How to sell: Persuasive sales include being curious

How to sell: Persuasive sales skills encompass so many different things that can help you learn how to sell more.

Many times the items that help people increase their sales are traits or characteristics innately born with.

Great salespeople have to incorporate certain people skills into their daily life in order to succeed. One of the greatest traits for a salesperson to have is curiosity. When dealing with other people “telling isn’t selling” is a huge term to remember, but sadly most sales people show up and throw up as the explanation goes.  

Curiosity does help a salesperson tremendously with persuasive sales skills or even learning how to sell. These helpful abilities can include:

• ·         Slowing down the sales call to control the clock
• ·         Help with the rapport process
• ·         Change an objection into a reduced concern
• ·         Determine what can actually be done for the client or the potential client.

Many times in sales it is all too easy to rush through the call for any number of reasons. By being curious about not just the potential clients issues but about the environment that they are in this may slow down the sales process and open the person up. Now this is not always the case with a person who has the driver type of mentality but it does work well with the others. The main drawback is if you decide to take too long the person that you are with will get frustrated and want you to leave. There is a fine balance between persuasive sales skills including being curious and walking away without a sale.

From being curious salespeople can help develop their rapport building skills. Using the definition of being similar for rapport curiosity can help the potential client determine if you are like them. On huge word of caution: It is possible to build too much rapport and be too curious when that happens you are in trouble because now it is ok for someone to say “I wanna think about it” or give you some other stall. Yes you can be too curious and it will hurt you. The second way is if you seem fake about what you are doing and “trying” too hard.

When a potential client has an objection being curious does help you out because instead of being that salesperson that is too well versed at objection handling the curiosity comes out and slowly bring out the needed answers. When a person says something like:

Them: “I think it’s too much money”

You: “That does seem like a valid concern, but what else are you concerned about with this product”?

Them: “That’s it just the money”

You: “If I understand you correctly, you are happy with the product / service except this one small thing and it’s the cost or investment”?

Overcoming objections is not about the speed of dealing with the rejection, it is actually the opposite. It takes some time to talk people off the ledge of an objection.

You have then found out what is the cause of their pain with your product but most people who take sales training are taught to ask “Well how much too much is it”? or “If I could show you a way to make it more affordable today would you be interested”? Both of those options by the way mean that you as a salesperson is about to drop your drawers and discount to get a sale and that’s not really the right message to give to a potential client when you first meet with them. If you discount from the very beginning you will always be discounting although in some cases this has to be done (Just be careful of how much you give away it decreases your value in the long term).

The last great thing about curiosity is that it actually helps you determine what you can do for the client of potential client. In most industries there is not a one size fits all product that every person can be pushed into. If you are up against a competitor it does help you to care about what you do for others instead of just worrying about how much money you can make for yourself with this sale. People can feel desperation and they can also feel when people are not genuine and just care about their closing rate or commission check.

Go out and be curious about many things. Learning about new items does help you improve your persuasive selling skills and abilities. Remembering that it helps you to know a variety of information that can be used in the future it is a good idea to become uncomfortable as much as possible when it comes to stepping outside your boundaries. You never know what you can connect with people on whether its tractors or fishing. Go be curious and learn as much as you can so you can slow down the sales process the right way and use your persuasive sales techniques better.

As always I would like to thank you in advance for your comments and or questions.

Scott Sylvan Bell

Now go implement!

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