Q:Very often, at the end of a sales conversation, the prospect would appear quite excited on what I have said and would usually ask for a proposal urgently.Boosted by this show of interest, I would spend many hours preparing it for them. But very disappointedly when I followed up with them a few weeks later, they would either ‘go missing’, refuse to take my call or get someone to tell me they are no longer interested.How do I go about minimising such kind of disappointment?
A:Getting excited or asking for a proposal does not mean you have succeeded in clinching the sale. In many cases, they do this as a way to get the sales person to ‘shut up’. Sales people shouldalways learn to talk less, watch the prospect’s body language for buying signals, and put the conversation on the right path to get closer to selling success.
Once you are mindful of this, set some rules around the conversation well before you get into theselling part of it.Inform them upfront that by the end of the sales conversation, if they do not see a need for your product, it is alright to say ‘No’ as you do not expect everyone to have a need for it.
Tell them to ask any question they wish at any point in the conversation as this will give you lots of clues on how well your product fits into their needs.If they should ask for a proposal, ask them what they want inside it and when you can follow up with them.
POWERFULQUESTIONS
- How are you conducting yourself in sales conversation?
- What rules do you want to set to tighten the sales conversation?
- What can you watch for in your prospect’s body language that will tell you their level of interest?
- What do you want to know about their request before doing the proposal?
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