Silence is GoldenWant to close more sales? STOP TALKING!!!!! Think back to your high school and college days. When your teacher or professor told you that whatever he/she was talking about was going to be on a test or quiz, did you listen more intently? Did you wakeup and start taking notes? Were you suddenly trying to capture as much information as possible?
When you are on a sales call, it's not too much different than what was supposed to happen when you were in a classroom environment. You were there to learn. You were there to obtain information.
Your client is meeting with you presumably because they need help. Are you giving your clients the solution before you really understand the problem? Do you have a tendency to interrupt people and give them your ideas before they can complete a sentence? When you do the talking, you are inhibiting your prospects and clients from wanting to talk. Your job is not to dominate the conversation and give a lot of advice. Your job is to listen, and encourage your prospects to keep on talking. Your job is to help your customer solve a problem. Your job is to find the root of the problem and determine if your customer wants to fix it. You can't do that if you are dominating a conversation.
Encourage your prospects and clients to do the majority of the talking. Use short statements and questions to encourage your prospects to continue giving you more information. Some examples are. "Tell me more. Can you elaborate on that? Please go on. How long has this been a problem? Could you give me an example of that? How have you tried to fix the problem? What is the financial impact of this problem?"
Next time you are in a sales situation and you are trying to understand the customer's motivations, concerns, problems, pains and challenges, pretend what they are saying will be on a test. Listen 70-80% of the time.
Don't be too surprised if your closing ratio increases as your talking decreases. An "A" on this test is a closed sale. B's and C's don't count.
"Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly" - Robert F. Kennedy
Have a great week
Please call me if I can help with any business development and prospecting questions.
Ken
Ken LevineImpact Business Solutions, Inc.508-845-8849www.impactbussolutions.com
How to Avoid Everyday Sales Mistakes
Avoiding Every Day Sales GoofsA client of mine once said to me, “It’s better to do the right thing badly than the wrong thing very well.” So it goes in sales. Try to do the right things, even if not very well, even if it hurts.
Tips On Overcoming Sales Resistance
When your clients and prospects resist your sales presentation are they really saying NO or are they asking you questions in order to make an informed decision? Resistance can come in a variety of forms: The client may not like you, they may not like your product or service or they simply would prefer the status quo (change is not an option.)
