When we ask lots of questions, particularly if they are open-ended (the most effective type), we experience several positive byproducts. First, our prospects have the opportunity to tell us exactly what their needs are. That is, they can inform us of what they are looking for and why. In sales, using questions to acquire this kind of information is often called "uncovering the hot button." How can you solve your prospects' problems if you don't know what their "hot buttons" are? This is key information if you are to turn your prospects into long-term raving fans.
Second, keeping your own mouth closed avoids the fatal but common error of jabbering away about all of a product's perks and pluses. The truth is, most people only have one or two key reasons for buying, and the more you talk, the more you diffuse the transaction's energy. The more you talk, the more wind you also take out of your sales. Your prospects really just wanted to come get a good deal; they didn't come to hear your discourse on the whole product line. They may listen politely, but as you monopolize the conversation, spouting off about all kinds of sparkles and pizzazz that have nothing to do with their "hot button," their minds begin wandering to where they're going to go next. Then, the sale is lost before you've even asked for it. Just remember, talk little, and when you do, keep it simple. Information overload is just going to overwhelm and confuse your prospects, and as the old sales adage goes, "A confused mind says 'NO'!"
The third reason for asking open-ended questions is that it gives you better control over the conversation and where it's heading. As soon as your prospects are the ones grilling you, the tables have turned. You lost control. Consider the following question/answer scenarios and you'll see clearly that the individual asking the questions has control, while, perhaps surprisingly, the one doing all the talking does not have control: an employer interviewing for a job opening, a doctor preparing to diagnose a patient and an attorney questioning a witness. Note that in each of these examples, the individual asking the questions is in some sort of authoritative and/or advisory role. It is not so different when someone comes to you looking for a particular product or service to fit her/his needs. When you are the "interviewer," you will glean all the information you need to best guide your prospects while still maintaining control over the course the conversation takes, including, most importantly, the sought-after final conclusion where they'll enthusiastically buy from you.
The fourth reason for asking open-ended questions of your prospects is that as you let them express their feelings and concerns, it is clearly communicated, albeit in an unspoken manner, that you are sincerely interested in them--always a very important selling technique. Your prospects want to feel that you have their best interest at heart and that you are mindful of their needs. Genuine interest will explode your ability to develop a relationship of trust and solidifying rapport.
The fifth reason for using questions in your selling strategy is that in discussing the issues that are important to your prospects, they are drawn more proactively into the conversation and thus become emotionally involved. Consider the fact that every purchasing action under any circumstance is an attempt to improve or enhance the current status of a person, place or situation. Why do I consider an emotionally engaged prospect a positive, even necessary, thing? Emotions drive actions; they are the catalysts to closed deals. This is not to say that logic doesn't play a part in the persuasion process as well, because it most certainly does. Emotions, however, provide the initial ignition. They incite action. Meanwhile, logic is the tinder that continues to burn after the initial energy and excitement end. It keeps the commitment intact because there is still something concrete to point to. Some buying personalities will be more logically inclined, but as a general rule, an emotionally engaged individual is much more compelled to purchase. This is not a statement of one's intellectual prowess or lack thereof; it is simply a statement of human nature. In a nutshell, all buying decisions are emotional, while logic rationalizes the purchasing decision.
Another key component of successful closing psychology is the importance of acting with authority. This does not mean that you are arrogant or condescending toward your prospects. It does mean that your prospects have a certain expectation that you will be an expert in your field and that you will have the ability to advise them. Your prospects have a need and they want it fulfilled competently. Think of a time when you were faced with an important buying decision. Do you think that an apologetic and insecure salesperson, one who was constantly wringing his hands, would have made you feel more positive and confident about your purchase? Probably not--in fact, you probably would have found it annoying, maybe even disturbing. With this tendency in mind, when in a persuasive setting, do not be afraid to demonstrate your expertise. You could even look at the seller-buyer relationship as a student-teacher relationship. Think of yourself as a consultant or an advisor. You are the doctor of sales. That is, you are diagnosing your prospects' condition and recommending a cure. When you look at the selling scenario that way, you are practically under obligation to conduct yourself as an authority figure.
Hand in hand with the need to act with authority is the need to be assumptive. What do I mean by this? Assumption relates especially to the final stage of your close, when you're waiting to hear your prospect's final decision. Many salespeople hate this part of the selling transaction. They build rapport and shoot the breeze just fine, but then when it comes down to closing the deal, their whole demeanor changes. They suddenly become tense as they ask their prospect what s/he wants to do. They then cringe as they wait on pins and needles for the prospect's answer. How do you think this type of demeanor makes your prospects feel? If it hasn't happened to you before, I can tell you--it freaks them out. They may not be able to pinpoint it exactly, but they sense that something isn't right and then walk away from the deal based on that one moment alone. Such a backing-down response could be a conscious or subconscious reaction. Everything else could have gone perfectly. Remember, a confused mind says "no."
