Don’t Jump to Sell

He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. – Chinese Proverb

In preparation for upcoming training with a healthcare client, I recently attended a large medical convention where I visited various company booths. I stopped by 24 booths that day and said “Tell me what you guys do”. Only 2 of 24 reps responded with a question within their first few sentences, while most could not hold back from delivering their entire pitch.

Some parts were relevant to a doctor, some to a patient, some to a sales consultant, and certainly some of that information would have been of interest to their competitors. After a short elevator pitch, a simple question like “what brings you here today?” or “what is your role?” would have helped immensely in determining what information was relevant to share.  

• Not jumping to “sell”.   Salespeople are trained to perform some discovery of needs when speaking with prospects. Many overlook that step. Good salespeople ask questions before presenting a solution. Great salespeople go a level further in asking questions that transform the “selling” experience into a “buying” one for their prospects.
• Elevator speech plus.  When developing or practicing our elevator pitch, there is often little attention paid to what comes next. By having a relevant question to ask after delivering our pitch, we can engage the other person in conversation and be in control of the conversation. If someone at a conference asked me what we do, I’d say: “We do sales consulting – working with sales leaders and salespeople to drive performance – what type of business are you in?”
• Demonstrating credibility with “point of view” questions. One of the reasons salespeople rush to talk about the features and benefits of their product or service is to demonstrate their credibility and expertise. Asking insightful, thought-provoking questions is another way and it enables us to listen, not just speak. In a recent meeting, a salesperson in financial services asked:  “Many clients are concerned about how the uncertainty in Europe will impact portfolios. What’s your point of view there?”  He demonstrates his knowledge of core issues but does not jump to sell without learning the client’s point of view.

We are all passionate about what we do, excited to share that with our clients, and eager to close the sale. By having the discipline and patience to ask some questions and make the conversation two-way and relevant, we are more likely to create more buying (vs. sales) experiences for our prospects and clients.