Being Present in a Sale Situation

One of the keys to being incredibly connected with a client - forming that sort of relationship that moves them faster along the track towards a sale - is giving them a hundred percent of your attention.

Don't sit there thinking about what the traffic might be like getting to your next appointment. Don’t focus on the next question you want to ask. Focus entirely on them, their needs, and their wants. This is worth more than any amount of training.  By really tuning in to the individual you will move the sale forward far more than you'd imagine.

Something I’ve noticed is that as people are starting to use ipads and other devices for their questioning, they're going through a list of questions rather than listening. It has become more important to fill in each answer than to actually listen to the answers. The words that are being recorded in that situation are only half an answer. If you don’t listen to what's coming back the other way you miss out on all the nonverbal cues. Body language and the intonation of the words said are the clues to making the sale.

 If you've ever worked with someone else in a selling situation and they've done the talking you will have seen how much more you pick up. You hear the nuances. The person who's doing all the asking is focused on the questions and you get to observe. You can’t always be free of that extra responsibility however, and you will need to be able to ask and record questions and answers while still listening.

 Luckily there are a couple of things you can do to make it easier for yourself.

1. Firstly, be prepared. Before you get out of the car spend a few moments thinking about what value you can add to the client. Make sure that you are there for their good. They will tune in to that. You can't fake it. By all means use an agenda but be flexible on that agenda. Make sure that you react to what they say.

2. Secondly, you've got to make sure you use good quality questions. According to Harvard, forty-two percent of a buying decision is made based on the quality of the questions that you ask. Be brave enough to go deeper. Don't just read off a list of questions and jot down the answers. Take time to explore and react to the questions. 

Perhaps you use the SPIN model.

S   - What is your situation?

P  - Why is that a problem?

I     - What's the implication of that? (This is where you explore the most)  

N - What do we need to do to fix that?

Make sure you go deeper on those questions and approach people at two levels as you talk to them. If you focus in on them one hundred percent and give them your dedicated attention you'll be amazed how much more of a connection you can make and how much faster you will progress in your sale.

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