Ask a great question... and just listen... don't fall into the temptation of answering your own question or guessing at the answer.
As an example... Let's say you are taking a consultative approach to employee development. Here is what I mean about asking a question, and then just before the client responds... you start guessing at the answer.
"What are your current employee development initiatives?" one second... two seconds... of "uncomfortable" silence... and then you jump right back in with, "Are you focused on building a bench? ...or on retention? ...or are you developing a leadership program?" ...and then you might follow with a little rambling and rephrasing of the original question, "What kinds of things... uh... are you working on to... uh... help your employees be... uh... more successful?"
Now that you've guessed at a bunch of potential answers... the client is completely confused! They are wondering, "What was your question? ...and what were those options again?..." So the client takes the easiest path and picks one of the options you provided... they say... "yes... we would like to improve our retention."
Sales people fall into this trap all the time... without even realizing it! They think they are successfully uncovering needs, but the truth is, they are just guessing at the same old "potential" issues that other clients may have experienced.
The real problem comes when it's time to close the deal. Since the sales person didn't uncover the client's true area of need, there is no value. When the client says they are not ready to buy, the sales person is left wondering, "What happened?!!! I was probing. I uncovered their pain, and everything was going great. How can they not be ready to buy? They have a HUGE retention problem... right?"
Best Practice: Work with your manager and your sales teammates to develop a set of great open ended questions. Focus on asking only one question at a time. Practice and role-play with each other until you master it! The key is to practice "out loud." It always sounds good when you are verbalizing it in your head... but it sounds a lot different when you actually say it out loud.
The next time you are in a meeting with a client, follow-up your great question with dead silence!
Have you ever seen a sales person fall in to this "guessing" trap?
How do you keep yourself from falling victim to this temptation during a moment of "uncomfortable" silence?
Share a funny story of a time when you were in this situation!
Follow-up a Great Question with Dead Silence! - To learn more about this author, visit Doyle Slayton's Website.
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Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Are your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales success or one of the many who have failed to change? So what are you doing to change those results? Let’s be honest, with companies moving globally and at lightening speeds, the traditional business solutions are outdated and dead. My approach moves your business out of its comfort zone and secures your competitive advantage now. If you are seeking to increase sales, build customer loyalty, create a culture of great attitudes or just achieve some sleep filled nights, then we should talk because my clients have experienced exactly those types of results. Learn more about customer loyalty at http://www.processspecialist.com/customer-loyalty.htm Give me a call at 219.759.5601 for a free strategy session. P.S. If you are seeking a motivational speaker, sales trainer or small business expert that will leave your audience smiling and remembering, please feel free to contact me at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Dave Kurlan
Dave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development.
Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit.
He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine.
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