May 11th, 2009 @ 11:30 am
I just ran across a short video that provides a sales tip that incredibly important to nearly every successful sales interaction. In the video video Keith Rosen of ProfitBuilders.com explains why you must NEVER go into “sales pitch” mode at the beginning of a conversation. (And I’d question whether it’s a good idea afterwards, either.)
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LesDel
I use these on the phone, in advance, when I'm scheduling a prospect for a meeting, as in, "I look forward to meeting you next week. To best prepare for our meeting (sensitive to time), I'd like to discuss (objectives) and, due to time, (pick only one) that we will prioritize. Since (everyone uses own criteria), what would you need to know or see about our company to help make your decision." Then, at the start of the meeting, I would recap the entire conversation and ask if anything's changed since we last spoke. Sounds fluid, natural, and is less 'salesman' than anyone needs to hear.
fpotter@...
We call that the Up Front Contract.
upshift
Not sure if I agree with this video.
Kieth Rosen's example of giving information that was not
needed was OK, but in my mind the main crux of his
discussion was that the salesperson does not have to do any
research. The client, by asking the questions that Keith gave,
will provide all of the answers.
In addition it makes a difference as to who is calling who.
Is the client or potential client calling the supplier or potential
supplier? OR
Is the supplier calling the potential client?
If I am selling photocopiers should I even be asking what is
important to the buyer?
What if the buyer says that he only has time to focus on
excess inventory? Now, how do I segue into photocopiers?
Geoffrey James, Sales Machine
Re: Note 3
Maybe you don't segue. Maybe you send a referral to somebody who can help him with his inventory problem.
Geoffrey James
Geoffrey James has sold and written hundreds of features, articles and columns for national publications including Wired, Men's Health, Business 2.0, SellingPower, Brand World, Computer Gaming World, CIO, The New York Times and (of course) BNET. He is the author of seven books, including Business Wisdom of the Electronic Elite (translated into seven languages and selected by four book clubs), and The Tao of Programming (widely quoted on the Web as a "canonical book of... more »
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