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Stop Telling

Written by: Will Turner

Article Overview: Don't spend your time "telling" a prospect about all the great things you can do because "telling ain't selling." Learn to engage your prospects with the right questions and the sales will follow.

Stop Telling

Salespeople love to tell people all about themselves and how great their products or services are. Let me give you an example. I recently met with a Business Development Director of a small company. The service he was selling was awesome.

He carried on for the better part of 90 minutes telling me all the wonderful things that could be done with his service. I would have probably bought from him on the spot, if he had only stopped talking long enough to ask me meaningful questions about what was important to me.

I don’t mean the kind of questions that can be answered with a yes or no. Salespeople are notorious for saying things like, “Is that something you’re interested in?” Usually after making some obvious statement like, “It can save you money.”

Most salespeople spend too much time telling and not enough time asking. And when they do ask, they ask the wrong questions the wrong way. So what are the right questions and how do you ask them?

Start by finding out about the person you’re meeting with. If you’re selling business to business, you then move on to company-related questions. From there, you can determine needs by asking appropriate need/want questions.

Obviously, the specific questions you ask will vary depending on who you are talking to. The key with any questions is to ask it and then LISTEN. Your next question will come to you naturally if you truly listen to the answer that the other person gives you.

For example, your conversation with a prospect may go something like this:

You: So Bob, tell me how you got in your current position of Vice President of Marketing.

Prospect: Well, I worked my way up from a marketing and sales position with the company. I’ve been here for about nine years. It all started when I was recruited from MBA school.

You: Really, where did you go to school.

Prospect: I graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University.

You: What made you choose their program?

Do you see how the conversation just naturally evolves? When you listen and don’t try to ask pre-programmed questions, you have a great opportunity to learn what’s important to your prospect and why. Your relationship will naturally develop when you stop telling and start asking.

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Related Forum Posts
Decide your market first - Stop for a second and decide exactly who it is that you want to sell your product to. Once you've done this you'll have a far better idea of where to find them and what it is that they're interested in Cheers
Other Great Books... - Feel The Fear And Do It AnyWay - Susan Jeffers How To Stop Worrying And Do It Anyway - Dale Carnegie ('What's the worst that could happen - the worst?' Then prepare yourself for that and reality is such a relief!).
Re: Social Media Marketing - Corporate Vs. Small Business - [quote="WebBizIdeas.com":y4tmwxf6]Telling your dorky friends at school you are having a big party does nothing...having the coolest kid in school tell some people about your party is all it takes...that is Social Media Marketing. Jeff[/quote:y4tmwxf6] Hi Jeff, So what recommendations do you have for influencing the most popular "kid in school" (i.e. the person with the most influence in your related industry) to promote your products/services?
Re: New Idea...suggestions please - People, it's easier than you think in some cases. Say you are replying to a question and you are about to refer to company ABC's website. Stop and explore their site for their affiliate program. If they have one, register and use your affiliate link in your post. If this takes time, you can post a regular link first, then come back and edit your reply by swapping for your affiliate link. If you post regularly, you'll soon have accounts at all the affiliate exchanges and you'll start getting money from your referrals. How about it?
Re: What is your biggest challenge? Today? - [quote="GT Bulmer":10b1rb6o]sounds like keeping one foot on the dock and one in the boat, doesn't it?) I've had suggestions of interest from other high profile potential clients but I have chosen not to pursue them at this time.[/quote:10b1rb6o] Hi GT, Who knows, perhaps you'll need to take that leap of faith and "burn your bridges" (of escape/going back) like Dale Carnegie suggests in "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" to get to the next level and reach your income goal. Complacency and comfort can be death.


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