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Do
you, • drive a
1984 Cavalier, • live in a
pop-up trailer at a nearby campground, • wear
clothes purchased exclusively from thrift stores, and, • eat only
Hamburger (or Tuna) Helper? Didn’t think
so. And you’re
like everyone else, including your prospects and customers. Which means that you
just don’t buy what you need to survive. You buy what you want. And an even
stronger motivator is taking action based on what you value. I’ve long
taught that the best way to sell is to understand what motivates buyers, then
help them experience those feelings in advance. This creates the desire to take
action. Mediocre reps, on the other hand, approach calls with the intention of
spraying their message, hoping they’ll hit upon someone who will buy. And when
resistance occurs, they fire back with objection rebuttals, which I call
"Objection Headbuttals," because it’s like butting your head against
a brick wall when you use them. You’ve
probably experienced the frustration of selling just to needs. Think about the
prospect you proved you could help save a bazillion dollars a year, increase
market share by 75%, decrease turnover to virtually zero, and eliminate customer
complaints, but still didn't buy. You sulked around, shaking your head in
disbelief, emitting primal-like noises in frustration, muttering, "What an
ignoramus this person is! I can’t understand why he’s not buying." Probably
because you talked about your reasons for buying, not his. Wants-Based
Questioning "What,
ideally, do you want the end result to be?" "How
would you measure satisfaction after you’ve used it?" "If you
could design the ideal product, what would it include?" "If
budget were not a concern, what would you get?" Values-Based
Questioning Delve into
someone’s values, their core beliefs, and you'll know what really drives them. Money isn’t
everything, and I enjoy it as much or more than the next guy, and often joke
that it ranks right up there with food and oxygen as a priority. But I routinely
pass up training and speaking projects because I limit the number of days I will
travel. I need money.
I want money. But what I really value is the time home with my family, attending
school functions and game, coaching ball teams, and bringing down my golf
handicap. Values override needs and wants. Once you’ve
reached the comfort level with a prospect/customer where rapport and trust have
been built, it’s appropriate to ask questions that examine their innermost
core beliefs, their values. For example, "What’s
most important to you about this project?" "What
will getting this project done the way you want it mean to you?" Then, listen
for the answers, and layer more questions to gain further insight. For example,
if they say, "Well, it’ll mean I’ll come in under budget," dig
deeper: "And
what’s important to you about that?" Again, for
questions like these to work, the rapport must be there. I chide sales reps
constantly for asking—too early in an initial sales call— "So what’s
important to you in a bathroom cleaning supplies vendor?" It typically gets
a "Whaddya nuts or somethin?"-type answer, and deservedly so. It
forces the prospect to think too much. As if the prospect places his bathroom
cleaning supplies at the top of the things he lusts for daily. But, after the
rapport is there, it’s not so awkward to ask, "Bruno, I
know this is just one of the many responsibilities you have, but I want to make
sure I’m giving you the best recommendation possible. So tell me, what’s
most important to you about the maintenance of your facilities?" Make it a goal
to question for, and to understand the wants and values of your buyers. You’ll
build more trust, and have longer lasting customer relationships. |
