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Boost Your Small-Business Sales
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Article 3: Ask, Ask, Ask
A common error in selling is acting as if information must flow only in one direction, from seller to buyer. That’s a formula for frustration. The conversation probably will go nowhere, like shoveling coal into a diesel engine.
In a perfect world, sellers would deal only with pre-qualified buyers. Alas, despite taking all the necessary steps to home in on qualified customers, you still can find that not everyone wants to buy.
Enter the face-to-face finesse stage. In this phase you learn even more about prospects than prospects learn about your benefits. If you wait for prospects to offer everything you need to know, you will probably wait forever. The efficient tact is to ask.
There is a fine line to walk here. You need to extract information from customers, yet you must avoid giving them the third degree.
“Can I help you?” might elicit the response, “No, I’m just browsing.” You might advance your mission by asking, “Browsing for what?” But the direct approach isn’t always best.
Many buyers consider sales people annoying, while others treat sellers like long lost relatives. Determining how assertive to be is an art.
The key to knowing how much to ask and how fast to ask it lies in how well you listen to the answers. Sometimes small talk loosens up the prospect. Don’t overdo it. They probably didn’t come to shoot the breeze.
You might draw out a browser by assuring, then teasing: “That’s great, I’ll leave you to your browsing, but you might want to check out our sale on widgets on aisle two. If you have any questions, I’ll be nearby, so don’t hesitate to ask.”
However, once prospects engage in dialogue, your goal is to keep the conversation going by asking appropriate questions to uncover their needs and desires. Listen carefully and determine what motivates them. The conversation should assess their motives, then address those motives.
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Boost Your Small-Business Sales
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