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Whether you are selling face to face or over the phone, asking questions is essential if you want to understand your customer’s needs. Do not attempt to sell at this point.

1. Make the customer want to answer further questions.
Start with questions to which you know the answer will be yes. For example, ‘Are you interested in reducing your production costs?’

2.  Find out the customer’s situation. Use open questions that cannot be answered with a simple yes or no.
For example, ‘How do you plan to reduce your production costs?’

- Identify areas your product relates to and needs that it can meet.
- Try to establish what the customer’s business would be worth to you.
- Show your understanding of the customer’s field of business.
For example, ‘Yes, now you are getting orders abroad, distribution must be more of a challenge.’
- Encourage the customer to ask you questions.

3. Listen carefully and take notes.

Check you have understood the customer’s needs by summarising in your own words what he or she has said.

Once you understand what customers are looking for, you must show what benefits they will get from buying your product or service.

1. Sell benefits, not features.
Feature: This PC has a processor speed of 3GHz.
Benefit: This PC lets you do things twice as fast.

Feature: This frying pan has a Teflon coating.
Benefit: To clean it all you do is wipe.

Feature: This frying pan has a Teflon coating.
Benefit: To clean it all you do is wipe.

Features describe what a product can do. Benefits explain what these features can do for the customer.

2. Match the benefits to the customer’s needs.
The same product may be sold differently to two different customers, according to their priorities.
For example, if you are selling a car, you might stress the benefits of its safety features when selling to parents of young children, while focusing on style and design when selling to a single person.

3. Stress the knock-on effects your product’s benefits could have.
For example, ‘If your accounting software was easier to use, your accounts staff could spend more time chasing debtors.’

If customers seem hesitant, ask them what their concerns are

Getting Access
1. If you are telephoning a customer, follow a few basic rules.
- Ring at the right time. People are naturally more responsive to calls in the morning.
- Get the crucial first 30 seconds of your pitch right.
If you fail to prepare your opening carefully, you have little chance of interesting the customer in what you have to offer.
Check you are speaking to the right person. Ask what involvement he or she has in making purchasing decisions.
- Always get your customer’s name and give your own, too.

2. Get secretaries on your side.
- Be friendly, not pushy. Ask the secretary to help you.
- Explain the benefit the customer will get from taking your call or giving you an appointment.
- Make a note of the secretary’s name and use it the next time you call.
Part of a secretary’s job is to prevent unwelcome sales calls getting any further.

3 When you make contact with decision-makers, treat them considerately.

Check that you are talking at a convenient time. Be ready to keep your call short.

4. Engage the customer’s interest

- Introduce yourself and establish the basis for talking. For example, ‘Did you receive my letter?’ or ‘Your friend X suggested I call you.’
- Briefly outline the key benefit your product has for this particular customer.
- Ask if the customer is interested in what you have said so far. If so, go on to ask more questions. If not, ask if your product or service might be of interest at a later date.

5.  Be prepared to be persistent, particularly if you do not have an existing relationship.
If you get an immediate brush-off, try to keep the conversation going.
For example, if you are asked to put something in the post, ask what in particular the customer is interested in.
- If customers say they need to think about it, ask what their concerns are.
- Stay focused on what you want to achieve. If you want a meeting, ask for one. Suggest a time and a place.
Customers prefer, and are less likely to cancel, meetings on their own premises.
- Use each time you make contact to build your understanding of the customer.
Record details of the customer’s circumstances and needs. Note down other useful information. For example, about budgets and decision-makers.