Close Every Sales Call

‹ Back

Talk Less — Smile More!

 

Many people believe that to be a great salesperson you have to be a great talker.

I disagree!

 

Sure, you need to be able to communicate. You need to understand their situation and devise a way that your products will fit or help them.  You need to explain the benefits and be able to answer your customer's questions.  But that doesn't mean you should do all the talking!

 

Think about your last sales call. Who talked more — you or the customer?

If the answer is YOU, you have missed an opportunity.

 

One of the most important things I learned in sales was that the more I could get the customer talking, the more I learned. And the more I learned, the better chance I had of making the sale.

 

Remember my post on Establishing Needs?

How can you establish a customer's needs if you don't let them tell you what those needs are?

 

Ask questions!

What are they doing now? What do they like about it? What don't they like? What problems are they having? What would they change if they could? What is that problem costing them?

 

Then — LISTEN!

 

Don't ask a question while you're already thinking about what you're going to say next.

Listen to the answer.

 

A good answer will frequently lead you to another question to ask that gets you closer to the sale.

 

The customer may tell you something you never would have learned from your carefully prepared sales presentation. They may tell you about a problem you can solve, an issue with a competitor, a new project coming up, a change in their business, or even exactly what you need to do to get the order.

But you have to give them the opportunity to tell you!

 

There is another benefit to getting the customer talking.

People like to be heard.

 

When you show genuine interest in their business and what they have to say, you aren't just gathering information. You are building a relationship.  That doesn't mean sitting there silently and nodding your head. You still have a job to do. You need to guide the conversation, ask good questions and eventually explain how your product or service can help.

 

But now your presentation isn't about everything your product CAN do.

It's about what the customer just told you they NEED it to do.

 

That's a much easier sale!

 

So on your next sales call, resist the temptation to impress the customer with everything you know.

 

Ask a good question -- Listen carefully to the answer. -- Ask another one.

 

And remember...

Talk Less — Listen More!

 

Invest in Yourself -- Purchase Close Every Sales Call on Amazon Today.

Listen to the audiobook while you are in the car!

 

s.