Educating Versus Engaging
So the red-alert question of the day is as follows, "If I give you a great sales tip today, would you really take advantage of the tip?" One hundred percent of the people asked always say "yes," but 98% do absolutely nothing with the tip. Why? I think it's because they are stuck on average and have their cruise control engaged. The 2% of people, who are driving 100 miles an hour looking for any competitive advantage, listen to the information, take immediate action, and then some.
Engage the Customer Emotionally
Please don't bore your customers with verbal crap about how great your organization is at the beginning of your presentation. The goal is to create a connection with your customer through the use of pre-planned engaging questions. We need to display interest in the customer and focus on the Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why questions that will let us discover areas of commonality and make connections.
Kipling Said It Best in a Poem:
"I KEEP six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.
I send them over land and sea, I send them east and west;
But after they have worked for me, I give them all a rest.
I let them rest from nine till five, For I am busy then,
As well as breakfast, lunch, and tea, For they are hungry men.
But different folk have different views; I know a person small—
She keeps ten million serving-men, Who get no rest at all!
She sends 'em abroad on her own affairs, From the second she opens her eyes—
One million Hows, two million Wheres, And seven million Whys!"
Emotional Engagement Questions
I have taught the Question Up process for over three decades because it's effective. One aim is to create trust and confidence by displaying genuine interest in the customer. Our mission is to create a communication bridge through the conversation.
Up Questions - Emotionally Based
Where did you grow up?
What made you choose this career?
What do you enjoy most about your role in the organization?
When did you relocate to this city?
How has the transition been?
What have been the most influential moments for the organization?
These types of questions will truly evoke emotional responses and turn a sales call into a relationship-building conversation. This type of customer-centric dialogue is simply a smarter approach than bragging on your company or product. Your story is irrelevant until you establish the real bond. I still believe this to be one of the most important lessons the business of sales will teach you: "Make a Real Friend, Make a Sale."
If you're interested in learning more sales tips from me, check out my latest sales course (now 40% off!), The Vocabulary Vault! When you open the Vault, you unlock 100+ word tracks designed to help you:
- Overcome Demands and Objections
- Conduct a Flawless Customer Greeting
- Develop Relationship Equity with the Customer (Make a friend, and make a sale)
- Fully Understand the Customer's Needs and Desires
- Successfully Inform the “Non-buyer”
- Conquer “I'm Not Buying Today”
- Create a Winning Value Proposition
- Establish a Vocabulary of Winning Words that Make You Rich
- Learn About “My Grid” that has been used by Fortune 500 Companies Worldwide
Make a difference today,
Paul Cummings
Copyright 2018: Paul Cummings Enterprises.
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About the Author: For over 30 years, Paul Cummings has taught dynamic life-changing strategies on sales, customer service, communication, building a better business, and leadership. Millions have had the opportunity to learn what it means to live and work at Level 10.
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