Have you ever made an assumption about a prospect that turned out to be wrong?
For example you are told 'This looks great for us, give me a week to review'. And the meeting closes.
The optimist will think the sale is in the bag. The pessimist that its a palm off. Either way you leave the meeting guessing.
The only way to find out the truth is to ask for clarification. Every statement from a prospect needs to be questioned until a full and frank explanation is obtained.
We are hard wired not to pry & question so it can be hard. But your role as a salesperson is to help your prospect to make a firm decision about a problem (it may or may not utilise your services).
Question every vague, non committal statement and help take your prospect on a voyage of discovery.
So in the above example you may ask:
- 'what are the things you need to look at during the week?' '
- 'what will be the deciding factors?'
- 'Why those particular factors?'
These are coaching questions. Ask them and help your prospect to make a reasoned decision. Better still you find out the truth.
Follow the rule - No more mind reading.
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