Selling to More People

by Brian Matsumoto
(Aurora, CO.)

being able to effectively recognize the variety of buyers, my varying mood states and what strategies, methods of communication and techniques I can utilize to produce many more product sales.

Answer

Hi Brian,
since this is what my site is about it's a little hard for me to answer without "giving away the store".

At it simplest level selling is about finding someone who may have a problem you can solve, then during the sales conversation you confirm they have the problem, explore ways of solving that problem (not just your own solution), then (assuming your solution is viable) build the magnitude of the problem and the value of your solution.

If you would do that well you need to master the art/science of communication.

A master in golf can play on all sorts of courses and in all sorts of conditions. A master salesman must be able to communicate with all sorts of prospects.

How do you communicate with many different types of people ? In the broadest sense you, "ask a questions, watch and listen then reply appropriately". Note that the you have to first watch and listen THEN formulate a reply. Many salespeople are formulating a reply AS they watch and listen and consequently miss a lot of information.

Your prospect's response to just about every question you ask will reveal something about them, if you are skilled enough to notice. In the early stages it's much easier if you ask specific question to reveal to you the way they think and are motivted. This is the topic of my book "7 Steps to Responsive Customers".

If I can give you simple advice that might help, it would be to listen carefully, and respond using the exact words your prospect uses. DO NOT PARAPHRASE. Instead PARROT-PHRASE. Then seek to clarify the meaning of what they want.

For example, if a prospect is looking for "state-of-the-art" technology and you respond by talking about "cutting edge" technology you may be totally off base because to them "state-of-the-art" IS NOT the same as "cutting edge".

Hope this helps, Greg