your car? What road conditions do you often encounter?


The salesperson feeds the answers to these questions into a mental computer, then responds, “Based on the information you have given me, here’s the tire I’d recommend as the best value for you.” He or she then demonstrates by explaining why that tire would be the best value – based on price, service, safety, and other considerations.


When we analyze this transaction we find the salesperson: • Asked questions and listened instead of flooding the prospects with information.


• Showed interest and concern for the prospects’ needs.


• Treated the prospects as impor- tant individuals.


• Demonstrated professional con- cern rather than simply being an order taker.


• Demonstrated a very high level of integrity.


You can do the same thing regard- less of what you’re selling. Asking need development questions sets up a situation where the customers talk and you listen. By talking, they verbalize their needs, clarify, admit, and then commit. With active listening, you can give positive feedback like nodding ap- proval, verbalizing understanding, paraphrasing, and gesturing to show that you’re listening and that you understood. More actual selling is done in this interviewing process than in any other step of selling. It gets people selling themselves. It’s powerful per- suasion...without pressure from you. The next step is to determine dominant wants or needs. A domi- nant need is the main reason people will buy. It’s what they really want granted – what they want satisfied. Usually, people buy things for two


reasons: What the product or service will do for them and how it will make them look to others. This is where pride, profit, pleasure, or peace – along with


SELLING POWER DECEMBER 2016 | 9 © 2016 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.


fear of loss – come into play. Understanding dominant buying motives takes the guesswork out of selling. Knowing the dominant motive, we now know what product or service, features or benefits, to demonstrate.


After this come action guides for


effective interviewing. When you practice these four action guides you are more likely to have an effec- tive interview. 1. Ask open-ended, indirect ques- tions that draw out wants or needs.


2. Listen to and paraphrase all points. Write them down.


3. Identify dominant wants or needs. Get prospects’ agreement.


4. Assure them you want to help them select the product or ser- vice that is right for them. Need fulfillment selling requires changing selling habits. In stimulus- response selling, a salesperson hopes to stimulate a positive response from the prospects – hit their hot buttons. The purpose is to get attention and arouse interest. If prospects show interest, the salesperson zeros in and tries for a close.


Although this hip-shooting method of selling does work, it’s not nearly as effective as need fulfillment sell-


ing. When I train salespeople to use need fulfillment selling – and they do it – sales increases are almost always immediate. But it requires a change of habit and a change of style. Instead of dominating the talk- ing, immediately demonstrating, or flooding prospects with information, we first gain rapport and then inter- view to find out wants and/or needs. In both these steps, the salesperson does 15 to 20 percent of the talking – the prospect does 80 to 85 percent. But the salesperson retains control by asking need development questions and actively listening. To develop the habit of effective interviewing, begin practicing the four action guides above. After three or four weeks of practice, you’ll begin to notice your habits slightly changing. You’ll soon cement them into your automatic responses.


When you follow these practices in- stinctively, your earnings will increase, trust level will climb, integrity will show through, and your confidence will soar. And the next time you see our couple hovering around a high- priced car, you’ll know how to use need fulfillment selling to sell them what they really want. 


THE SALES QUESTION BOOK MINDSET MINUTE: HOW TO MANAGE YOUR SELF-TALK


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