Joe Marr: Selling Smart

The Salesperson’s Curse

Posted on Thu, Dec 3, 2009 : 5:10 a.m.

Ever get caught in the trap of telling a prospect all your features and benefits only to find out later they really weren’t interested in buying? Or, bring up a feature that you think is key, only to learn the prospect had problems with that very thing before? Ever have one of those sale calls where you felt like you did all the talking? If you have, you are overselling and that is the Salesperson’s Curse.

The Sandler rule is that the salesperson should talk 30% of the time and listen 70% of the time. In other words, when your tellin', you're not sellin'!

That’s because the most important information about your product or service is between the prospect’s two ears. It’s not what you think about your features and benefits that count, it’s what they think is important.

Most prospects are comfortable asking questions, and most salespeople are comfortable answering them. If you want to find out what your prospect’s real buying motives are, you need to become proficient at getting information, not just giving it.

Bring a natural curiosity to the conversation, and ask open-ended questions. Use active listening to encourage your prospect to share their beliefs about how they view their problem and your solution.

Before giving information, ask good questions. What does the prospect want? What is the urgency? What are the consequences of not buying anything? What is their decision making process?

Selling is not just you talking, but you asking good questions to learn the prospect’s problems. Sales people are problem solvers, not information givers.

Avoid The Salesperson’s Curse by finding out what’s important to your prospective customers and focusing the conversation on their issues, not yours.