Slow down and be curious, an area where most good sales people fail and the superb sales professional’s excel. Never be fast in giving an answer, and instead be curious. Easier said than done right as after all you have to make that sale to keep your sales manager off your back and you have to meet the monthly targets so what you are saying is that you don’t have time? Huh.
Here is something that you should try I will guarantee it will stump the best. ASK WHY. Every time some one asks you some thing or offers a solution just ask why! This word is an important leveler and when it comes to being superb at your chosen profession of sales learning and sharpening your skill at using this one easy to remember word will dramatically improve your sales closure rate when it is used appropriately.
Stop being the answer person, acknowledge the comment or question and when appropriate ask a WHY? Question. This will automatically slow down the momentum passing control of the situation back to you effortlessly.
Here is a scenario, say you are working as a sales person in the car industry.
A customer enters your yard and is looking around at various cars, you walk up introduce your self and immediately the customer asks you does this car come in blue, and does it have a manual gear box?
What type of sale person are you? Average? OR Superb?
The average sales person would answer in any of the following combinations,
- “Yes. It comes in…” (product before need)
- “No. Only what you see here…”(Giving up before identifying needs)
- “Oh but it’s the latest…” (Contradiction)
- “Don’t you like this colour?” (Reflective listening”
- “If blue is available will you buy today?” (This is a sale killer as you have tried to close with out establishing the customers needs or their obstacles are identified) This is endemic in the car industry and for the average sales person struggles to make the sale, customers are much to savvy these days.
- “Well, manual transmissions are a special order I would need you to order the car…”(Again closing the customer prematurely) are you sure you don’t want an auto? (Changing the platform)
- “Oh, is this colour to loud for you?” (Interpretation, translation, assumption, you are putting words in the customers mouth)
- “You are the first customer to dislike the colour,…? (Discounting the objection)
- “My other customers feel the same way about that colour….” (Reinforcing the objection)
- “Well I am not sure if Blue is available, but we offer….” (telling vx checking)
In all of the different forms of responses the sales person is trying to persuade or evade. This sales person is average and will never be superb as the sales person has not taken the time to connect with the customer by acknowledging and getting more information by asking questions. As you will note the responses are defensive and the customer is in control.
By slowing down and using acknowledgement and questions the sales person would have connected with the customer, learned more and been more persuasive as a result.
Unfortunately the tendency to answer is deeply entrenched in most sales people as that is the way they have been trained and in every instance are petrified of losing the sale and invariably do.
Author Brian Norton is a highly respected and astute investor, property developer, agent, auctioneer and author, Brian Norton is a Highly respected public speaker and consultant, He is an industry expert and trainer and assessor, sign up for his soon to be released book “Dare to Dream” at http://benjimite.com or through the comments section on http://blog.realestate-profit.com
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