To make an effective presentation the sales person can find out the needs or wants of a prospect by asking questions. Some direct questions are necessary, but indirect questions like “How is the economy affecting you? are less invasive.. A Xerox sales training course in the 1980s suggested probing with replies like “Oh?” “Well” “Can you tell me more?” or even “Hmm.” The purpose is to encourage the prospects to talk unprompted about their wants or needs, and they will often gladly reveal what the sales person needs to know.
Fortunately, it is doubtful if a salesperson will encounter a prospect like the patient who was admitted to the office of a doctor who promptly asked him “Tell me about your problem.” The patient replied “That’s for you to find out.” The physician retorted “Sir, please go to the waiting room while I call a veterinarian. He is the only doctor who can make a diagnosis without asking questions.”
Tags: sales desire, sales motivation, sales techniques, sales tips, SALES: by People, selling
