How To Deal With People Who Don't Know What They Want

Business Communication   Written by Art Sobczak - Word Count: 507
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If you handle incoming inquiries or follow up on sales leads, keep one thing in mind: Some people might not know what they want or even which questions to ask you.

It's frustrating when an inquirer tells me, "Uhh, we're just interested in training," and can't be more specific. He called me, for gosh sakes. I guess that, during my hectic business day, I expect people who call to tell me exactly what they're looking for. What a mistake.

You need to know these are people who don't know precisely what they want and likely aren't even aware of what's available. It's just as when someone takes a car in for a repair or goes to the doctor because of a mysterious pain. We have no clue about what we specifically need; therefore, we're prime candidates for recommendations.

What To Do

Be careful here. For lack of something better, these folks often say, "Well, just tell me what you have." You don't want to shift into data-dump mode and spew, in laundry-list fashion, everything you sell. Because this is nothing more than a generic, oral brochure, it's likely they won't find anything of interest.

Instead, when you realize you have prospects who can't articulate what they're looking for, be prepared with questions that get them to open up. Try to first determine the reason for the call:

"Tell me, what was it that prompted your call?"
"What in the ad caught your eye and persuaded you to contact us?"
"How did you happen to decide to call us?"

Just think about the great information you could get here. It could be the same as unlocking the dam of information they have inside.

Or you could get "Uh, I dunno. Just saw the ad and thought I'd call."

OK. Then we need to focus the microscope a bit more, and uncover the real reason for the call, not the solution; that's what they're looking for from you. Begin questioning with the big picture, then narrow it down.

Ask about the past:

"What has happened in your department that helped you determine you needed to look at additional training?"
"What have you done before that didn't work as well as you would have liked? What were those results?"

Ask about the present:

"What are you doing in this area right now?"
"What results are you getting?"
"What do you anticipate?"

When you finally touch a tender area, then it's time to embellish their answers even further with additional questions:

"How is that affecting you/the department/the organization?"
"And then what happened/happens?"
"What is that costing you?"

Then ask about the future. This should help you determine specifically what you should recommend:

"What results would you ideally like to see?"

Of course, within this framework, you'll also ask your typical qualifying questions regarding budget, authority and time frame.

Often, people who call you don't know exactly what they need. Your questions help them tell you.

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Art Sobczak gives real world, how-to, conversational ideas and techniques helping business-to-business salespeople use the phone more effectively to prospect, sell, service, and manage accounts without "rejection." Art is author of numerous books, taped training programs, and publisher of the TELEPHONE SELLING REPORT sales tips newsletter. He’s also a speaker and trainer, providing high-content, one-hour to multiple-day customized speeches and seminars. To receive his free “TelE-Sales Hot Tips of the Week visit www.businessbyphone.com. For addition information,



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Copyright© 2002, Art Sobczak. All right reserved. For information contact FrogPond at email susie@FrogPond.com.