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Sales Skills:
Shut-up and Sell!
Contrary to popular belief, to be a successful salesperson,
it doesn’t matter how much you know about your product or
service. It also doesn’t matter how much of an industry expert
you are. It doesn’t even matter how great your mother thinks
you are. The only thing that really matters to be successful in
selling is your ability to shut-up and listen.
On numerous occasions, everyone in sales has heard how
important it is to get the customer talking, so it’s imperative
that they have an arsenal of great questions to ask. Despite
trying to follow this guideline, every salesperson seems to
overstate the amount of time they believe they allow the
customer to talk. The many interviews I’ve conducted over the
years with customers and salespeople alike confirm this
reality. Therefore, salespeople need to take a step back and
consider their sales presentation.
To talk less means you have to ask questions that truly
engage the customer. However, this doesn’t mean you need to
develop complex questions. Instead, the best tactic is to ask
shorter ones. Long questions tend to result in short answers,
while short questions will generally result in long answers. An
example of a great short question is, “Why?” In my opinion,
there isn’t a better follow-up question you can ask after the
customer has shared with you some information. Consider how
your customers would respond to other short examples like, “Can
you elaborate on that?” and “Could you explain more?” These
shorter questions elicit detailed responses and that’s just what
you want. On the other hand, asking complex questions often
tends to perplex customers. Because they are not sure what you
are looking for, they respond with the universal answer
representing total confusion, “What did you say?” Questions
should not be your means of showing your customers that you are
an expert. Save that for your statements.
When preparing your sales presentation, a guideline I
subscribe to is to limit yourself from talking for more than 20
seconds at a time without asking a question. The question you
ask should be one directed at the comments you just made. By
doing so, you’re checking with the customer to see if they
understood what you just shared with them. Again, this is
something many salespeople overlook. They get caught up in
sharing with the customer their expertise and the features of
their product or service and forget all about what the customer
is thinking. Even if your product or service requires a complex
presentation, you should still follow this rule. Whether you’re
selling software, high value medical equipment, or technical
tools, it’s essential to check your clients understanding by
asking a question every 20 seconds.
Your goal on any sales call is to talk only 20% of the time.
To help ensure that this takes place, you have to plan ahead.
Before you start developing your sales presentation, create your
list of questions. This is contrary to the pattern of most
salespeople who often spend a substantial portion of their time
developing their presentation and, at the last minute, develop
their list of questions. Consider that if you’re expecting to
have a 20 minute presentation, you should have 40 questions (2
questions per minute). Even though you may not use all 40,
you’ll definitely be more prepared. In addition, you’ll be able
to pick and choose which ones you want to ask. If you’re
following the rule of asking short questions, you’ll ensure that
the customer is doing most of the talking. You’ll learn
valuable information that will help you better understand the
customer’s needs.
If you want to move your questioning process to the next
level, make half of the questions you ask be ones that help the
customer see and feel the pain they have. By doing so, they
will be much more open to receiving your solution. For example,
if you’re selling computer back-up systems, you might ask, “Can
you explain to me what happens when data is lost?” This short,
concise question is designed to get the customer thinking about
the risks they face. Furthermore, the beauty of this type of
question is that no matter what the customer’s response is, some
good follow-up questions will naturally arise.
By adhering to these guidelines, you will be able to see
dramatic results in the number of sales you are able to close.
As simple as it sounds, the more you shut up, the more you’ll
sell. And, the easiest way to achieve this goal is by asking
more, short questions. So, shut up and sell!
Mark Hunter,
“The Sales Hunter”, is a sales expert who speaks to thousands
each year on how to increase their sales profitability. For
more information or to receive a free weekly sales tip via
email, contact “The Sales Hunter” at
www.TheSalesHunter.com.
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