Why Curiosity Closes More Deals Than the Perfect Pitch.
When I first started out in sales, I was taught two things – sales is a numbers game, and don’t let your customer say too much. Effectively, the more people I could tell about my services and company, the more likely I was to win new business. Of course, what this meant, was that I wouldn’t waste time in getting to know customers, I would speak to as many people as possible, telling them as much as possible, and hope that something might stick!
Thankfully, times have changed (as have I!)
In today’s market, buyers are more informed than ever. They can easily access so much information, that they likely already know about what you offer, along with what your competitors offer, so a generic sales presentation that isn’t specific and tailored to them, just isn’t going to cut it.
The best sales people I have ever encountered all follow the same principle: great sales conversations start with great questions.
The Traditional Sales Playbook Gets This Backwards.
The traditional sales conversation looked a little something like this:
Introduce yourself.
Talk about your company.
Explain every feature and benefit.
Hope something catches the customer’s attention.
The problem?
Every customer is different.
If you spend the majority of the meeting talking, you’re making assumptions about what matters most to the person sitting opposite you. You will likely spend ten minutes talking to them about something they don’t need, while completely missing the challenge that’s keeping them awake at night.
Sales is a dialogue not a monologue.
The best sales conversations are two way – and spoiler – your customer should be doing most of the talking!
The best salespeople are curious, they ask thoughtful, open-ended questions to gain a much clearer understanding of the customer’s business, objectives and challenges.
This approach builds trust and helps create genuine relationships rather than transactional conversations.
The Power Of Asking The Right Questions
Every business has different priorities.
Some are focused on reducing costs. Others want to improve customer service, increase efficiency, save time or prepare for future growth.
You won’t uncover those priorities by talking—you’ll uncover them by listening.
The right questions help you understand:
What challenges the business is currently facing.
What is working well with their existing supplier.
Where they feel improvements could be made.
What success looks like for them.
What they truly value when making purchasing decisions.
By asking the right questions and giving your customer a platform, you will gain valuable insight into what matters the most to their business. Only then can you provide a solution that demonstrates genuine value.
Final Thoughts
The days of delivering a one-sided sales pitch and hoping something sticks are long behind us!
Modern selling is about curiosity, understanding and creating genuine conversations, which allows you to build a consultative and collaborative relationship.
They say that curiosity killed the cat, and that may be true, but I bet that cat won loads of new business.
If you would like to learn more about asking the right questions and the importance of active listening, sign up for one of our training courses or call the team on 03300 580562 to discuss your requirements.