Selling is not a favourite task for many entrepreneurs and small business owners. We picture sales people as greedy, unethical, unscrupulous individuals who are determined to close a sale at any cost. Yet we cannot survive without generating sales so selling skills are a critical competency we need to acquire.
Selling is an honourable profession and everyone who operates a business should learn some fundamentals. From my perspective as a small business owner, sales trainer and consumer, the most important selling skill to learn is how to effectively qualify your prospect.
The most common mistake sales people make is to immediately launch into a product presentation or “pitch” when they first meet their prospect. They extol the virtues of what they sell and tell the prospective buyer how good, fast, reliable, inexpensive or easy to use their product is. They talk, talk and talk hoping they’ll convince the buyer that their product is of value.
The problem with this approach is that the “pitch” seldom addresses the issues or concerns of the buyer. Because their needs have not been addressed, there is no compelling reason for them to consider using your machines or to change vendors. If you really want to give prospects a reason to buy from you, you need to give them a reason. One of the most effective ways to do this is to ask a few well thought-out questions to uncover what is important to the prospect. Here are a few examples:
“I notice you currently use XYZ Vending. How long have they been your supplier?”
“What do you like most about them?”
“If you could change one aspect about your current arrangement, what would it be?”
“What are the most important issues for you?”
“What have your experiences been with ABC Vending?”
“How many…do you sell in an average week/month?”
“Who is your primary customer?”
“Where have you had the most success with your machine(s)?”
Notice that each of these is an open-ended question which means it begins with “who”, “what”, “where”, “why”, “when” or “how.” These types of questions encourage the prospect to open up and share information of what their needs and wants are. An important note here is to be cautious you don’t inadvertently turn these open questions in to closed ones by saying something like;
“What are the most important issues for you? Timeliness of service? Income?”
This is a very common mistake that now gives the prospect an answer. I don’t know about you, but selling is hard enough without making it even more difficult. Never assume you know how they are going to answer. Ask your question and wait patiently for the answer. Even if you have been in the industry for ten years or longer and think you’ve heard it all, don’t make the mistake of assuming you know what the prospect’s needs are. Let them tell you, rather than you telling them.
One of the most important lessons I’ve learned about selling is that people will tell you ANYTHING you want to know. All you have to do is ask. Most people love to talk about themselves and want to share information about their current situation, their challenges or problems, likes and dislikes. But, in most cases, they need prompting. This prompting comes from you in the form of asking the right questions in the proper tone and manner.
It amazes me how few sales people actually take the time to learn about their customer before they launch into their presentation. In fact, not long ago I was interviewing several companies for a training initiative I working on. The first two salespeople I met rambled on at great length about how good their companies were, how long they had been in business, how they could help me, and so on.
Not once during these discussions did the sales people ask me what I was looking for. Not once during these monologues did they address any of the issues that were floating through my mind. Finally, after thirty minutes, I called the interviews to a close. From my perspective, they had just wasted half an hour of my time and, like most people in today’s business climate, my time is valuable and I simply don’t have enough of it.
If you really want to begin differentiating yourself from your competitors take the time to learn about your prospect’s situation. By doing so, you’ll begin to give them a reason to do business with you instead of someone else.
Contributed by Kelley Robertson of The Robertson Training Group. Call 1-866-694-3583 or email Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com. Kelley Robertson is the author of “Stop, Ask & Listen. How to welcome your customers and increase your sales.” Kelley helps businesses maintain their competitive advantage by teaching them how to increase their sales, develop their negotiating skills, and motivate their employees.
