Talentuum - The perfect sales conversation requires more insight.
Rebecca Alksnitis
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1 minute read
More than 2/3 of B2B clients prefer to conduct their own research before buying. This means that when they engage you, many of them already have a lot of information about the possible solutions needed to resolve their issues.
Therefore, what most clients want from you is, NOT more information but rather more insight.
However, based on our research and observations, many sales professionals are still pushing tons of information to their clients in the hope something will eventually stick. Such a sales approach is based on the premise that the salesperson, his company & solutions are the hero of the story, the central part of the sales conversation.
Newsflash - YOU, NOR YOUR COMPANY, ARE THE HERO OF THE STORY!
Let's say you meet someone you haven't seen in a long time or even someone new. If that person only talks about themselves for 5-10 minutes without ever asking you a single question about you, what do you do? The answer is: you try to find a way out of this monologue.
A sales conversation is very similar. The hero is (or should be) the client. It makes absolutely no sense to talk about you, your company values, your team, your solutions, etc., when you are beginning a business relationship with a client. It creates zero value, and it's a total turn-off.
I always tell my clients: “If you want to sell your stuff, stop selling your stuff & start getting interested in their stuff!”
One of the best ways to do that is to craft and ask insightful questions. Creating insight is more than just gathering basic information. It’s the art of creating AH-HA moments for the client and doing so with intention. You can’t get to insight by asking questions like: “How many employees do you have” or “How much money have you secured for this project?”
Insight is created with thought-provoking questions such as:
- “How will you get your CEO to buy in on this project?
- “Why have you chosen this particular strategy?”
- “What impact will it have on your clients? Your employees? Your partners?”
The next time you meet with an existing client or a prospect, focus on making them the hero of the story. Seek to create insight intentionally.
