by John Boe
www.johnboe.com
©
2008
One of the most critical, yet overlooked principles
in the selling process, is the power of self-discovery through customer involvement.
Regrettably, many salespeople use a show and tell presentation style and babble
on hoping they might say something that will generate a sale. When you show or
tell your prospect about your product or service they have a tendency to doubt
the information and mentally disengage from your presentation. On the other hand,
when they participate in the selling process and are guided to discover a feature
or benefit on their own, they will be inclined to believe it!
Car
salesmen truly understand the value of self-discovery and prospect participation.
They'll be the first to tell you that it's the actual smell of the leather and
the hands-on-the-wheel experience of the test-drive that sells the car, not the
colorful brochure full of options and features. Obviously, not every product or
service lends itself to a hands-on demonstration; however, there are always ways
to increase prospect involvement. Any time there is a choice between whether you
or your prospect should so something - let them do it.
For
example, if you've got numbers to crunch, hand them the calculator and let them
work the numbers. When it's time to demonstrate the benefits and features of your
product, don't just show them, find creative ways to keep them actively engaged
during the entire selling process.
Recently, I heard an
interesting story about a successful glass salesman named Bill Johnson. Bill was
the top producer in his company and consistently outsold the other salespeople
by a significant margin. After Bill set a new quarterly sales record, the company
president called to congratulate him on his achievement. When asked what he felt
was the secret of his success, Bill replied that he had recently added a minor
change to his sales presentation that was making a major difference in his results!
Bill stated that during his presentation he was now using a hammer to strike the
safety glass several times to demonstrate its strength and durability. Excitedly,
the president asked Bill if he would be willing to teach his hammer technique
to the entire sales force at the next company-training meeting.
Several
months after Bill's presentation, the company shattered its previous records for
safety glass sales! The president was extremely pleased with the company-wide
results, but was surprised that Bill's production was still significantly higher
than the rest of the sales force. When he asked Bill if he had discovered any
new techniques, Bill replied that he had recently made a subtle change in his
presentation. "I still use the hammer technique," Bill said, "except
now when I get to the part in my presentation where I demonstrate the strength
of the safety glass, I hand the hammer to my customer and let them beat on the
glass!"
By handing the hammer to his customer, Bill
discovered the secret of successful selling. He took his sales career to the next
level by finding a way to keep his customer actively engaged during his presentation.
Are you keeping your prospects actively involved? If not, I encourage you to take
a lesson from Bill and find a way to put the hammer in your prospect's hand!
