I recently received a call from someone that I had actually called. The call was a prime example of good news – bad news. Good news in that my call was returned; bad news in that the call was a sales nightmare.
Although initially interested in learning about the revolutionary secret this individual had discovered, ten minutes into the conversation, I wanted to make it stop! A vigilante for the solution, the individual hardly took a breath — which led to some erroneous assumptions.
Assumption #1: I’m overweight. Okay, I admit that I could lose a pound or two but even the circus performer missed my true weight by 25#.
Assumption #2: I’m inactive. Hardly! Granted, a nap every now and again comes in handy after cycling 67 miles.
Assumption #3: I have poor eating habits. You’ll be pretty disappointed if you’re trolling for snack food at my house around midnight.
I could go on and on but then, just like the call, it would be all about me.
It was, however painful, the most important twenty-minutes to serve as a powerful reminder that:
- The one who occupies the majority of the conversation is the buyer.
- There is a difference between ‘speaking with’ and ‘talking to’ a prospect.
- Eighty percent of a sales call is best spent listening to your prospect.
- Twenty percent of your sales call should be spent asking questions to gain a clearer understanding of your prospects needs.
People want to buy, however, they just don’t want to be sold. If you can shift your thinking from selling to serving, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at your results.
