One Simple Change to Your Sales Process

Posted June 23, 2019

When you are working in sales, you often put a lot of focus on conveying information, when digging for prospective sales and pitching your products or services. However, a big part of any sales process should be listening, not talking.

Hence, one simple change can make any sales process more efficient - listen more.

Often, hearing what someone else is saying is what is needed most to consistently land sales, secure donations, get a proposal signed or maintain the loyalty of an existing customer. Simply put, people have a desire to be heard: They want their concerns and needs to be met when they commit to a product or service. Your job as a salesperson is to provide evidence the specific needs and expectations of your prospects will be met by what you are selling.

Too many salespeople make their sales process about themselves, or their services and products, rather than about what their prospect wants, needs or is concerned about. For instance, the 10 different colors a bicycle comes in isn't a major selling point for people looking to get a bike for their daily commute to work. They just want to know that it's fast, comfortable, easy to ride and will last for many years.

You'll only know what your prospect truly wants if you focus on hearing their concerns. You must find out about their pain points, if they have tried similar products or services before and their expectations.

Ask Questions, Then Listen

You must get your prospect talking and you can do that by asking the right questions. The proper questions will give you the chance to find out about your prospect's wants, needs, pain points, budget, ability to make decisions, timing concerns, preferences and personal agenda.

Once you have the information you need, you can focus on describing the features of your products and services that speak directly to what your prospect has told you.

By concentrating on the wants and needs that your service or product meets, you show prospects that you've heard them and understand where they are coming from and what they want. For instance, someone selling cars might discover that a prospect is looking for a vehicle that is both fuel efficient and able to transport someone with significant physical disabilities.

It all boils down to the fact that knowledge is power. When you get to know as much as you can about your prospects, you know which aspects of your products or services to highlight, and which ones to downplay. Gaining as much knowledge as possible is how you can close the deal more consistently.

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