Tuesday Tunup- #66
ABQ- Alwayes Be Questioning!
Today we’re going to be tackling a misconception that has probably ruined more sales careers and tarnished more reputations in our profession then just about any other.
The idea that exceptional sales people ‘CLOSE’ customers.
It has almost been ingrained in our minds at this point. We’ve been told that we should “Always Be Closing”, or that sales people should look and act like the movie character Gordon Gekko. That we are missing some great closing secret that will somehow have customers throwing their check books at us or that there is some magic “sell me this pen” moment that needs to take place in the sales process. The idea that sales people need to force a product or pitch upon somebody that has no genuine interest and as long as they have ‘closing’ skills, they will rule the day.
Outside of the movies, the reality is far, far different. Not only do these types of schemes and gimmicks not work, they will quickly result in a downfall that’s almost impossible to climb back out of.
Here’s the real secret to selling. Great sales people OPEN customers up… so they can close themselves.
To illustrate this point I’m going to share a little story about the greatest sales person I know…. my wife Melissa. No, she’s not a career sales person, but she understands this principal to its core. She’s the most genuinely caring person I’ve ever met and as a result she is exceptionally talented at getting people to “open up”.
Several years ago we needed a second car and so off to the dealership we went. Me, being ‘El Cheapo’, had my eye set on a high mile used car because… I liked the price. Of course, they had new cars at the lot and just for the sake of doing my due diligence, we decided to take both for a test drive. Here’s the conversation that followed.
Melissa: Which one do you like the look of better?
Me: Obviously the new car, but I like the price of the used car.
Melissa: Which one drives better?
Me: Well, obviously the new car, but I like the price of the used car.
Melissa: Which interior do you like better?
Me: Obviously the new car… I mean it’s brand new. The other one has some stains.
Melissa: Which one is going to be more reliable?
Me: Obviously the new car… I mean it’s brand new and has a warranty. The other one has some miles and was making some noises……
Melissa: If the old one needs work, how much will that cost?
Me: I don’t know…..
Melissa: Can we afford the new one?
Me: Yes
Melissa: Why wouldn’t we buy the new one if you like the way it drives better, you like the interior better, you like the way it looks better, we can afford it and it won’t come with any surprises?
And just like that, we have a new car in the driveway. No closing statement required. In fact, she never made a statement at all…. all she did was ask me questions and get me to open up about what I WANTED. Never once did she tell me what she wanted. She was focused on getting me to be clear about what I WANTED and it turns out, price wasn’t really what I was after. I bought the car I really wanted, and she guided me through that process.
Great sales people open customers up…. so they can close themselves.
So how do we practice this as professional sales people?
First off, you need to understand that the customer still needs your guidance because just like me, they often don’t know what they really want. You are the pro and they need your help. You should be able to easily identify your customers problem, and what you are going to recommend to them to fix it. If this is not clear pretty quickly, you don’t understand your customer well enough. Keep asking questions about them until you understand how you can help them.
Once you know what you will recommend to them as a professional, you need to ask them questions, and to guide them to the same conclusions. This is where practice and skill really come into play. Notice how Melissa didn’t ask me “What car is cheaper?”, “Do we need a new car?”, “Have you considering riding a bike?”, ect. She already knew I needed a car and that I wanted the new car. So, she asked questions to guide me to that same conclusion…. pro-move.
Once they have come to the same conclusion….. ask one last question “Can you think of any reason why we wouldn’t do X,Y, Z given what we just talked about?”
It is this same technique that all top sales people use and it’s the reason you hear comments like “I don’t know how he sells so much” or “She makes it look easy… she just talks to them”. In other words, they get their customers to open up.
Never forget, People buy from those they like and trust… not those with the greatest power statements
Practice Drill:
Grab somebody to practice with (could be your spouse, kids, co-workers, neighbor).
Try to pitch a product entirely with questions….. no statements allowed.