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Welcome back to your home office; how do you feel? Overwhelmed? Under pressure already?
If so, then you’re not alone. Most company’s sales teams are under immediate pressure to begin accomplishing their new goals and sales targets for 2021.
As you speak with your clients and prospects this week, it’s helpful to realize that they are all feeling this same pressure also.
While this may seem like a bad thing, it can actually present a great opportunity for you. Here’s how I handle the companies and contacts I speak with in January. I encourage you to adapt this approach to your products and services as well.
After talking briefly about the holidays and new year’s celebration, I always start with question number one:
“So ________, what are the top 3 initiatives for your department this year?”
Then I hit mute and take notes.
If they need a little help here, I use layering questions like:
“What was your revenue like last year?” Or,
“What percentage increase are you asked to produce this year?” Or,
“What are you doing differently to accomplish this?”
“What do you think is most needed for you to succeed at that?”
After I’ve listened and asked layering questions and taken notes on the three initiatives, I ask question number two:
“And how can I help you accomplish that?”
Once again, I hit the mute button and take notes.
If I get an, “Ah, I don’t know,” then I once again use layering questions like:
“Have you heard of our new ‘On-Demand Inside Sales Training Program’?”
Or I ask a good assumptive question like:
“How much of a budget do you have per quarter for sales training?” Or,
“How big of a role do you think increased sales training is going to play this year?” Or,
“If you could wave a magic wand and get three resources to help you accomplish your goals, what would they be?”
I’m sure you can come up with a few of your own questions here, but you get the idea.
The point is to ask questions and to LISTEN to your prospect’s response. If you respect the pressure they are feeling and truly offer a way to help them, then they will engage with you—and many will even put you to work for them….