Ever been to a networking event where someone jumps right into selling their product? It happens a lot, but let's face it, how many people attend these events with the intent to buy something? Probably close to none. That guy isn't the only one who believes in the hard sell – convincing people to buy by pushing products.
Have you ever tried selling to someone who wasn't interested? Even the best salespeople struggle in such situations. Now, compare that to selling when the buyer is genuinely interested – it's a breeze. Most people don't like being sold to, but they love buying.
This reality challenges many traditional sales techniques that rely on tricks to make people buy things they don't really want. There are still many practitioners of these pushy methods. They believe you'll buy once you hear about their product. They're selling, but I'm not buying. Their focus is solely on making a sale, not on understanding the buyer's needs.
Instead of the pushy approach, try one centered on problem-solving. It involves understanding how you can add value to help your prospective buyer solve a problem. Simple, right? But it requires a completely different sales approach – asking questions and listening instead of telling. You need to ask quality questions that focus on understanding the challenges the other person faces and the impact those challenges have on their business.
Your potential customer will engage with you if they sense your genuine interest in helping them. Trying to act sincere when you don't care becomes apparent, and they'll stop listening and won't buy.
So, if asking questions is crucial, what types of questions work best? About 80% of the buying motive is based on emotion, with the remaining 20% on logic. I recently bought a suit not just because of the material or color but because it felt good when I tried it on.
As we know, most buying motives are built on emotions. Selling to people's emotions can be a challenge; it requires expanding our comfort zone. For instance, during my tenure at Oracle selling Oracle Apps, I used to delve into the details of a prospective client's account receivables rather than asking about the impact on the business and employees.
Ask questions like:
"How is that impacting the performance of your business?"
"How does that impact you personally?"
"How do you feel about that?"
These questions are great to tap into your prospective customer's emotions.
So, instead of pushing products, understand the challenges your prospective customer faces. Get to know them and their issues. That's the real key to successful selling.
Best Wishes!
Comments