The Fine Art of Selling

Find your Facts Fast

There are so many things to sell – almost as many as are the ways to sell. Nevertheless, no matter what you are selling, you have to have and use certain techniques that help reach your targets. Some knowledge about fine arts might make you an able conversationalist but the in-depth knowledge of the fine art of listening is what will give you the edge. As a young salesman for graphic arts scanners, I often talked right past the sale. I was so intent upon delivering my preset sales pitch, I ignored what my client was telling me. Then I repeated it . Past the sale again !

Your most productive time is when you shut your mouth and listen. You can smooth up and control this part of the sales call by doing your fact-finding right up front.

If your get your basic information mining ritual done early and out of the way, the call will go smoother. That, accomplishes a few things.

First, the business person feels you have a genuine interest in their company. Everybody likes it when their job is important. It shows you are concerned and it shows you can absorb what is said. I always had in my hands my note pad open and made copious notes. Even if it was just scribbles, the customer always was thinking what they were telling me was important. There were quite a few times I would uncover a point I could relate to later in the call. I highly recommend it.

You should have ready a basic list of questions that you ask each and every business. Here is a bunch of them:

Who is your biggest competitor?

Where would you like to be in three to five years?

These are a few I used to ask. The amount of your questions to ask always depends on what you’re selling and how much time you have. These questions can help move you toward the close and uncover any objections before you get to them giving you the chance to overcome them before they even arise. For example, if the customer tells you that they are thinking of retiring in the next few years, you have to recommend a short-term sales solution. Or if their profits are small, you large recommendation might have to be redirected or pared down. And it’s far better to know that before wasting a lot of time on the wrong proposal and the subsequent effort to push it through.

Fact-finding has saved me from embarrassment on numerous occasions. There were times that I had to forgo a product proposal based on what I uncovered during this discovery mode. Once, a customer told me that he feels safer using film in prepress, cause this way he was not bound with only one printer. I had to ditch the offer for a direct to plate equipment, that therefore remained in my bag. Instead, I simply rewrote the offer using a slightly older technology equipment for a good price, which made him very happy. Use the facts the client gives you to back up your recommendation and move toward a solid closing.