Prospecting

Ever watch "Toy Story II"? In it there is a character called the "Prospector." He has a pick axe stuck in his posterior. He uses it to look for gold. This section deals with helping you look for gold, and determine what your "pick-axe" is going to be. In the sales game your pick-axe will be questions. That is, your ability to ask questions. You need to dig for gold by asking questions. The question process is your tool of choice. It is your pick-axe in prospecting.

Rule # 3: Ask the questions (think like a doctor)

When you go visit a doctor what is the first thing he does? He asks how you are feeling. You need to think like a doctor. Like a doctor you have information to help "your" patient. You probably have the remedy to fix your patients symptoms but you need to ask the questions. Do not assume anything. Remember, a prescription before proper diagnosis will lead to a malpractice suit. Do your homework, ask the right questions, before determining your sales approach.

Why are questions so important? The sales process is also about control and purpose. You, the sales person has an end or goal in mind. To achieve that goal, you must control the conversation. You do this by asking questions. The formation of the questions will determine the path and direction of the sales process. Once you ask a question, it demands a response.

The first question to always ask a prospective client is the most obvious..."Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" By asking for permission you are respecting your prospects space, his territory. You then are granted ( if your prospect says yes) permission to proceed with the diagnosis.  Remember, you are a doctor, a professional, who is trained to find information. Once you have the information you need to assess your client ( prospect) then you can issue your diagnosis.

Your first line of questions is to assess your prospects ability to make a decision. That is, are you talking to the right person? Are you talking to the decision maker? As a professional your time is worth hundreds, if not thousands of dollars an hour, therefore you need to quickly find out if your talking to someone who can make the decision on the product or service you have to offer. People will respect your honesty and can sense your confidence in what your selling. Don't waste your time AND your clients time by not first finding out if the decision maker is present.

All this leads to our third step in sales success QUALIFYING...

It all starts at the end. The end objective or goal you have in mind. Every professional sales person has a goal in mind BEFORE he walks in to meet a client.  This sales program is designed so that you always have that end in mind. The end in mind means that you have a purpose, you have a goal. As simplistic as this sounds, to achieve any goal you must first SET THE GOAL. In sales that can often times mean closing more deals and  increasing your income. And the basic premise and focus of this web site is the connection that achieving goals actually helps your self esteem. With out a strong self image, you will have a difficult sales career....so work on your self esteem by working on your goals.