If you're this type of salesperson, you've got to talk yourself through the process. Prospective buyers clearly want to buy; after all the time and energy they spend on trying to make a decision, they want you to confirm that their decision to purchase is a good one. How do you make them feel that way? You have to assume the sale. In other words, in your mind, it's already a done deal. By acting assumptive, you yourself will feel confident and more at ease, and consequently, you'll make your prospect feel much more comfortable, too. As you implement this tool, you'll quickly discover that the more assumptive you are, the easier people close--in fact, they'll often close themselves. You'll just have been the vehicle that assisted them to the obvious conclusion. Conversely, you'll discover that buyer resistance usually only emerges as your own uneasiness is apparent.
There is a story of an old man who goes to a dentist because he has a tooth that is killing him. He has been putting it off for months and finally he has to get the tooth taken care of. Once there, the dentist agrees that the tooth needs to come out. The man asks the dentist how much it will cost. The dentist replies that it will be about $250. The old man yelps and yells, "Two hundred fifty dollars to pull out a tooth?!!" Then he asks how long the procedure will take. He is told that it will take about five minutes. "Two hundred fifty dollars for five minutes of work? That's highway robbery!" the old man protests. He then asks the dentist how he can live with himself charging people that kind of money. The dentist smiles and says, "If it's the time you are worried about, I can take as long as you want." When planning and preparing your call to action, remember that the process does not have to be long and painful. Be short, be brief and be to the point.
The final component of successful closing psychology that I'm going to discuss here is the need for persistence. Calvin Coolidge said,
Successful people always have high levels of persistence, and don't give up until they have reached their objective. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not. Un-rewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence, determination and hard work make the difference.
I love this quote because it's so easy for us to get bogged down in all the "I'm not smart enough, talented enough, experienced enough" mindset. Successful closing comes down to numbers. Plain and simple, it's a numbers game. Only by sifting and sorting through X number of prospects will you secure Y number of deals. There is no other way around it. In the sales industry, even amongst the most seasoned professionals, a 20 percent close rate is considered very successful. The question is, are most people persistent enough to make ten calls to get two winners? Or, if they're not yet "seasoned" in the art of sales and persuasion, are they persistent enough to make one hundred calls to get one winner? The answer is no, most people are not. Their first prospect falls through and they are distraught. That just isn't how the sales game works, however. So, the first part of persistence is just realizing how many "nos" you have to go through before getting a "yes." The second part of persistence is not giving up prematurely.
Another facet of persistence is that many of those very same prospects who told you "no" would have said yes if you just hadn't accepted their first answer as their final one. You would be surprised how many sales come through because a rep approaches the prospect one more time. In light of this, it is more surprising still that over 70 percent of salespeople don't re-approach their prospect after the initial rejection. Did you know that the average person has to be asked five to six times before a sale actually takes place? A lot of times when we get that initial "no," we just accept it because we assume the prospect has thought it through and come to an educated conclusion. Well, the truth is, s/he often hasn't. People forget or get distracted. The demands of daily living crowd out even the best of intentions. That's why repetition and persistence are worthwhile in a sales scenario. It's often not that people are putting you off as much as they just haven't taken the time to really sort it all through. As you practice your closing skills, you'll become more and more adept at discerning the fine line between persistence and annoyance. My general rule of thumb is that if you detect even the remotest hint of interest, keep up your persistence.
My last plug along the persistence vein is that, as you sift and sort through what will sometimes feel like an awful lot of "nos," you should never allow yourself to feel desperate. Prospects can detect this nuance in your behavior, and nothing makes them run faster. It kind of has to do with the confidence issue I was discussing earlier. Anytime a prospect senses your uneasiness, they will become equally uneasy, even if they are not sure why. In the sales industry, desperation showing through in your game is called "selling hungry." To help you understand exactly how desperation comes across to your prospects, think of the age-old reference to "wolves in sheep's clothing." As soon as the wolf is found out, not only do the sheep run, but they bleat and talk to all their other sheep friends. So, even during those times when you are feeling pretty hungry, you're much better off playing it cool. Natural, positive and assumptive are your best bets in a persuasive situation.
No comments:
Post a Comment