You are out getting coffee with your prospect. Everything has been going good so far. You have asked them good questions and you have listened intently to their every word. As they continue speaking, an idea hits you- an idea better than their idea. Instead of looking at the issue from their perspective, you try to make them see the issue from your view.
If Sandler was to walk in on this conversation he would remind you “Don’t paint seagulls in your prospect’s picture.” If that statement isn’t sinking in, perhaps music will help
Seagull statements sound like: “You know what might be nice…” “I can see this being big…” “What I didn’t tell you is that my product has the ability to…”
If sales is a discovery process (which it is) then the introduction of a seagull has to be approached in a similar way- ask them questions to help them discover for themselves that a new idea or addition to their previous need should be considered. If they come to it by themselves, instead of it being forced upon themselves, they will be much more willing to accept the idea. Instead, ask them a question more like “Do you think that ‘x’ would allow you to do this more effectively?” It will yield greater results.
BoweryJE22
Ideas cannot simply be put into someone’s head. Rather, they are found through personal discovery. Seagull questions are a good way of getting a prospect to come to that discovery on their own.
Interesting post Bobby. It is always best to avoid statements in this process by asking questions instead and let the prospect think they are coming to decisions themselves.
Not gonna lie– this video made my day. Thanks for livening up the sales blog with awesome examples and video clips. Your blog posts make sales relatable and interesting, and I really appreciate that. 🙂