44. What is the one skill that will make you a consultant?
What is the one thing eighty percent of all buyers dislike about sales people. The answer is not surprising: we talk too much. One of the most difficult things for many sales people to do is listen to their customers. The reason we talk too much is understandable. We called on the customer and asked for some of their time. This sets up a professional expectation on the part of the buyer. "You asked for my time, now tell me why you want it."
The pressure then falls on the sales person to deliver a presentation. This is the point in the selling process that separates the amateur from the professional. The amateur mistakenly believes that selling and talking are the same thing. The professional knows that you cannot sell anything until you first know what the customer wants. How can this be accomplished?
Instead of starting off the meeting talking about our products, services or company, start off by asking a few questions. "I am here to talk about how some of our services might be of benefit, however, before I start do you mind if I ask a few questions?"
What are the best questions to ask? One thing about our customers that we all agree on is that they have long memories. Ten years ago someone from your company may have made a mistake with this customer. It could have been anything from not receiving a credit to a phone call not being returned. If you are going to talk about a new product there may have been something about the broker or supplier that previously upset the customer.
The initial questions should always try to uncover any over riding objection the prospect or customer might have. Until we clear this objection away, our presentation, no matter how good or convincing it is, will fall on deaf ears.
Many times it is necessary to make more than one call on a prospect before they are ready to by or before we qualify them as someone who would be profitable for us to work with. The initial call should always start by gaining information.
Many sales presentations are designed to go through the entire presentation before handling the objections that are sure to arise. Once again any objections your potential customer has for not giving you an order should be handled first. The reason is simple: If there is some obstacle that seems insurmountable, your prospect will not hear anything else you have to say until you deal with it.
In the back of the prospects mind, maybe not even consciously, they will be thinking that whatever you say doesn't really count, because there is an overriding reason they cannot give you the business anyway. As long as an obstacle blocks your path, you will never get past it until you bring it out in the open and deal with it. The only way you can bring this obstacle out in to the open so you can deal with it is by asking questions.
Our second group of questions should focus on what our customer or prospect is trying to accomplish. Are they trying to lower food cost, lower labor cost, increase quality, increase check size, increase customer count, etc.?
Finally, after we remove any objections or problem that may be on the table, and after we have a clear understanding of where our customer or prospect is going, we are in a position to make our presentation.
Asking questions rather than talking and making positive statements puts us in the category of a consultant. The true purpose of a consultative sales person is to find out what your customer wants and help them get it. To accomplish this we have to listen more that we talk.
Here are two good quotations for the dashboard to help remind us to listen more than we talk:
"It is better to be silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt."
"Whoever talks the most during a sales presentation ends up with the product."
The bottom line: simply encourage your customer to talk-and to keep on talking,-- ask carefully thought out questions and listen. If you can get them to talk enough, they simply cannot disguise their real feelings or real motives.
Comments:
You know it’s funny, it is easy to get caught telling the company’s story. I get on my soap box and just cut loose. I rant and rave and about quality and service and how I’m going to solve all their problems. I have even spent 30 minutes telling my story only to find out they didn't buy enough of what I sell to matter. It is much harder to simply ask them about their business and get to know them. Lately I have been scheduling appointments in order to do just that, “find out about your business”.
Dave Ferren
Time management, setting a specific amount of time from your perspective for the presentation, and a list of questions designed to keep the customer imparting the information you need to address his issues are both good ideas for a call.
If I go into a presentation open-ended I find myself dragging it out and having to talk to fill time. With a specific time plot and a list of questions there is a stopping point where you take the answers I have received and move on to setting up the next visit and “solving” them.
Also, knowing who you are talking to helps. I gave a fantastic presentation to a manager recently. He was attentive as I described the company I work for and the services we provided. He answered all the questions I asked with candor and appeared enthusiastic about the opportunity to do business with me. It was only AFTER I gave one of the best opening pitches I had EVER given that I found out I was talking to the wrong person!
Chris Chase
I learned this lesson from my dear wife, and yes even after 30+ years with her, about the same time I have been in sales I’m still working to do more listening and less talking on my part. How many time does your wife just needs you to listen to her, not you talking on how you’re going to fix it.
David Vize
Listening is the best way to find out what the customer wants as well as make him feel that you are interested in his business. Everyone likes an audience. I have seen sales reps (and Managers) who feel like it’s all about them. It’s not. It’s about the customer.
Larry Edmondson
Please repeat after me...
“I am not selling something to somebody- I am solving issues that are plaguing my clients”. “I make a difference in someone’s life everyday”. This is what separates the tares from the wheat- I mean the salesman form the consultant. Preparation is the key. You will need two key items
1) a list of OPEN ended questions and
2) an OPEN mind (no preconceived thoughts). Do you really know what your client wants & needs OR do you just think you do????? Remember: Stop- Ask- Listen. Repeat.
OK- I have a revolutionary idea. Are you ready? Listen carefully and take notes. Here is pen and paper, write it down (hand pen and paper to person). What we are going to talk about now WILL affect the rest of your life. Listen carefully. Here we go!
If you ask these five questions, everything your client needs will fall out on the table in front of you.
WHAT: What is the biggest obstacle you are facing right now Mr./Ms. Client? What is your current strategic plan to solve these issues?
HOW: How is it working, any issues?
WHY: Why do you think you are having these issues?
WHO: Who are you currently working with to solve these issues? How is that going?
WHEN: When do you think you will overcome these issues?
WHERE: Where do you see yourself in 6 months, 12months and 24 months?
Back to WHAT: what are doing to reach these goals? You go on and on till you pinpoint the issues your client is facing and how & what can you add to the mix to solve these issues.
Tried and True – Make a difference in someone’s life today,
Teresa Cloninger
More than once I have worked hard on selling to a customer without finding out their capabilities, or lack thereof, to pay for the product. I was busy selling when I should have been gathering information from the customer.
I have also sold hard to someone and found out, after everything was said and done, that I was talking to someone who could not make the buying decision. I should have been talking to their boss.
So there are lots of reasons to ask a lot of questions and be a good listener. Also, take notes. It is hard to remember everything said in a meeting but this also makes the customer feel that his words are important to you.
Crocker Smith
"Asking questions rather than talking and making positive statements puts us in the category of a consultant. The true purpose of a consultative sales person is to find out what your customer wants and help them get it."