A lot of sales people spend the majority of their time talking about their product or service. They believe “telling is selling”. And, it’s usually not very effective. The most effective way to control a sale is to ask more questions.
Think of selling like driving a car. The person who asks the questions sits in the driver’s seat and controls the direction of the sale. The passenger – the person who answers the questions – goes along for the ride. Whenever the customer starts asking questions, she moves into the driver’s seat and takes control of the sale.
Unfortunately, many sales people feel that they are selling when they are responding to their prospect’s questions. They mistakenly believe that they’re demonstrating how smart or knowledgeable they are and that they’re helping the other person in their buying decision.
Unfortunately, a sales person who spends their time responding to questions isn’t getting the information they need to help the client solve their problem.
Instead, you need to ask high-quality, information-gathering questions; questions that make your prospect or customer think; questions that demonstrate your knowledge and expertise; questions that your competitors are not asking.
For example, let’s say you sell advertising. Instead of asking standard questions about your prospect’s current advertising and budget, you could focus on learning more about their goals, objectives and the challenges they face trying to meet those targets. This approach helps you gain insight into your prospect’s business which means you’re able to present a solution that will help a person’s business.
Many sales people are so focused on trying to get the sale that they don’t learn anything about their prospect’s situation. They start with a presentation or demonstration followed by a Q&A session instead of asking questions first and then adapting their presentation to address the needs of the person they’re speaking to.
If you want to control the sales process and positively influence the outcome, ask questions instead of talking. Contrary to popular belief, telling is NOT selling.
Kelley Robertson is a professional speaker and trainer on sales, negotiating, customer service, and employee motivation. Contact him via Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com or call 905.633.7750 for more information.
2600 John Street, Unit 207, Markham, ON L3R 3W3 T: 905.475.5222 F: 905.475.6369
