There’s ONE THING you can’t do without to close a sale:

CREDIBILITY.

It’s simple, it’s about TRUST.

Oh, and don’t forget, you can never have enough Credibility; the more you have, the faster the sales process will move forward.

Always check your Credibility during a sales call.

Recall this slide from CS (Conceptual Selling):

Without Credibility, you’ll lose those powerful stats.

We ask great questions to better understand the customer’s Concept; that is, what they are trying to accomplish, fix, or avoid. Wording our questions in different ways can have a strong impact on the answers we receive from the BI (Buying Influence). Let’s look at an example:

New Information Question:

Q: “Mr. Bob, will you help me understand what an ideal vendor-supplier relationship looks like at your Company?”

The answer the BI gives will be factual information, and perhaps get into the parameters of what a vendor-supplier relationship should look like under the Company’s direction.

Now let’s take the same question, and turn it into an Attitude Question:

Q: “Mr. Bob, will you help me understand what you feel an ideal vendor-supplier relationship should look like at your Company?”

The answer the BI gives will now become more personal; and you may learn some frustrations that the BI has with a current supplier, or perhaps you’ll learn about improvements that the BI would like to initiate.

Both questions are very pertinent; and changing just a couple of key words can yield us significant additional information.

We’ve changed the way we look at things:

The Customer isn’t buying our product or service, they’re buying what our product/service accomplishes, fixes, or avoids: we call this the Customer’s Concept.

For example, the Customer isn’t looking to “buy a drill,” they’re looking to buy the “hole in the wall” that the drill makes.

And we didn’t buy “Conceptual Selling w/ Greensheets” last week, we bought the ability to move the sales process forward more effectively and efficiently.

We’re able to understand the Customer’s Concept by asking great questions; and once were able to determine what the Customer is looking to accomplish, fix or avoid, we can connect our product/service by sharing Unique Strengths.

Remember, after you ask your powerful question, practice Golden Silence, and pause for 3-4 seconds; the Buying Influence (BI) will need a few moments to process what you’ve asked. And after the BI is done talking, be silent again for another 3-4 seconds, and the BI will usually expand on his initial answers, thereby giving you an even deeper understand of his Concept.

TEB Reader…

A few months ago the following short read was posted to The Empty Bin dot com:

http://www.theemptybin.com/the-show-up-and-throw-up/

To help combat the “show-up-and-throw-up,” on March 8^th and 9^th, The Empty Bin will be hosting the Miller Heiman course, “Conceptual Selling.”

We’re extending invitations to this powerful sales methodology 2-day workshop to TEB readers; Conceptual Selling® may be the right solution if your company is trying to:

• Transition from a product-led sale to a solution-led sale.
  
• Differentiate your products and services from your competitors.
  
• Professionalize your sales force.
  
• Implement a consistent process to plan customer interactions.
  
• Provide management visibility into significant opportunities.
  
• Ensure customers and prospects are as engaged in their buying process, as you are in the selling process.

We’re asking for those that attend to handle their own travel arrangements, and we will coordinate and sponsor hotel lodging, lunches and dinners, and the cost of the course itself ($1595/person).

To receive an invitation to this private event, please contact Craig (craig@theemptybin.com)