When you are fortunate enough to get a prospect on the hook, do you launch right into your “pitch”? I equate that experience to visiting a website and having to wait for that irrelevant intro ad that you could care less about… such a waste of time. So what is the best way to engage the prospect? Start asking questions to find out why they called!
Even if you have been selling the same product for years, you might have a hunch but you don’t know for sure why this particular prospect is interested. Here is how I like to handle these situations…
- Find out why they called
- Ask a question like, “What prompted you to look at this product/service?”
- Really listen to their answer and pick out a few basic concepts to follow up on with more questions.
- After they answer, restate in your words and make sure they confirm before moving on.
- If you don’t restate what you heard it is possible that you misunderstood and it won’t do either of you any favors to head down a path that creates confusion or doesn’t answer their questions.
Then, if both parties are on the same page, you can outline the necessary next steps to answer their questions and ultimately, close the deal.