the buyer begins step- two, withholding information, some sellers may continue the information spewing routine, further saturating the buyer with more information. When the buyer stalls in step-three, the seller panics and begins offering concessions the buyer hasn’t even asked for, and is then left with no defense when, in step-four, the buyer asks for the lower price.
Sadly, this process is played out countless times everyday to the chagrin of sellers who depends on commissions to pay the bills and business owners who depend on decent margins to keep the doors open.
The New Way- The Seller Asks Questions
How can sales professionals avoid this pitfall, improve the probability of closing the deal while maintaining sustainable margins and commissions? Excellent question.
The solution to this problem is the solution to almost any sales problem: Ask questions.
The first series of questions should be designed to uncover the hidden emotions underlying the buyers’ needs and/or wants. This can easily be accomplished by asking basic questions about the current problem facing the buyer and then following up with a simple question or two about how the buyer “feels” about the current situation or would “feel” about the benefits of the proposed solution.
Once the buyer responds with an emotional term, you will know you are on the trail of what is really driving the purchasing decision. That information can skillfully be used to close the deal without having to resort to dropping the price.
Another useful way to use questioning is by asking “Duh” questions and then following up by asking, “Why do you say that?” This simple strategy simply requires giving the buyer the answer before asking the question, then benefiting from the classic influence strategy that “public declarations dictate future actions.”
A buyer is far more likely to take actions consistent with their statements. Remember, public declarations dictate future actions. The seller merely has to hold the buyer accountable to their own words and, bingo, the sale is made and his wife and kids have enough money for groceries and mortgage.
Skillfully asking questions change the direction and the dynamic of a centuries old buying-selling cycle. Our choice as sales professionals is simple: Learn to use questions or learn to get by on smaller commissions. We always have a choice, don’t we? What’s it going to be?
CRM Technology for Sales & Marketing
• Lost Leads?
• Ensnared by spreadsheets?
• Not enough sell time?
• What if you lost your PDA?
• Need to streamline communications?
• If only there was better co-ordination between Sales, Marketing, and Service…
Call TODAY!
About the Author:
Weldon Long is the President and CEO of Wright Total Indoor Comfort, Inc, a leading HVAC company in Colorado. Effective questioning is one of the skills Weldon Long used to jumpstart his sales career and create an INC 5000 business. He now provides sales and motivational training to businesses and volunteers his expertise and time with the formerly incarcerated. Weldon’s memoir of building his business success from his final release from prison after battling addictions is titled “The Upside of Fear” and has won several book awards and critical acclaim. To contact Weldon to speak at your next event contact him at www.
weldonlong.com or call 719.304.5300.
(610) 355-1978 Chris Farias
cfarias@ebsoftware.com
200 Lawrence Road, Suite 600, Broomall PA 19008
45 marketingtimes
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45