When selling, you
have one minute to pique your
prospect's interest. Here are some
tips to make the most of your time.
By Tony Parinello
Q: I've
always equated selling with telling,
and lately I've noticed that my
prospects cut me off when I am
giving them my pitch. What's the
best way to get my point across and
win the sale?
A: I
would imagine that this month's
question has value to all of us in
sales and marketing. Let's face it:
Buyers are more educated than ever
before. What we sales and marketing
types need to focus more on is
understanding our prospect's
world--and the best way I know of to
do just that is to ask intelligent
questions. Here's a rundown of the
best questions to use and when to
use them. My strong suggestion is
that each and every one of us should
ask a whole lot more questions and
speak a whole lot less.
When interacting with a prospect,
you must first seek to understand
what's going on in the other
person's world. Then and only then
will your ideas be accepted and
understood by the prospect.
The best way to do this is to set
strict limits on your own "talk
time." Keep it under 60 seconds.
Yes, you read right: You must never,
ever speak for more than 60 seconds
without asking for approval to
continue. This approval comes when
you ask open-ended "prompting"
questions. Generally speaking, these
questions:
Cannot be
answered with a simple yes or
no.
Do not lead,
control or try to manipulate the
other person.
Enable dialoging.
Begin with the
words "when," "what," "how,"
"why" or "where."
Require thought
to be answered.
Encourage the
other person to reveal feelings.
Build rapport.
The opposite of an open-ended
question is a closed-ended question.
Closed-ended questions, unlike the
kind we've just examined, put an end
to effective dialoging and will not
get you any closer to a second
appointment. Therefore, you should
totally avoid this type of
questioning as a means of getting
approval to win another 60 seconds.
One example of a closed-ended
question might be, "You're
interested in attracting new
customers, right?" The best place to
use the closed-ended question is in
a situation where you need to
validate or confirm what you think
is going on in your prospect's
world. Generally speaking,
closed-ended questions:
Are useful to
give feedback during a dialog.
Can be used to
obtain specific information
and/or confirm facts.
During a dialogue, if you need to
make sure that you've heard the
prospect correctly, you can use
what's called a clarifying question.
These questions, too, can win you a
fresh 60 seconds. A good clarifying
question might begin with the words,
"So, if I understand you correctly,
you're saying that...". Warning: you
should always preface your
clarifying question with a statement
such as this and then creatively
paraphrase what you think your
contact's main point is. It's a
really bad idea to parrot back what
you've just heard your prospect say.
That approach may be perceived as
condescending, sarcastic and
disrespectful. Generally speaking,
clarifying questions:
Secure the other
person's approval and prove to a
greater degree that you've got a
good understanding of what he or
she said.
Express in your
own words what you just heard.
Clear up
differences in the definition of
words and phrases being used.
Clarify the
meaning of "global" words (like
"always" and "never").
Typically, once you clarify with
your prospect, you can then use a
developmental question to move the
dialog in a desired direction to
further understand the prospect's
purpose and/or result he or she
wants to achieve. These questions,
too, can win you another 60 seconds
of time to talk--once the contact
has responded to your question, of
course. Generally speaking,
developmental questions:
Encourage the
other person to elaborate on
what he or she just said.
Begin to make it
possible for the other person to
show his or her true feelings
about the topic at hand.
Obtain further
definition of what's under
discussion.
Optionally, you can also use a
directional question to win another
60 seconds. These questions steer
the dialog to a certain direction
that a developmental question just
uncovered. Directional questions are
like a roadmap of your conversation
and allow the dialog to take another
path, one that's beneficial to
uncovering the prospect's purpose
and needs. Generally speaking,
directional questions:
Move the dialog
from one logical topic to
another.
Invite the other
person to participate in an
informational exchange.
Can be used to
replace a closed-ended question
you were tempted to ask.
Important: Don't fall into the trap
of using directional questions to
control or manipulate the prospect
in any way. This will destroy any
business rapport you've built and
reduce your chances of getting a
second appointment.
Another question type you can use to
earn another 60 seconds of talk time
is called an opinion question. This
kind of question is extremely
helpful in revealing where a
prospect stands on any particular
issue, and it can be used to give
you more insight into someone's
unique needs. Opinion questions are
also a nonthreatening way to ensure
that the other person is actually
engaged in the dialog. As a general
rule, opinion questions:
Ask a direct
question in a nonconfrontational
way.
Get the other
person to speak frankly and
openly.
Allow the
opportunity to share feelings.
Show esteem and
respect for the other person.
Help to extend
and prolong dialogues.
Finally, you can use what I call a
social proof question to justify
another 60 seconds of talk time.
This is an indirect way of getting
the other person to realize that his
situation is similar to that of
other people you've worked with. As
with any other reference to a third
party, there is the chance that your
contact will respond favorably to
what you cite within the question.
On the other hand, there is a chance
that the social proof you introduce
will be looked upon as competitive
or irrelevant to what's being
discussed. So these questions can be
tricky. Generally speaking, social
proof questions:
Introduce a third
party that is relevant to the
discussion.
May increase
confidence that you can address
the purpose and needs of the
other person.
Validate the
other person's reasoning.
Can be used to
address concerns or problems
before they arise.
Intelligent use of each of these
question types will encourage your
prospect to begin to show his or her
true feelings about whatever subject
is under discussion. Build business
rapport with prospects, and they'll
be less likely to tune out while
you're delivering your pitch.
The opinions
expressed in this column are those
of the author, not of
Entrepreneur.com. All answers are
intended to be general in nature,
without regard to specific
geographical areas or circumstances,
and should only be relied upon after
consulting an appropriate expert,
such as an attorney or accountant.
