Initial conversations with any prospect can be tricky, especially when it comes to finding prospect’s pain points!
There is a deficit of trust. There can be a tussle between the sales person and buyer to seize the control of the call.
In this situation, the buyer wants to reveal as little as possible. Why?
Because no one wants to be sold to anything. They want to feel that they are in control. They are the customers – the kings!
But you are in a hurry to close more sales opportunities.
What can the salesperson do to speed up the sales process?
What could be the main things to do in this initial conversation?
Understanding the personality of the buyer and building rapport is critical. Most of us manage to do that.
However, what is the second critical thing for the salesperson is to find about his prospect?
They need to focus on the following question –
Why the buyer has reached him?
What is keeping the buyer up in the night?
What is making his/her life painful or stressful?
Here is one effective sales prospecting tactic to rapidly find your prospect’s pain points!
Jake Harry, VP of North State Consulting puts it in simple yet powerful way –
“Start exposing the pain EASILY with ONE question.
Step 1 – Ask your prospects to rate their existing solution 1-10.
Anything below 8 – Ask them what would make the score better.”
Step 2 – Now comes the killer question!
Ask: “If you had to rate your solution on a scale of 1-10, what would you give it?”
They will rate it.
Step 3 – Now ask: “Got it! What would it need to do, to get a 10 from you?”
What comes next is their key expectations. It will give you 2 key things:
1. What is bothering them as of now?
2. What are they key expectations from the solution?
Knowing this is a MASSIVE Enabler in selling!
It helps you– understand your buyer deeper
– Connect with his pain and expectations
– start imagining a solution he may need
Wait! Don’t rush to provide the solutions however!
Why not spend little more time digging deeper with the prospect on these same points?
What more can it do for you?
