Answering the Question with a Question & No Mind Reading are 2 Sandler rules that I found to be interesting.
Sandler Rule #12: Answer the question with a question
This rule means that you are kind of doing a self evaluation of if you are truly understanding what the prospect is wanting to gain from you. If you do not truly understand the intent of the prospects question, ask another question that will lay the intent of the question out on the table plain and simple. The key to this rule is to be digging deeper into the full meaning and full intent of what the prospects wants or needs. This rule will also lessen the amount of stress that you are putting on yourself during a sale, because you are not having to answer the question directly. It allows you to be able to have more time to think about how to answer the question by asking another couple of question to understand more about the root of the concern.
Sandler Rule #13: No mind reading
Another rule that I liked learning about was about how a salesman is to not mind read the prospect. A lot of people are quick to judge or automatically assume certain answers or characteristics of people. The problem with this is that if you judge or assume the wrong answers, you could be missing out on an ever bigger pain of your client and than sacrifice having them leave the sale unsatisfied. If you “mind read” and “gain” incorrect information about the client you are sacrificing not truly knowing the client and what they actually need from the sale that you are discussing with them. If you leave a sale with wrong information or not enough information you could risk the client not returning to you in the future or you could also risk the client backing out of the sale.
BoweryJE22
These are both very practical rules to keep in mind when entering into a sales call or interaction. It is imperative to dig deep into the needs and pains of your prospect in order to provide them with the best services/products possible that help them achieve their goals. This is done by asking more questions and not assuming things. Falsely assuming a wrong perspective from your prospect can box you into a situation that is unfavorable for the sales process and therefore lead to a sale that falls through. I share your interest in these rules, especially because they can be applied to every day life relationships as well to minimize misunderstandings and provide clarity.
Good stuff there. In think it is interesting that you mention these rules together because I think they go hand in hand. The rule of answering every question with a question prevents us from Mind Reading and assuming in the first place. By asking questions to dig deeper we eliminate the need to assume really anything at all.
I really like this post topic and think it is a great example of patience in sales. The ABC, always be closing, philosophy is a mindset that does not recognize the patience needed to be an effective salesman. These two rules are two of maybe the most important applications of patience in sales.