Have you ever been so tired or excited you just blurted out exactly what you were thinking to a random person you happened to see? Its an embarrassing realization later when you realize you hadn’t meant to share all those details.
Salespeople often struggle with the same thing. In Mattson’s book The Sandler Rules of Selling, he warns against “spilling your candy in the lobby.” Sometimes when on a sales call, it can be easy to come right out trying to hard sell the benefits of a product. Maybe they have a busy schedule or value efficiency. Maybe they are just super passionate about their product. Either way it can be a turn off for potential clients.
When a salesperson spills all their tricks in the first three minutes, they have nothing left to share. This information dump can also overwhelm your potential customers which can make for an awkward remainder of the conversation. To remedy this, Mattson recommends two thoughts. He first says to practice 70/30 conversations. Sales calls should primarily be to learn about the people who want your service. They should be talking about what they need, unless their question is being currently answered. It can be hard to maintain focus on the client, so he gives a list of leading questions that can help.
Can you tell me a little more about that?
Ah! And that showed you…?
Such as…?
By using questions like these, more information is brought to light and it is easier to see why bringing up the thought was important to the customer.
His other rule is that you should never answer an unasked question. This can set salesmen up for secret landmines. By launching into a hard sale you could inadvertently kill a sale by the way they sell their product! By asking probing questions first, salesmen are able to maintain control of the conversation, and avoid awkward shutdowns.
Sales is a complex, often nonverbal language. Trying to sell from the moment your foot is in the door has become a quick way to tank a deal. Before hard selling, be sure to slow down and ask questions. Don’t spill your candy in the lobby.
BoweryJE22
I love the way you explained this rule / lesson. Your conclusion of sales being a “complex, often nonverbal language” is such an interesting way to sum it up. I think the concept of sales is somewhat counterintuitive, and asking questions can say more about your belief in the product or service than simply blurting out a load of information.
I like how you pointed out the temptation that many salespeople face to “cut to the chase” and share anything and everything with their potential customer/client. Even though it feels beneficial and productive, it can do more harm than good, as you pointed out, as it can reveal things of the seller that may negatively affect the success of the interaction. Great post!