I know what you are going to say, “Amanda, we have heard this so many times already.” Yes, we have, but it bears repeating: we should have a conversation with our prospective customers instead of getting all “salesy.” On the surface that sounds great, all I have to do is start a normal person conversation with someone else. However, the best way to start a sales conversation is not always apparent. Luckily I found an article that provides three sales conversation starters that are sure to come in handy in a variety of sales situations.
1) “Here’s what’s going on in your market now”
When you start a sales conversation this way, you appear to be an expert in your prospective customer’s industry, which is sure to catch their attention. After all, getting their attention is probably the toughest task you will have. Besides this, you will be showing your prospect exceptional value by proving that you are in tune with and care about their industry.
2) “Three challenges I see in your industry are…”
This is an excellent sales conversation starter to get your prospect thinking about the challenges that they face. Be sure that the challenges you choose to highlight are are ones that you know that you can solve for your prospect, and that are relevant to your prospect.
3) “What’s the toughest challenge you’re facing?”
This is a rather bold sales conversation starter, but it gets everything laid out on the table. Their response to this question gives you the opportunity to follow-up with them by explaining how you can help them solve their frustration.
Of course, the prospect and situation will determine which one of these conversation starters is most appropriate to use. It is even possible that none of these sales conversation starters will fit your unique situation, but they will surely get you thinking. I hope that you have gained some confidence when it comes to starting a sales conversation of your own, especially if conversation starters are not your specialty.
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I like the last conversation starter in these examples, but I almost feel as though the first two come off as arrogant or presumptuous on the part of the seller. Instead of asking questions first, the seller would seem to be dumping all the knowledge he/she fells they have about the customer’s industry. Just a thought – great post!
This is great! I see so much theory and concept-driven advice in sales today, so practical, usable tips like this are very helpful. I would love to try some of these out. Do you think there could be a danger of over-assumption with the first and second starter? It seems difficult sometimes to balance between being informed and assumptive. You want the prospect to know you’ve done your research, but also that you’re humble enough to listen. Awesome post–thank you!