By best selling author and speaker Tim Connor. CSP
Accurate and timely information is the key to success in selling. One of the biggest mistakes poor salespeople make is that they give information before they get information. In other words they talk too much. If you practice this approach, you are going to make one or all of the following mistakes. 1) You will give too much information (more than is necessary to make the sale). 2) You will give the wrong information (based on the prospect's needs, wants, desires or problems). 3. You will give information that could sabotage your success either in the short or long term.
Traditional sales training, for many years, has stressed the importance of the presentation, delivering your sales message or closing the sale and getting the order. Unfortunately, these two elements of the sales process are equally unimportant if you are not in the presence of a qualified prospect. Remember, your prospect will tell you what you need to tell them to sell them. But you have to ask enough of the right questions.
There are a number of important reasons for developing a long list of questions that can be asked at various times during the sales process.
1.They get you control of the sales process. The person who asks the questions controls the conversation; the person who talks the most dominates it.
2.They help you get and maintain the prospect's attention.
3.They help you build positive rapport.
4.They save you time.
5.They help you avoid rejection.
6.They help you determine how cooperative the prospect will be.
7.They help you uncover potential sales resistance.
8.They keep you from talking too much.
9.They help you determine the prospect's Dominant Emotional Buying Motive.
10.They help you determine the prospect's personality style and how to approach him.
Keep in mind that information is power. I recommend you spend more time planning the questions you are going to ask during your next sales visit than the information you are going to give.
This approach will go along way to help you spend less time with poor prospects while increasing your sales on good prospects.
