There are no dumb questions in sales.
Get that stamped permanently in your brain and you’ll sell more.
I’ll say it again…
There are no dumb questions in sales.
You should be asking lots, and lots, and lots of questions when you are selling.
And you especially should be asking what to the "average person" would seem like dumb questions.
By dumb questions, I mean for example when a prospect says…
I want to buy a New Heating System.
You respond by asking…
What do you mean by a New Heating System?
or…
Why do you want to buy a New Heating System?
Questions such as these make many sales people uncomfortable.
They believe that to ask such questions would make them look like they don’t know anything. Like they aren’t an expert, and that they won’t be respected by the prospect.
In fact I am sure that some people reading this right now think I am an idiot.
That’s OK with me.
Because the real idiots in sales are the people who ask too few questions.
They may ask "How can I help you?" or "What are you looking for?"
And as soon as they hear "I want to buy a New Heating System" they respond with "Sure, let me tell you all about my best model."
In other words, they go right into sales pitch mode.
When you are pitching, you are not listening.
The less you listen, the less likely you are to hit your target when you do pitch.
It’s like the difference between a rifle shot and shotgun.
You see if you ask someone the simple question of why they want to buy a New Heating System, or what do they mean by a New Heating System, you can find out what motivates them.
One person may be motivated by cost efficiency. Another person may be motivated by quietness. Someone else is motivated by minimizing their environmental impact. And yet another person is motivated by wanting to keep their kids warm at night.
When you know the unique pains or desires that motivate a person, you can sell with a rifle shot emphasizing the capabilities and aspects of your product and company that will give them what they want.
The point is to avoid assuming that you know what your prospect wants and find out from them personally
Get the prospect to define just what they mean by "a New Heating System" and get them to tell you why they want and need this, and you have the keys to the deal.
Learn more about using questions to uncover, amplify, and leverage your prospect’s motivations for rifle shot sales accuracy with the Persuasive Selling Skills Audio Program…
