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The Difference Between Telling Sell and Involving to Sell
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The Brooks Group
How do you tell your sales story with power, believability and behavior? How can you virtually guarantee that your prospect will become a customer? In order to do this successfully there are two simple principles to keep in mind, no matter what you are selling. Here they are:
· People buy anything they will buy for their reasons, not your (or mine)
· Prospects expect salespeople to exaggerate the value of their product or service (you or me, included!)
Once you understand and accept this reality what can you do to deal with it? The first principle can be dealt with very easily and systematically by remembering two things:
· The more you are in front of qualified prospects, the better off you’ll be…
and
· The secret is to ask the right questions of the right people (qualified prospects) related to what they’ll buy, when they’ll buy, how they’d like to buy, under what conditions they’ll buy – and then ensure your product or service meets those exact standards.
The second principle, however, creates a little larger obstacle. Most salespeople are accustomed to “telling and selling” instead of “involving and asking.” It is true that people learn a whole lot more from what they experience than from what they hear, isn’t it? The same is true about your product or service presentation. In fact, I prefer to use the term “application” rather than “demonstration” or “presentation.” The former means a mutual discovery or learning experience as your product or service is unfolded to your prospect while the latter terms refer to a standard, sterile and boring monologue related to your product or service’s qualities.
It has often been said that features “tell” and benefits “sell.” Unfortunately, it is far deeper than that! You need to determine which benefits really do sell! You also need to discover the role that active participation, involvement and education will play in the presentation of your offering.
Always remember that people are far more likely to believe what they experience, do, feel, touch, smell, think or immerse themselves in than what they simply hear from you!
When our son, Will was a college student, he went on a wonderful, 21 day tour of Europe. He and his friends traveled from Rome to Paris and from Paris to London. Then they went to Munich, Australia and back to Rome. What did Will learn?
· That travel is expensive (much more than he thought)
· That travel is fatiguing (much more than he thought)
· That Europe is rich in history (much more than he thought)
· That he was happy to come home (much more than he thought he’d be)
· That he could be independent even in a foreign culture (much more than he thought)
What does this mean to you? Simply this – never underestimate the importance of allowing your prospect to learn all they can about your product or service. You job? To serve is the tour guide, interpreter or facilitator. To allow them to reach their own conclusions, make their own comparisons and discover precisely how your product will address their concerns, enhance their profits, solve a problem or meet a need.
Some tips? Let me give you six. Here they are:
· You need to know how to prepare your “lesson plan” by addressing the specific issues your customer has.
· Your product or service must be seen from the perspective of your prospect or customer – not you, your marketing department, R&D staff or anyone else within your organization.
· Keep your presentation simple – yet elegant. Don’t confuse your prospect!
· Make your application interactive – show and tell, ask and explain – educate and involve.
· Ask feedback questions to ensure your prospect or customer understands and emotionally accepts your solution. Questions like, “What do you think?” “How does it fee,” “Do you understand?” Do you have any questions?” or “Would you like to try this yourself?” are all essential to ask.
· Don’t talk too much, non-stop or in jargon your prospect or customer will not understand.
Always remember that people don’t want to be sold. Instead, they want to buy. Ask the right questions (What do you want to buy?) and then present the right solutions – and allow them to experience your product or service. Then, they will buy!
The_Brooks_Group3810
4 months ago
52 comments
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