By Wayne Berry, CSP (TOP GUN®)

I hope they are, because it's only when your prospects are dissatisfied that they will buy!

I see that a great many sales people who don't understand this basic principle of selling. These sales people come up to me at seminars and tell me they have a great product or service, the price is right, their prospects they love it, but simply don't buy!

What can they do? Why won't these prospects buy?

The fact is that no matter how good a product or service is, a prospect generally will not buy if they are totally happy and comfortable with their current situation. They will only be motivated to buy if they become dissatisfied with their current situation or supplier.

Play a waiting game?

So should we wait around until our prospects become dissatisfied?

Or should we just keep knocking on doors and ringing telephones until we find dissatisfied prospects?

Well that's one way, and yes I do recommend that you keep up your prospecting, but there is a better way. Its called being professional.

Let me give you an example. A few years ago I was speaking at a seminar for insurance sales people. There were some good sales people there too, and as good sales people will, a few prospected me for insurance. However I told them that they were wasting their time. I once believed in insurance, but I didn't any more. A pretty good objection I thought and it worked too.

Stopped them dead in their tracks.

Don't get me wrong, I don't like to break the hearts of sales people, but I really wasn't interested.

On day two however, a very creative sales person struck up a conversation with my business partner (and now wife and mother of my two children) and instead of trying to sell insurance, he simply asked her a few harmless questions about our business. (Did I forget to mention that Wendy didn't believe in insurance either. She was even more adamant me!)

He was just being friendly and showing an interest in us I guess.

He began by asking Wendy how busy was I making presentations and running training workshops all over the world?

Her answer was of course, "very busy"! (Still smiling at this stage.)

Next he asked what happens if Wayne gets the flu and can't present? Wendy told him I was a Superman and never got sick. (Such faith in me!) "But what if he did get sick?" he asked. "How would that affect our business?"

Wendy had to admit it was a disturbing thought and she didn't really have a good answer.

"If you had to cancel a presentation due to illness would that cost the business anything?"

The answer had to be "yes". "How much?" he asked.

Wendy told him and he recoiled in horror - "How much!! (We call that 'Hollywooding" it!) "And that's only for one day, if he missed just one day?" "What would it cost the company (and Wendy) if he missed a week of presentations?" Again he gasped in disbelief - "That much!!"

Wendy had gone from having a nice morning to feeling down right sick at the thought of me being sick. (Ah concern for my good health - I like that!)

He then asked her, "What would happen if Wayne had an accident and couldn't present for several months, or worse what if he died, how would that affect the business?" "How would that in turn affect Wendy and her security and lifestyle?" After considering for about 10 seconds whether our clients might accept listening to tape of me presenting at their conference, Wendy realised that such an event would be catastrophic.

Now the time was right.

Clearly she was disturbed, and it was then and only then, that he came to her rescue and said, 'Well the reason I asked this is because I have been able to help many business people like you and Wayne to protect themselves against loss of income due to accident or sickness and I can help you too. Would you like to know how?"

At that point, do you think he had her full attention?

Let me tell you that at the next break, Wendy told me that she had decided to take out income protection, disability cover, life insurance - everything. Frankly I'm now worth more dead than alive. (A worrying thought at times when Wendy thinks I'm less than the perfect husband and business partner!)

Here's the point I'm making.

Your prospects will not really be interested in what you can do for them, until they are first disturbed about their current situation.

How can you achieve this?

Skilful use of well thought out questions.

Consider what questions you can ask your prospects to disturb them BEFORE you make your next sales presentation.

Good questions are the real key to success in selling.

Wayne Berry is Australia's TOP GUN® Sales Coach and most in-demand speaker on Sales, Sales Management and Negotiating. Author of the best selling book “How To Negotiate And Get The Best Deal Every Time” (Also available on CD). Wayne Berry also presents seminars and workshops and speaks at conferences on negotiating.

For further information go to his site or email Wayne Berry on the address below:

Web Site: www.wayneberry.com.au
email: wayneberry@topgunba.com.au

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