outweigh the potential risk of the product or service not working.
4. The sales funnel
Regarding the sales funnel, figure out your goals and how many phone calls you got to make every day to reach your targeted commission at your average closing rate.
5. Three things in 4 seconds
You got to make sure to start the conversation with a firm tonality which makes your prospects think that you’re sharp, empathetic and knowledgeable.
Module 7: The Art & Science of Qualifying
This section is all about the ability to identify motivated buyers from non-buyers.
You can begin with questions to find out what problems they are trying to solve and dig deeper into their feelings.
If the prospect is not revealing anything to you, they seem indifferent to whatever can be for them, they’re just lacking in interest and you might simply stop there and leave your time for other prospects.
That said, you ought to keep asking questions in an emphatic and curious way that a friend does to you so that the tone sounds non-threatening.
Module 8: Presentation
Jordan covers SLP principles in a more corporate setting, where you’re doing a presentation.
These types of setting might require a much longer sales cycle such as a huge purchase of new equipment for a factory.
So it will require substantial education to the buyer and a lot of explanation on what benefits your products can bring them.
Module 9: Power of Language
In this section, Jordan teaches you some of his favourite words that allow you to persuade somebody at the subconscious level.
Sometimes just adding words such as “virtually” into a sentence can make a difference in how the prospect feels about your sales pitch.
Module 10: Becoming a Person of Influence
You might have the underlying feeling that you’ll always be financially capable when you know how to close.
Because money will always flow to you.
However, I doubt if you can really sell your vision to other people or start a new business after you have completed the course.
In reality, people don’t even bother to talk to you when you’re just an ordinary salesperson.
It sounds good to be a person of influence but it usually costs you years of hard work before you’re deemed as an expert in a certain field.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Pros of Straight Line Persuasion
1. He is a real, proven closer
Jordan Belfort’s sales skills and the effectiveness of his Straight Line Persuasion have been proven in the real world.
2. Efficient system
The most productive technique for selling is to move in a straight line.
If you take things slowly, there is more time for correction and reflection. This is true for the vast majority of things, and undoubtedly true in sales as well.
Finding the balance between being overly aggressive and a Jedi master of sales is part of the beauty of the art of selling.
3. Live coaching
My favorite part was when The Wolf had people read his script and analyze their performance, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. It would have been nice if he had more of that.
4. Deep wisdom
Belfort’s analysis of the relationship between sound, relationship, and human psychology convinces me that he has a deep understanding of the human mind.
Straight Line Persuasion’s Course Quality
The production values of the course are quite high from the beginning. At the beginning of the course, you are greeted by Jordan Belfort in a studio setting with decent camera and sound.
However, after his introductory words, the rest of the course consists of nothing more than excerpts from a sales talk he gives. The video was shot with an inferior camera and the sound was added later.
Cons and Complaints of Straight Line Persuasion
1. Self-Help is not very useful in reality
The course deals with mindset, beliefs, and internal locus of control, all of which appear in self-help books.
You can expect to hear these topics in any reasonably thorough sales seminar. It was not the most helpful, especially for someone who has read hundreds of books on the subject.
Straight Line Persuasion Pricing
The price has dropped from $499 a year ago to $199, a savings of nearly $300. It is a one-time offer with no monthly payments.
Included in the package are:
- Straight Line Persuasion System Fast Track Course
- A 3-page document to pinpoint your business weaknesses
- A worksheet to follow along the course
- An infographic
- The Straight Line Persuasion E-Book
Who Is Straight Line Persuasion For?
I would recommend this training to vendors who have at least some experience.
Parts of the course that focus on mindset and self-help will also be useful to complete novices.
More experienced men already have this knowledge; for them, the focus should be on the tone of voice.
Positive and Negative Feedback From Students of Straight Line Persuasion
Straight Line Persuasion is not perfect. Although it does provide some value, it won’t be life-changing information if you’re already familiar with sales skills.
