Ask Me Anything!
Customers with endless questions; how do you handle them?
Some sales people lose interest, or even patience, when a potential buyer turns a meeting into a lengthy interrogation. But that’s a mistake, because their questions tell us they’re genuinely interested in buying, so there’s real potential there for a sale. In a technical field like ours, our customers naturally have a lot of questions. We always begin our answers with, “That’s a very good question,” because by saying that, we let them know that all of their questions are welcome and we’re happy to answer them.
Answering questions gives us a chance to show our expertise, lets them know we’re great at what we do, and shows that our customer-centric service policy begins even before the sale takes place – all very reassuring to someone in the market for important industrial equipment like our furnaces or Three Roll Mills. It signals that we’re here for them now, and will be in the future.
Answering questions builds our credibility. It gives us a chance to tell the potential buyer about the satisfied customers we’ve got around the world, and share their success stories with our equipment.
Answering questions gives us an opening to tell our customers about special, value-added features our machines offer that they might not otherwise have known about. If the question comes via email, we add links to our website in our reply, or to videos that illustrate the answers for them.
Answering questions sometimes spurs creativity on our part to help smooth the customer’s path to a sale. In one case, a new customer we really wanted to win over asked us if we offered a lease to buy option, something we’d never done. We searched the Internet and found a car leasing company that offered terms similar to what he needed, and modeled a contract after theirs that helped us close the sale. If he hadn't asked, we probably wouldn't have thought of it.
When your potential buyer comes at you with a million questions, don’t just be patient – be glad. It’s a chance to show your company and products to their very best advantage, and win your customer’s loyalty for life!
Adapted from Amazon Best Selling book: FROM START-UP TO STAR by Ken Kuang, Joyce Zhang, and Eileen Han
