3 Steps to Sell More.

I'm going to let you in on a secret.

It's an important part of my Selling With Confidence workshop.

If you don't really want to be a salesperson, but have to sell anyway, you are not alone. Most business owners, professionals, technical staff and service providers dind't choose to have a
career in sales. But they still need to sell to get more clients and increase revenue.

Here's the good news...

If you're trying to win more business from your sales discussions there is a three-step strategy to help you zero-in on exactly what your client wants.

And if you do this properly your client will quickly trust you and clearly understand how you will be able to help them.

They will see the 'value' you are offering and be eager to be your client.

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Most sales people waste their customer's time by:

- Not listening
- Talking too much
- Not really understanding what the customer wants
- Sprouting off about their services or products

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A January 09 survey of 230 buyers of professional services found the top way professionals sabotage their own sales conversations is by 'not listening'.

'Talking too much' was also one of the most highly rated problems.

You can do better than that.

Next time you have a potential client in front of you try the following process.

Note - this process will build trust and enable you to learn what your prospect really wants. It will lead to you being able to present a strong case for your product or service that is closely tied to what your client is looking to achieve.

It will prevent you from talking too much.

It will help you win more business.

Ask questions using my S.O.X. (TM) methodology:

S = Situation questions
O = Opportunity questions
X = aXtion questions

Ask 'Situation' questions to discover the facts behind the prospects current situation. What is driving their decision now? What do they know about your services/products?

Ask 'Opportunity' questions to identify the scope of their needs. Sure, they may have a problem, but is it big enough for them to want you to fix it? Will they spend the money? What is their opportunity? What is in it for them?

Ask 'aXtion' questions to gain approval to move into the presentation phase. Your presentation may happen immediately after asking your S.O.X. (TM) questions, or maybe you have to meet with other decision makers on another day to present your solution.

Importantly, your presentation will emphasise the key points you discovered from the Situation and Opportunity questions. You will be able to specifically show a strong connection between what they want, and what you are offering.

This is a simple yet highly effective strategy.

However it is critically important you develop your own set of questions that demonstrate your expertise, and that are suitable for your services, and your type of client.

Then you can use those questions to guide the sales conversation, build trust, and gain commitment from your prospect.


Related link:
Consultative Sales Training

Why you should be asking clients questions.. lots of questions.

Do you know what happens when you do the talking during a sales presentation?

Most often your clients will drift away with their own thoughts. I guarantee it! It's human nature. (keep reading to find out why)

This process is accelerated if you start off your sales calls by explaining everything your company can do for your clients.

Beware... Your clients/prospects will often encourage you to do this by asking something innocent like, Tell me about your company?, or; Why have you come to see me today?

Inexperienced sales people (and this includes technical staff, managers, and even professional advisors) will take this invitation to launch into a sales spiel about how great their company is. Or they will produce a list of services they can provide.

But I'm here to tell you to STOP. Don't do that.

You see, people easily tune-out from your talking because they can think up to 10 times faster than you can speak. So they have plenty of spare space in their brain to listen to you AND still plan the rest of their day, or what they will be doing that evening, or what they need to buy from the shops.

So that's why you should be asking your clients questions. Lots of them. In a professional but inquisitive manner. Keep them talking. You can focus on listening. And they wont get the chance to drift off into their own thoughts.

If you would like to learn more about how to ask these questions, and how to keep your client focused on what you are offering them... then attend one of my Selling With Confidence 2-day practical workshops in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne.