Marketing Topics
IN THIS LESSON
Before you can sell anything to anyone...
… you must first understand what it is they need. Here are some ways to do that.
Here are some ways to do that:
Do your homework. Prior to your meeting with the customer, do your homework to find out as much as you can about their business.
Open your mind, not your sample case. Don’t walk into a customer meeting with a pre-conceived idea of what you’re going to sell them and how you will sell it. You’ll sell more in the long run by finding out what aspect of the transaction matters most to your customer.
Listen closely. When you’re on a sales call, you’re there to gather at least as much information as you communicate.
Ask questions that provoke dialogue. Avoid asking closed ended questions that will get you “yes” or “no” answers.
Beware of questions that will slam the door shut. Instead, ask questions that will solicit key information.
Survey your customers and prospects. Use written questionnaires or telephone surveys to learn more about your customers and prospects.
Learn how to understand your prospects’ needs by watching this interactive video from the International Finance Corporation.
Video Transcript
How to learn your prospect's needs. Before you can sell anything to anyone, you must first understand what they need. Here are some ways to do that. Listen closely. When you are on a sales call, you are there to gather at least as much information as you communicate.
This means asking questions and then keeping quiet until your customer has finished with the answers. Don't start answering objections before your prospect has finished talking. The more you can get your customers to talk, the better you will understand what matters to them. Ask questions that provoke dialogue. Avoid asking close ended questions that will get you yes or no answers.
Such questions typically start with words like is, do, are. Instead, try to ask questions that begin with what, when, where, how, tell me and why. Because they almost force the person to elaborate, you will get replies that start conversations. Beware of questions that will slam the door shut. Instead, ask questions that will solicit key information.
If you ask a customer, Can I give you a proposal on that project? You'll get a yes or no answer and that's that. But if you start the process by saying, Tell me the criteria you look for in a proposal. You are learning critical information instead of ending the discussion. And finally, survey your customers and prospects.
Use written questionnaires or telephone surveys to learn more about your customers and prospects. Solicit comments from current customers about their level of satisfaction with your product or service. Or you might design a survey that will educate you about your prospect's business needs. When a customer or a prospect takes the trouble to complete a questionnaire, you've achieved something more than just learning from the responses.