- What do you do?
- What is it that motivates you?
- And that means?
- What’s your biggest struggle?
The preceding questions are all examples of how to move a prospecting conversation forward. The goal of prospecting is to understand your client, not sell to them. So, why is questioning so important? Shouldn’t you try to help your potential client understand your product? Prospecting is a conversation that should be almost entirely one sided. Allow your client to speak whats on their mind, and guide them using questions. Questioning allows a client to feel as though you are taking interest in what they are saying, and allows you to guide the conversation in a direction you wish. If a client feels as though you are taking legitimate interest in what they are saying, they will be more open in the future to listen to what you have to say. As Sandler rule #8 says, “when prospecting, go for the appointment. Going for the appointment allows the consumer to set up their own sales meeting, which primes them to be more receptive to your sales pitch. Furthermore, after a successful prospecting meeting, the consumer will trust the salesman, easing the selling process in the future. Here is an example of what a prospecting conversation could sound like:
- Salesman – “Thank you for taking the time to talk, what exactly is it that you do?”
- Prospect – “No problem. I actually own my own business.”
- Salesman – “Interesting! Can you tell me a little about it?”
- Prospect – “Well the company mainly does…”
- Salesman – “That’s great! What would you say is your biggest motivating factor within your business?”
- Prospect – “That would probably have to be…”
- Salesman – “Sounds like you’ve built an awesome business! So, what exactly are you struggling with?”
- Prospect – “Thank you! I would say our biggest problem is…”
As the conversation progresses, the salesman can guide the conversation to the need by using questions. By mastering this technique you can gain the trust of prospects and turn them into clients.
BoweryJE22
Prospecting is crucial to the sales process. It helps in not only figuring out who your customers are but also in getting to know your customer and their pain directly through them by leading them through a conversation of strategic questions that allows you to better understand them, and leads them to better trust you. This is a very important concept in sales. Thanks for sharing!