Ask “is that alot?”

What good is a statistic if there is no context?  A player scores 92 goals in a hockey season.  Is that alot? Do the best players score around 120 goals in a year? Did the player have a subpar season?  The player’s scoring feat only has meaning if we have the context of the goal totals of thousands of other players who have played in the league. Similarly, if a prospect says that her revenues will go up 10% this year, that statement only has context if you know how her revenues have gone up or down in the past 5-10 years.  Without context, you might think – “hey, 10% sounds good.  She has the money to buy!”  However, if you asked her “is that alot”, she might tell you revenues typically go up 20% and she is concerned.  She is hesitant to make new purchases.  The Optimal Salesperson asks “is that alot” when a prospect shares a statistic.  The Optimal Salesperson knows that asking for context by asking the “is that alot” question is an essential selling skillto close sales and increase business.