It may be hard to believe but sales skills can KILL sales. Particularly those skills that are learned and poorly executed.
Carelessly formed questions can hurt your business and your sales rather than help them. So can certain techniques that many sales training companies teach. It's not because people don't care that this can happen, that they don't do anything about it. It's quite simply because... MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THIS.
The Big Question?
Questioning techniques are taught by most all sales training providers and on most all sales training courses. And of course, what you will usually be taught without fail are the two types of questioning techniques that you need to employ.
1) The Closed Question
If you were to ask people what is a closed question, they will usually answer: Any question that can be answered by a "yes" or a "no".
We call this kind of question the "Mother Of All Sales Killers"
The traditional closed question is the biggest killer of sales. Most people are oblivious to this fact, because they feel that they should be asking closed questions (yes/no questions). Why? Because they've been taught about them and therefore they believe they are part of an effective sales process.
WRONG! - They are part of an effective sales destruction process.
Think about this closed question that costs the retail industry billions of pounds each and every year.
"Can I help you?"
We're one of, if not the only, training provider in the UK who explains why, and explains how to get to "YES!" without ever getting hit with "NO!".
2) The Open Ended Question
Rudyard Kipling has a lot to answer for.
Ahh... the open ended questions - Who? What? Why? Where? When? and How?
So we go out armed with our information grabbing six, and we feel we can "fact find" with the best of them.
Unfortunately, the real world is different from the classroom and people feel stuck when they still get one or two word answers to what should be the very questions that get them more information.
In fact, what we call the "If you say so pal!" principle comes into play.
Salesperson: "So Mr Prospect, HOW will addiing our XYZ product in your current range affect your business?"
Prospect: (shrugs his shoulders)" Dunno..."
Salesperson: (answering his own question) "Well, it will add a whole new choice for you customers and one that up until now, they've probably wanted but not been able to get. Now you will be able to meet their needs in a far greater way then ever before resulting in more business. In fact, you'll thank us we came up with this range when it proves to be your fastest selling line."
Prospect: (thinking to himself "hmm... If you say so pal...") "Oh really?"
There are many other examples of how TRAINED sales staff can be making costly mistakes hurting their own sales and commissions and your business.
Our training courses at TSM Training are designed to not only pinpoint what mistakes KILL sales and why, but also to help our course attendees safeguard against them ever happening, and turning those weaknesses into turbo-charged, profit-pulling, power-presentations!
Call Us NOW On 0800 567 0800 to see how we can help you or your organisation - We'll even pay for the call!
