Problem: Salespeople talk too much when they finally get a prospect on the phone.
They pitch features and benefits instead of asking questions and qualifying.
They talk over their prospects and generally learn very little about what it takes to close a sale.
Result? They may get some leads out and set up some “demos or presentations,” but because they didn’t discover whether a prospect was truly a buyer and in the market at that time, their close rate is a disappointing 2 sales out of 10 full presentations….
Compare that with your own close rate or your team’s closing percentages.
Solution: Ask questions and listen more.
This may sound easy, but if you’ve listened to any of your rep’s calls (or your own), then you know how hard it is.
Here is the simplest way to do it. Adopt the word “Oh?” into your qualifying pitch and find your MUTE button.
It goes like this: Ask a qualifying question, then hit MUTE and listen.
If you get an answer that doesn’t really tell you anything, or if you feel a prospect is trying to hide the real answer, simply unmute yourself and say, “Oh?” with your voice lifting up at the end of the word. Like you’re really curious.
Then hit MUTE again and listen as your prospect reveals more. Much more.
Don’t be fooled by this. It may seem simple, but it’s hard to do. However, when you do it, you’ll move into the rarefied air of top closers. You’ll discover hidden buying motives—and you’ll discover real objections.
In short, you’ll begin to tell the buyers from the non-buyers, and that is the start of closing more sales and making more money.
Try it today.