Have you ever passed by a bakery display case without feeling the urge to buy at least one cookie, dessert or cinnamon bun? Have you ever taken a child into a candy store and not had them ask to buy at least one of their favorite sweets?
The smell of fresh baked goods and the memory of the taste of a candy bar makes us want to buy more. The owners of bakeries and candy stores don't have to spend a lot of time extolling the merits of their goods or the length of time they've been in business; they can concentrate on helping us satisfy our appetites.
Wouldn't you like to be in a similar situation with your marketing? How would you like to have prospects who were so eager to buy that you didn't have to sell, but could focus instead on taking more orders?
If you are like most small business owners you'd like to increase your sales but you don't enjoy selling. You don't want to be seen as a pushy person, whether it is on the phone, in person or in your marketing materials. The problem is that you don't sell baked goods or candy - instead you may sell accounting, design, engineering, or informational products and services.
What can you do to increase your sales and spend less time selling?
Stop Selling
Stop worrying about closing the sale. Focus instead on understanding what your prospect wants, and open the door to a mutually profitable relationship. When a prospect thinks that all you care about is getting their money, they'll view the relationship negatively and this can easily kill the sale.
Start Helping
Once a prospect is at your web site or on the phone with you, they've demonstrated an interest in finding a solution to one of their problems or concerns. Take the next step and demonstrate your interest in them. Use your conversation or your site to ask them questions that will identify what they want to accomplish and how you can help them.
Help them clarify the problem they are trying to solve. Even our prosperous bakery owner has questions to ask. Is the hungry customer looking for bread for lunch, or a dessert for a celebration? How many people are they feeding? Once you have all the details, you confirm it by repeating the information back to them. "You are planning a party for five couples and want a chocolate cake with mocha frosting. Is that right?"
When your customer says yes, you've got your order. You just used a series of questions to get your prospect to tell you what they wanted. You didn't have to sell anything: they sold themselves. You helped them get what they wanted. Isn't that what you'd prefer to be doing?
Obviously, the questions you use to "sell" are going to be unique to the products and services you provide. Remember that when people come to you, they are hungry for a solution. The questions you ask can help them define exactly what they need and, more importantly, what they want. Then you can take their order.
Does this approach apply to selling less tangible and less immediately satisfying services and products?
Imagine you're a financial advisor and you're having an initial conversation with a prospect. You could launch into an explanation of your services and the seven ways you help clients grow assets using a strategic mix of stocks, bonds, currency and commodities. If you did this you'd be likely to miss connecting with them. Or you could ask them a couple of questions to identify what they want.
Most people have a common set of concerns related to managing their assets. Use these to formulate your questions. Ask them:
- Do they have an investment strategy?
- What is it?
- What have the results been over the last five years?
- How risky or safe do they feel their strategy is?
- Are they happy with the investment return of their portfolio?
- Do they want to know how to get better returns without additional risk?
You could use a similar set of questions to ask them about their taxes, investments, and whether their individual financial strategies complement or conflict with each other.
Whether you sell cakes and cookies or services and informational products, you can use questions to move your prospects to become clients and customers.
Ask the right questions and you'll establish your credibility while you help your prospects clarify what they need and help them determine the value of your products and services. Focus on helping instead of selling and your prospects will thank you by increasing your sales.
Charlie Cook 2005© In Mind Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.
The author, Charlie Cook, helps service professionals, small business owners and marketing professionals attract more clients and be more successful. Sign up to receive the Free Marketing Plan eBook, '7 Steps to get more clients and grow your business' at http://www.marketingforsuccess.com
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
The most important thing for an auto detailer to do... Read More
Sooner or later, we all backslide into old ways of... Read More
Think about it. If only it was as easy as... Read More
Have you ever wondered what type of saleswoman you are?... Read More
If you've been in the small business computer consulting industry... Read More
Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by salespeople is the problem... Read More
In the last article, we looked at three emotions (besides... Read More
Here's a surefire method to guarantee you achieve the best... Read More
"Yeah right!" I thought to myself as I started to... Read More
1. Negotiate with e-zine publishers to get free or discounted... Read More
Some years ago I read and interesting story that illustrated... Read More
Know where to focus. Not everyone evaluates product solutions with... Read More
Here are 4 easy ways you can boost your sales... Read More
"Ask, and you shall receive", a biblical principal that offers... Read More
You could just send out your brochure to potential customers... Read More
What to do when you win or lose.You have given... Read More
Many business owners and professionals are appalled at the thought... Read More
In the day-to-day operation of an online business we can... Read More
Bill Brooks of The Brooks Group wrote an article several... Read More
Proponents of traditional sales training simply teach the material, sometimes... Read More
Education plus Motivation is a powerful formula. But how do... Read More
Are you going to win this deal? With just less... Read More
For the 'big three' automobile sales consultants, the 'employee discount... Read More
One of the interesting things about being a coach and... Read More
Prospect - "So now that I've told you what we... Read More
1. Give your prospects a f~ree trial of your software... Read More
Let's be realistic nobody really wants to be labeled a... Read More
Cross-selling - the art of selling for non-salespeopleCross-selling is the... Read More
Prospecting for future customers can be fun if you approach... Read More
One of the quickest ways to loose a sale is... Read More
Have you ever started something and not completed it? Or... Read More
Marketing and sales co-exist and work in tandem beautifully if... Read More
We are all in sales. We all selling in every... Read More
Have you ever eaten a soft taco? The shell isn't... Read More
Think about it. If only it was as easy as... Read More
I arrive with about 350 other guys. We smile at... Read More
Performance and motivation are like chocolate & peanut butter; the... Read More
Facilitating the buying process can be very straightforward and fairly... Read More
When I researched the field of using personality inventories to... Read More
One of the questions I often get asked as a... Read More
Would you like to multiply your web site sales? Or... Read More
Here's an idea on how to make reading the daily... Read More
Prospect - "So now that I've told you what we... Read More
Increase your sales-in five minutes. This article is the third... Read More
Sales is still a must for any company who wishes... Read More
Assumptions can kill a sale. In my sales training workshops,... Read More
How well do you handle objections?The fact is, most people... Read More
You are about to speak to a potential client, go... Read More
If you're a business person you want to sell your... Read More
Recently, right before I was about to deliver a motivational... Read More
Cross-selling - the art of selling for non-salespeopleCross-selling is the... Read More
What are you selling?Coaching? Consulting? Professional services? A product? Information?To... Read More
When your company invests in sales training, what is the... Read More
Each of us sells every single day. We are all... Read More
One of the best ways to increase your sales and... Read More
1.- REMAIN VERY CLIENT FOCUSED! Not Company focused. Your clients... Read More
Are you tired of excuses? Looking for a persuasion technique... Read More
Imagine this scenario. You are a sales representative for Baker... Read More
Do you frequently hear that from a prospect?"I'll Think It... Read More
Many sellers like to describe themselves as professionals, but what... Read More
Have you ever tried to explain to someone what you... Read More
I've been getting lots of email from my readers lately.... Read More
The goal of all sales training is not just to... Read More
Most people don't realize how powerful a negotiating tool silence... Read More
PEOPLE DO BUSINESS WITH PEOPLE THEY KNOW, LIKE, & TRUST.... Read More
A myth can best be described as somebody or something... Read More
Sales Training |