| Many participants in my programs ask how to | | | | In another situation, I listened to a sales person |
| deal with people who appear to be seeking | | | | pitch his product by reading PowerPoint slides. His |
| information and nothing more. In many | | | | slides discussed his company, their financial |
| environments these individual's are called time | | | | backing, their products, their clients, blah, blah, blah. |
| wasters. Time wasters come in every shape and | | | | Not once did he ask me what I wanted in a |
| form but they usually possess a few consistent | | | | solution. Instead, he kept his attention focused on |
| characteristics - they ask a continuing stream of | | | | his agenda, once again, wasting my time by |
| questions, take up loads of our time, and seldom | | | | talking about something that had no relevance to |
| end up buying anything. | | | | my situation or business. |
| What is particularly interesting about these | | | | Professional selling means helping someone make |
| situations is that many time wasters don't set out | | | | an educated buying decision. That means you |
| to be that way. It is usually our fault that this | | | | need to determine how your product or service |
| happens because we don't control the sales | | | | fits into their situation. I was once asked by an |
| process. And in many cases, we become the | | | | advertising sales rep what to do if the prospect's |
| time waster. | | | | publication targeted a different demographic that |
| Most sales professionals know they are supposed | | | | the advertisers. My answer was simple, "Move |
| to ask questions to learn about their customer's | | | | on." |
| needs but I have learned that the majority of | | | | In some cases, your product or service may not |
| sales people tend to be more comfortable | | | | be needed by your prospect or may not fit into |
| responding to questions rather than asking them. | | | | their plans. This means you move on to the next |
| Here is a simple fact...the person who asks the | | | | prospect. Don't waste their time and yours trying |
| questions is the one in control of the sales | | | | to reconfigure everything hoping something will |
| process. | | | | work out. |
| I have conducted hundreds of sales training | | | | Virtually everyone I know is pressed for time. |
| workshops in the last ten years and I consistently | | | | Respect that fact. Save your customers time by |
| have people tell me they know the importance of | | | | asking a few well-thought out questions BEFORE |
| asking questions. As the discussion continues I | | | | you suggest a product or service. That way you |
| usually discover that they do in fact ask questions | | | | won't become a time waster. |
| - after they encounter objections or resistance | | | | But, how do you control a customer who is a |
| from the buyer or customer. But that means it's | | | | time waster? There are a couple of ways... |
| too late. Now it will appear that you are trying to | | | | First, ask a few high-quality questions early in the |
| justify your product, service, price, etc. | | | | sales process to determine exactly what your |
| Sales people hear this, but it seldom sinks in. Here | | | | customer is looking for and what their buying |
| is a personal example. | | | | criteria are. One of these questions should be |
| After reading one of my weekly sales tips a sales | | | | something that identifies the time-frame that your |
| person emailed me (for the second or third time) | | | | customer is working with. |
| and said he had been focusing on his needs rather | | | | The second thing you can do, particularly if the |
| than mine in his previous correspondence. He | | | | other person has indicated that they aren't |
| presented a couple of good points so I agreed to | | | | making a buying decision in the near future, is to |
| a telephone conversation. When we connected he | | | | direct them to your website or offer other |
| immediately launched into a ten-minute monologue | | | | printed materials for them to review. |
| about his company and its services. At this point it | | | | Third, ask them to make a buying decision. This |
| still wasn't clear what he wanted from me so I | | | | approach is effective because the time waster will |
| asked. He went on to say that he wanted me to | | | | become uncomfortable and will often end the |
| endorse his product to my clients and newsletter | | | | sales discussion himself. |
| subscribers. I then stated that my target market | | | | The fourth strategy is to drop them like a hot |
| is mostly specialty retailers and asked how his | | | | potato. Don't waste your time trying to close |
| product would help them. His reply, "Oh, it won't." | | | | them. Be pleasant, firm and direct. Tell them that |
| He had now just wasted almost 15 minutes of | | | | you must take care of other customers and |
| my time - valuable time that could have been | | | | move on. |
| used to work on one of the many projects on | | | | You only have a certain number of hours of |
| my desk. As a sales person, he had just become | | | | prime selling time in any given day. Don't waste |
| a time waster. If he had asked one simple | | | | your time selling to people who have no intention |
| question in his email he could have saved us both | | | | of ever buying. And, avoid wasting the time of |
| time because he would have learned that our | | | | your customers. |
| companies were not compatible. | | | | |