Professional salespeople will take the time to obtain the information they need to match the right product for their customers by asking a series of questions. The purpose of these questions is to investigate the needs of the prospect and to get a conversation going. Of course, what he tells you will help you determine the direction of your sales presentation. The more the prospect talks, the more they reveal about themselves to you. The more you understand about their needs and wants, the better equipped you’ll be to provide them with the right solution and product! I don’t care what product you sell—automobiles, computers, houses, insurance—you have to ask a lot of questions to find out what the prospect’s needs are.
I believe these questions should be kept simple and easy to answer. Once you ask a question, be certain to keep quiet long enough to give your prospect enough time to respond. I can’t emphasize enough, listening is a vital part of selling.
If a prospect asks a question you can’t answer, simply say: “I am sorry, but I can’t answer that for you. But I will find out as soon as I get back to my office, and I’ll call you immediately”. Keep in mind that if you hear yourself saying this too often, then you are not properly prepared. Be sure if that situation arises you keep your promise. Find the information your customer needs and call them back immediately. There’s nothing more disrespectful or presumptuous than going into another person’s office and not being able to answer all of his questions. If you do so, you’ve wasted his time—and your own. You owe him an apology.
As a professional salesperson, you must do your homework and always be prepared so you know exactly what your prospect’s problems and needs are—and having solutions for them. If a prospect doesn’t know specific reasons why he should buy your product, he simply won’t recognize why it is of value to him.
You must have the knowledge and ability to pass on certain information to your prospect so he or she can make an intelligent buying decision. Make sure you get aboard your product and learn all about it top to bottom, inside and out. Product knowledge is worth little without a selling strategy, and a sales strategy is almost worthless if you lack product knowledge. The only way to be assured of this kind of comfort is by doing your homework in advance so you’re 100 percent certain you can handle any situation that might arise.
When a fact finding session is properly executed, you elevate yourself to a professional level considerably higher than most run-of-the-mill salespeople. You become an authoritative figure and position yourself in a consulting role rather than a selling one. I don’t care what you sell, people respect expertise. In today’s marketplace, everyone wants to deal with a professional!
