Selling Is All About The Whys
by Tessa Stowe
Selling is all about the whys. There are some very important
whys that you want answered and there are some very important whys your prospect
wants answered. If you focus on these whys, selling will become a lot easier for
you plus it will be easier for your prospects to buy from you.
So what are these whys and why are they so important?
When you are talking to a prospect the whys that you want
answered are:
1. The real 'reason why' they want this problem solved or
they want to obtain this outcome.
You want to find the 'reason why' because you need to discover
the ultimate outcome they want. If you know the ultimate outcome they want, you
will not only increase your chances of gaining a client but you will also
probably make an even larger sale. Also, if you think about it, you need to know
the ultimate outcome your prospect is looking for before you can propose the
solution that is going to give them this ultimate outcome.
Let me clarify this with a very simple example. If someone wants
to buy a drill, they are wanting to buy an outcome which is the hole. If you go
one step further and you find out the 'reason why' they want the hole, you will
find the ultimate outcome. If they said they want holes so they can put up
shelves, you could now focus the conversation on a solution which will give them
the ultimate outcome they are looking for: shelves. You have now increased your
chances of making a sale as you are now focusing on giving them what they really
want: shelves. Plus by focusing on a solution that gives them shelves, you could
probably include additional components and make an even larger sale.
2. Why they want this ultimate outcome NOW.
You want to find out why they want this ultimate outcome now as
you need to know if there is a compelling reason to take action now. If there is
no compelling reason to take action now, chances are high that they will not
make a decision now. If there is no compelling reason you will probably be
wasting your time, money and resources in pursuing a sale that is not going to
happen now.
So just as you have whys you want answered so too does your
prospect. The whys your prospect wants answered are:
1. Why should I buy this product or service?
Your prospect wants to know what's in it for me (WIIFM) if I buy
your product or service? What problem does your product or service solve and
what outcome is it going to deliver? What difference is your product or services
going to make for me? Is there a justification for buying your product or
service? Why is it important for me to buy your product or service now instead
of later?
2. Why should I buy this product or service from you?
Once your prospect has made the decision that they want to buy a
product or service like yours to solve a problem or achieve an outcome, they
will probably also think they can buy this product or service from other
companies as well. It is at this point they start asking themselves all sorts of
questions about you. Are you capable of solving this problem and delivering the
outcome? Will you do what you say you will do? Can I trust you? What risk am I
exposing myself to if I buy from you? Will I get the outcome I want if I buy
from you? Why should I buy from you instead of your competitors?
If you look at your sales conversations and all your steps in
the sales process, they really are about finding out and answering these whys.
In essence you want to find out why they want a problem solved now so you can
know if they are really a prospect. In essence your prospect wants to know why
they should even be interested in your products and services and if they are,
why they should buy from you. Selling really is all about the whys.
(c) 2008, Tessa Stowe, Sales Conversation.
Tessa Stowe teaches small business owners and
recovering salespeople simple steps to turn conversations into clients without
being sales-y or pushy. Her free monthly Sales Conversation newsletter is full
of tips on how to sell your services by just being yourself. Sign up at
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