Over this past week or so, I have listened to many sales conversations. Most people did a great job, but I noticed there were common threads through most of the presentations.
The Good
I heard a few times the wonderful opener of “I just wanted to let you know that if this is not the right fit, please let me know and I will end the sale.” What a great way to start the conversation!
Another great opening is just simply asking “Where are you from?” It adds a friendly, casual element to the sales conversation and puts the prospect at ease.
People also did a really good job with asking “What is the hardest part about ________ ? Why is that?”
People, in general, did a great job of going for the pain point.
The Bad
I noticed a lot of people falling into the “price trap” (myself included). I feel like we all knew to avoid the money question for as long as possible, but when in an actual sales call, a lot of us panicked.
I also noticed people falling into the product detail trap. Sweet and the TAs would often ask about what the product does, how it works, etc, and it distracts the salesperson from finding the pain.
Lastly, I noticed a lot of people had trouble with the 70/30 rule. People would often talk more than the prospect, which means that they must not be digging for the pain.
All in all, I thought everyone did a good job, but I think it is always a good idea to reflect on what we have learned.
BoweryJE22
I think budget is super hard to discuss, I doubt it ever gets easier.
Good insight. Addressing that it’s okay for the prospect to say if the product/service isn’t a good fit right from the start seemed to set the tone for the rest of the conversation. Also answering a question with another question seemed to be pretty effective if done correctly.
Addressing potential concerns before they arise can be a double-edged sword. One way it shows you care, but it also set a negative precedent for the remainder of the conversation.
This is all so true! Thanks for pointing out positives and negatives! Getting lost in the specifics of the product is definitely a trap, but it’s also necessary to describe your product a little bit before you start really selling. Thanks for sharing!