Archives for June 2020

If you want insight into the thought process of the prospect, then ask them “What do you attribute that to”. Or you can ask “What, in your mind, caused that”. You would ask this question when they told you about a situation or problem they are facing. The normal course of action would be to say, “tell me more about that”. Or maybe to ask another question delving into the details of the problem. The value of asking “what caused that” is that it gives you an idea about what the prospect thinks the real problem is. It might also give you a clue as to how to solve the problem. But the real value is in giving you more information about how the prospect thinks and what the real pain is. You can always go back and get more details about the problem with follow up questions.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
https://calendly.com/dancaramanico/callwithdan

You, as a sales professional, bring value to your prospect by the questions you ask. Twenty years ago, it was the information you were able to provide but that is not true any longer. They can get most of that online or in the cloud. Some say it is the expertise that you bring. But the real value you bring is in the questions you are able to ask that make the prospect think. If you can draw on you knowledge and experience to ask questions that bring a different perspective or challenge the traditional thinking or shed a new light on the problem, then you demonstrate real value to the prospect. You become a resource to the prospect that they can go to when they are stuck or when they want to be sure they have “thought of everything”. If you can ask those kinds of questions, then you will have a conversation with the prospect that your competitors never have. That in itself will distinguish you from the competition more than any information you can impart. If you can draw on your knowledge to ask the good hard tough questions then you will have the conversation with the prospect that they need to have and that will demonstrate your value put you ahead of the competition.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
https://calendly.com/dancaramanico/callwithdan

Predators pounce on their prey. They lie in and wait for the prey to come by, then pounce on them and have their way. Obviously, the prey tries to escape the clutches of the enemy. That is what it feels like to a prospect when you leap in with a solution at the first mention of a problem. Leaping in with a solution is what I call “pouncing”. Even if the prospect does not instinctively recoil, you will lose control of the conversation. Oh, you may think you have control because you will be talking. You will be explaining your solution and answering questions. But all further progress toward uncovering the prospects pain and compelling reason to buy will come to an abrupt halt. The prospect will have a solution (or at least an approach to consider) and you, the salesperson, have nothing and have lost control of the conversation. The better approach is to acknowledge the issue and ask for the prospect to elaborate and give you more detail. At the appropriate time you can propose a solution. By that time, you will have uncovered the compelling reason to buy and otherwise properly qualified the prospect.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
https://calendly.com/dancaramanico/callwithdan

Salespeople spend a lot of time trying to qualify to do business with important prospects. The problem with that approach is that it gives all the power in the new relationship to the prospect. You or your company have years of experience delivering great results for your clients. You need to believe that you are qualified to do business with that prospect. The real question is “are they qualified to do business with you”. In other words, you must determine whether it is worth your time and effort to pursue this prospect. They are not worth the time and effort (and money) if they do not have a compelling reason to buy what you are selling. And even if they are going to buy, the next question is do they have enough money to buy from you. Then they must be willing and able to make a decision to purchase your solution. It is ideal if they are focused on you and if you have a great relationship with the prospect, but without the first three elements they do not qualify to earn any of your precious time and effort.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
https://calendly.com/dancaramanico/callwithdan