Don’t get defensive. It’s not personal. You are an expert. People ask you questions because you are the one who has the answers. Except it’s a trap. The more you talk, the more they try to disqualify you. Sorry, the truth hurts.
Being an expert in your products & services is important, and it’s also dangerous. It is important because it gives you confidence. It feels good to have the answers, so we tend to answer the questions rather than find out why they are asking the questions.
It is dangerous because you may be so excited to give your answer that you skip over asking them why that question was important to them in the first place.
The answer to that question is more important than the rush you get giving them the answer.
Sales is not about you… it’s about them.
People make decisions intellectually and buy emotionally. When they ask you a question you have an opportunity to get to the emotional level where they are likely to buy, but if you
blurt out the answer too quickly, you’ll miss it. Also, sharing with people all that you know is dangerous…it can overwhelm them and lead down a path that ends with “I’ve got to think it over.” Welcome to your nightmare… because the only one thinking about it is you, the salesperson.
Don’t ‘sell.” Investigate! Consider yourself an investigative reporter seeking the best possible prospects for the problems you solve. Not everyone is the ideal prospect for your offers. I have seen more than a few salespeople leave the profession and even more entrepreneurs with great ideas close shop because they were frustrated that they could not sell. The problem was not that they could not sell, the problem was that they went after the wrong prospects.