Positive Feedback
- Jordan Belfort is a word-class closer
- Everything is explained clearly in the course so that you won’t get confused
- Straight Line Persuasion is designed for anyone who wants to excel at sales, regardless of their social or educational background
- You will have one year of access to Jordan’s mentorship program where he will send you other training videos
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Negative Feedback
- The course is quite expensive
- Most of the information can be learnt elsewhere for free or at a cheaper price
- Not suitable for people who don’t like talking on the phone
- Hard to get the first client
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
The Problems with Straight Line Persuasion
In this section, I would like to tell you the problems of working as a salesperson that Jordan Belfort doesn’t tell you.
When it comes to making money, high ticket closing is far more difficult than you think.
First, it is extremely difficult to find prospects.
To be a high ticket closer, you are forced to compete with numerous salesmen to win over the trust of an influencer or a business owner who is able to provide you with a list of leads to close.
But when you just finished the Straight Line Persuasion, why on earth would anyone listen to your pitch? At the end of the day, there is a good chance that your talent will be buried.
Hence if you don’t have a business or look up leads, I’ll strongly advise you to try a better alternative program which I will talk about later.
Second, you need to be good at the field that pays for your service.
To make money from Straight Line Persuasion, one of the most important things is to find a service that generally costs a lot. Below are some examples:
- Dating coaching
- SEO
- Legal consultations
- Financial advisement
- Marketing consultations
These are examples of things that people are willing to pay a lot of money. But if you want to be a closer in one of these fields, you have to be familiar with their professional services.
And if you were the owner, are you sure you would give the most valuable asset of your company i.e. the contact list of prospects to someone who claims to be a high ticket closer without any testimonial?
Last but not least, the higher the price of a service or item, the greater will be the expectation and responsibility added on you, as a closer, to get the job done.
Does Jordan Belfort Deliver?
Thanks to Jordan’s incredible salesmanship, we were all led to believe that we’d gained valuable insight into the sales process, which in reality wasn’t the case.
The only good thing about this is that it gives you momentum.
The course is a sham designed to fool participants into thinking they’re learning something useful. They’ll feel that they’ve acquired knowledge, even though in reality they’ve learned nothing.
Is Straight Line Worth the Money?
The $199 price of the course is far too high. Considering the valuable lesson it teaches about persuasive communication, I think the course is worth $5. Jordan’s explanation of his “top secret sales formula” is impressive. He expresses himself with such sincerity and conviction that it’s hard not to be moved.
You can learn the same things elsewhere for free and the course adds nothing to that. He gives the same tired tips about eye contact and body language. It’s interesting to note that the protagonist of Wolf of Wall Street educated his camp staff in a way that’s quite different from the instructions given here. It’s obvious that Jordan is an expert in sales, but he won’t share his secrets with you here.
Is Straight Line Persuasion a Scam or Legit?
Straight Line Persuasion is not a scam. However, it doesn’t mean I recommend Straight Line Persuasion.
Making money as a high-ticket closer is more difficult than you thought. You have to make thousands of calls to close a few clients. It is not passive income at all. When you stop calling, you stop earning.
I reckon Jordan Belfort makes most of his money from selling Straight Line Persuasion instead of being a closer himself.
How would he spend so much to teach you if being closer can make more money?
Therefore, I don’t recommend the Straight Line Persuasion.
Instead, I have a better recommendation for you, which allows me to make a 4-5 figure passive income every month. It is totally passive, meaning I can make money while I am sleeping.
This is the power of building a digital asset.
If you want to know more about this, let me tell you more in the next section.
Recommendation: Here’s The Best Alternative
Better Alternative to Straight Line Persuasion to Make Passive Income
As an experienced Internet entrepreneur who has successfully created multiple 6 figure businesses, I’d say affiliate marketing is the best alternative to Straight Line Persuasion.
Why? Because it doesn’t need initial capital and can do it as a side hustle.
In affiliate marketing, you can run your business almost at zero cost without any trouble from sourcing products or managing inventory.
Also, since you don’t need to spend hours after hours selling things over the phone, it can save you a lot of time.
More importantly, it allows you to enjoy a steady stream of passive income while going on vacation or working a full-time job.
Warren Buffet once said, “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.”
The easiest way to make money while you sleep is by getting started with affiliate marketing.
And since the world is full of uncertainty, I’d always choose a business model that has the lowest risk.
But How Much Can You Earn in Affiliate Marketing?
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