Several years ago, my former boss Peter and I went to dinner with the Chairman of the company we worked for. We ate at a very expensive seafood restaurant overlooking the ocean in St Kilda, which is a suburb of Melbourne in Australia. I will always remember that dinner, and every time I do, it makes me laugh.
You see, on that occasion, the Chairman talked and talked all evening. After the Chairman had finally left, Peter turned around to me and said “Tessa, we could have been anyone this evening.” We felt that the Chairman had just talked at us all night. He would have had exactly the same conversation whether Peter and I were there or not. So it was important only for appearances sake that Peter and I were there.
The Chairman was not at all interested in Peter or in me. In fact, by the end of the evening he knew absolutely nothing about us. It had not been a two-way conversation with us, but instead a monologue directed at us. His words would, apparently, have been exactly the same no matter who was sitting opposite him.
Have you ever come across someone like the Chairman? Is this familiar? So why am I telling you this story? The reason is that it is a great lesson in how not to have a conversation, and in particular, how not to have a sales conversation.
Without realizing it, you may be acting — unintentionally — like the Chairman. If your prospect would start daydreaming while you are speaking, would there be any difference in your conversation? You don’t need their input for the conversation if you say the same things no matter whom you are talking to. You are also acting like the Chairman if an observer would think that you are the centre of the conversation.
Try this: Think back to the last time you spoke to a prospect. Did your words specifically change for that person, or were they the exact same words you have with all your prospects? Would a neutral observer think you were at centre stage rather than your prospect?
So, if you are acting like the Chairman, what is the cure? It is actually quite simple. Become a facilitator of the conversation by asking powerful questions and quickly blend into the background and into the conversation itself. In other words, become a chameleon in the conversation.
For you to become a chameleon, blending into the background and the conversation, your prospect must feel comfortable about being at centre stage. Hence, it is critical that you ask your prospect questions about things they care about and know about. If you don’t, your prospect will not want to be at centre stage. This is a really important sales technique.
For example, someone trying to sell their home is interested in beating the competition and getting a buyer, so ask questions around that. A CEO cares about increasing revenues and decreasing costs, so ask questions around them. A marketing manager cares about standing out from the competition, so ask questions around that. And, when you ask questions, use the prospect’s language — not yours. That means paying very close attention to what they say and how they say it.
When you are selling, you need to be a master chameleon and adapt your questions and your language to the person you are talking to. You want to blend into the background and put that person centre stage.
The importance of this sales technique is that the more of a chameleon you become, the more people will open up to you, and the more they will be interested in your products and services. That sounds like a great goal for any salesperson, doesn’t it?
So become a master chameleon, and you will sell more!
By: Tessa Stowe
Click here for a short video that might Save you Hundreds of Dollars Every Month
Video Introduction to Ron Siegel
Click Here to View the Entire “Planning Your Credit Repair” Series.
Click Here to View the Entire “Planning A Home Purchase” Series.
Ron Siegel counsels clients in all matters Debt: Mortgage, Loss Mitigation / Loan Modification, Debt Settlement, Credit Repair. Reach on Ron Siegel at Ron@MBEhoa.com – 800.306.9130 – www.MBEhoa.com.
