The Sandler Selling System is a direct, consultative approach to sales. This solution based approach nurtures an honest exchange of information designed to establish trust, build relationships and promote continual sales growth.
One of the most common practices seen within the sales profession is the activity of talking too much. The need to be in control of our selling environment has led many sales professionals to assume that “more talk = more control.” The experts at Sandler are here to say that this mindset is a dangerous misconception. Selling does not mean talking, or manipulating a conversation. To the contrary, selling is listening and guiding a prospect to a natural outcome involving the purchase of your product or service.
Risks you take when you talk too much:
Prospect loses interest
We often feel the need to justify our expertise. As a result, we have a tendency to go into unnecessary detail, often using technical jargon to validate our knowledge. Unfortunately, this knowledge is lost on the prospect. Prospects are not interested in how much you know, they are only interested in how your product or service can help them.
Giving away the farm
As sales professionals we are conditioned to draw out a prospects pain and provide solutions to their pain points. Unfortunately, this is where sales people offer “free consulting” and this can be very costly. Premature solutions can cost you the sale. The prospect could take your free advice and implement your solutions without you. Additionally, prospects can utilize your solution to shop your competitors.
Triggers a prospect’s defenses
The more you talk the less opportunity you have to listen and the less opportunity you have to connect with your prospect. Selling is about effective communication and trust. It is impossible to have a connection when you are doing all of the talking. Everyone likes to buy but no one likes to be sold. The moment we feel we are being sold, we raise our defenses, release our connections and refuse to buy.
If you want to sell more and have fun doing it:
Stop talking and start listening
Seriously, it’s that simple. People like to talk about themselves more than anything else. The more they talk, the more enjoyable the conversation is for them. Prospects will open up and get to the truth of their situation when they find the conversation to be enjoyable. Ask simple, yet definable questions then sit back and allow the prospect to talk.
Validate your expertise and knowledge by asking thoughtful questions.
Increasing the level of detail it takes to answer a question causes the prospect to think more deeply. The more deeply they are required to think the more knowledgeable you become in their mind. The purpose of asking questions is to understand exactly where the prospect’s pain truly resides and be able to sell your product or service as a solution to their challenges. Taking the prospect down the “pain funnel” enables the prospect to see your expertise and want you to be part of the solution by default.
by Lynda C-L Allen
402-403-4334
Sandler Training is a global training organization with over three decades of experience and proven results. Sandler provides sales and management training and consulting services for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) as well as corporate training for Fortune 1000 companies. For more information, please contact Karl Schaphorst at (402) 403-4334 or by email at kschaphorst@sandler.com. You can also follow his blog at karlschaphorst.sandler.com