Why you can’t sell anybody anything. Sandler Rule #27
People generally don’t like being told what to do. Children don’t like being told over and over again to clean their rooms, employees don’t like to be told over and over again that the Monday report is due Monday at 8am (no kidding, it’s the Monday report!) and prospects don’t like to be told they should buy something from you.
So how are you supposed to “sell” your products if you can’t “sell” anybody anything?
Instead of “Selling by Telling”, try asking questions or relate third party stories that allow your prospect to discover on their own your value and the value of your product and/or service.
People, by nature, will push back when being told to do something – like the child being told to clean his room continually. BUT, if that child can discover on his own the benefit to having a clean room and the value it brings to his life – well you have a sale!
When you are meeting with a client, listen, take notes and ask questions.
- Get to the root of the client’s pain – why are they even having this meeting with you?
- Make sure you do your research before the meeting – knowledge is power.
- Ask questions and answer questions with more questions. You want your prospect to “think”
- Share stories on how you’ve helped similar clients and what your solution was to their pain.
Phrases to consider…
“Many of our clients find….”
“One of my clients had a xx% increase in production after ..(using your product/service) – would an increase like that be beneficial to your company?
“Our clients enjoy our quick turn around on shipments –how quickly do you need your raw materials for optimal production”?
As you can see, we are trying to get the prospect to think about our stories and have an “AHA Moment” about their own businesses. Wow – that WOULD work for me!!
Try skipping the selling by telling and ask more questions next time you are meeting with a prospect. You might be surprised at how it turns out!
If your sales team is struggling – give me a call. Working with teams to increase their productivity is what we do here at Sandler Training – PEAK Sales Performance!
Ed Schultek
Founder and Managing Partner
Sandler - Peak Sales Performance
Learn more about Ed at http://www.linkedin.com/in/edschultek
