When doing a sale, clarity is very important. Clarity is the capacity to help others see their situations in fresh and more revealing wats, and to identify problems they didn’t realize they had. In terms of conventional wisdom, good salespeople are problem solvers. Through the digital age, information symmetry and self-serve solutions have become what people want and less problem-solving. In class we learned that, “The real value of sales intermediaries is problem-finding, especially in situations where the client is confused, mistaken, or clueless”. In this blog post, I will talk about five different practical tips on clarity that can help you with your sales process.
The first practical tip on clarity is that you need to clarify others’ motives with two irrational questions. The first question is “on a scale of 1-10 *insert question here*”? This allows people to be honest and accurate. Asking the question in terms of on a scale of 1-10 can possibly change a no into a maybe. The second question is, “why didn’t you pick a lower number”? This allows the person to talk about some positive reasons and can move from defensive posture to articulating positive reasons for change.
A second practical tip on clarity is to try a jolt of the unfamiliar. In class, we learned clarity is achieved in contrast and comparison and people often get into ruts. In sales, introduce physical change elements when needed. For example, a location, time, context, seating, etcetera. You can do this by using language to change perspective. For time, you can put thoughts in past or future. For distance, you can say things like, “let’s step back for a moment and…”. Or you could also flip roles. For example, you could say, “You are a new customer walking into your store; what do you see?” This will not only help you get a better grasp of what the intended customer’s pain is and how you can help them, but it can also help the intended customer figure out what they are really in need of.
A third practice is to become a curator. The challenge has moved from accessing information to curating it. Being a curator means to manage basically. For sales, curation puts people in a position of being helpful as a trusted adviser and consultant. In class we learned that, “Becoming knowledgeable about your industry space elevates you from ‘Salesperson with self-interest’ to ‘competent consultant who generously provides valuable advice’ and wins business in the process”. To successfully do this, you need to use Seek, sense, share approach, have awareness, good interpretations, as well as distribution.
Learn how to ask better questions is the fourth practical tip when it comes to clarity in selling. Your effectiveness in any sales context, whether “sales-selling” or “non-sales selling” will be determined largely by your ability to ask the right questions. In the book we are reading in class, Pink recommends three intentional questions oriented in preparation of a sale: produce your questions (make a list), improve your questions (categorize as closed or open and modify/tweak), and prioritize your questions (pick your top three questions and do a final edit). This will help you in the long run and teach you on how to be a better sales person.
The fifth practice is to ask the five “Whys”. The five whys approach development by IDEO. The first why is to ask why, and in response to each reply, ask another why. They second key strategy is moving through the pain funnel. Thirdly, asking why connects with “the problem the prospect brings to you is never the real problem”. Then, in sales, we might need to find different, creative ways to keep asking why but getting to why is as important as get to yes or no. Finally, finding the root pain through asking a few key questions, listening, explore surface pain, digging deeper, figuring out implications, and getting to the real why is helpful in terms of clarity. Asking why can help you clarify everything a customer needs.
Finally, finding the 1% is the sixth practical tip on clarity. This means what is the essence of what you are doing? The 1% is the heart of what you are selling, what you are trying to do, or what you are trying to explore. It’s easy to get lost in the details, but find the 1%, stick with it, and find a way to communicate it to others.
These six tips are great for not only helping the sales person find clarity, but also the customer find clarity in what they need. If you are able to follow these six practical tips, you could end up helping the customer more than that expected to be helped.
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