Part of the lessons we are learning in sales includes some of the rules of Sandler. The Sandler rule number 17 is very important for a salesman to utilize. This rule is when the professional does what he does, as a dummy, on purpose. The salesman can use their knowledge to their advantage, but a good salesman is working towards discovering what the prospect needs and wants out of the relationship. With this rule, the concept is to ask dummy questions of the customer to clarify what exactly they want. Making sure that you are clear about what they want will allow you to understand how to approach this relationship and how you can further this potential transaction. As a salesperson, make sure to ask yourself whether what you are asking and/or offering is in the prospect’s best interest.
Once you ask the “dummy” questions, be sure to wait out the silence and allow them to speak. Make sure that they voice their opinions and make clear that they have the floor to express their thoughts. The silence may be awkward, but it is better to embrace it and make sure that they are available to think through the process. Also, when you do ask them questions, ask the prospect questions like a doctor would. Ask them simple questions that may seem obvious, and by doing so, you are able to avoid any assumptions that may be a mistake. Also, as always, answer their questions with a question. The prospect should be talking the majority of the time and if they are not, you may be spilling your candy in the lobby or other techniques that may backfire. As a salesman, asking good questions are for sure the key to success in making sales and even making business relationships in general.
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A dummy question is a great way to make sure that you are on the same page as the customer during the sales process. And another great point is to wait after you ask the dummy question the customer will answer, find yourself comfortable in the silence, eventually they will talk. Going along with Sandler’s be sure to ask yourself what your intentions are. Someone’s actions can be the same as another but the intentions behind the actions will determine the difference between right and wrong. Is this in the customers best interest? And as always help the customer first, take care of them and build a genuine relationship.
I have definitely been in situations where assumptions have lost me the sale. Especially when it comes to budgets, it is very easy to assume what people’s budgets are based on their outward appearance. For instance, when I worked in a Greek restaurant last summer, where the food is fairly expensive in comparison to my own budget, I found myself apologizing for the high prices often. My boss recognized what I was unintentionally doing and pointed it out to me. “They know what the prices are when they order off the menu,” she said. It made me realize how I held back from many opportunities to sell a dessert or appetizer because I thought that it would be out of their budget.
When a salesperson assumes things about the customer in a sales conversation, it almost always ends terribly for them. Asking dummy questions is a great way to get all the information you need out of a sales talk and can make the customer feel like you genuinely care about the little things you are asking them about. The point you brought up about waiting for an answer back is very important. When asked a question, it is important to stay silent, and let them answer the question and get them talking about their needs and wants.
This is so important in sales. A salesperson could definitely use their knowledge to their advantage and make themselves seem more powerful than the prospect, but by lower that and asking simple questions, they are actually able to understand the prospect. This way they don’t make any false assumptions, and they are able to truly help the prospect.