LLING
For example:‘Yes we do have ample parking Mr Jones and we’re openuntil 6pm every day, or we can deliver to you. Which wouldbe the more convenient?’I’m now closing as well. But I get ahead of myself. I willcome back to this point in Chapter Nine.If you are not looking and listening you will miss thesevital buying signals. Many people do.So to return to our features and benefits.FeatureAnother feature may be something along the lines of:‘We’re a well established company.’The benefit of this is that we have a track record of dealingwith this type of work. We have an established reputationin this field. What you are in fact saying is that yourcompany is reliable and trustworthy.Feature‘We have a very comprehensive product range.’The benefit of this means that we have something to suitall tastes and budgets and availability is not a problem.
– 38 –
K NOW YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE
The two magic words (as I call them)which turn a feature into a benefit are‘which means...’
Here are some exercises for you to do:1.
Write out a list of features and benefits for yourcompany. List the features and then say to yourself‘which means....’. Then add the benefit. Rememberit is benefits that sell not features on their own.
2.
Now do this exercise for every product or serviceyou provide. What are the features and benefits of aparticular product/service? Know them inside outand back to front. Be prepared before you go out tosee a prospect.
3.
You may also wish to return to Chapter Two. Reread it and then draw up a list of the objective andsubjective reasons why people will buy yourproducts/services.
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
In summary
In order to be an effective salesperson you need tohave product knowledge.

You need to know the features of what you areoffering and the benefits of those features.

You need to examine this on two levels: firstly yourcompany level and, secondly, an individual product/service level.

Prospects will want to know what makes yourcompany different. Why they should buy from you?

What you are selling is one or more of the following:The solution to a problem.Something that will fulfill a need.Something that will make someone happier or feelgood.Something that will make a business more efficientor life easier and more enjoyable.

The two magic words which turn a feature into abenefit are the words ‘which means...’
– 40 –
5Know your marketplace and yourcompetitorsEffective selling means knowing who else is in your marketand what they are selling. Why? Because, as we examinedin the last chapter, one of the objections you might needto handle in the sales interview could be ‘Why should Ibuy from you and not one of your competitors?’You will need to have some idea of the size of your market,of who else is operating in it and what they are providing.In addition, you will need to have some idea of whereyou are positioned in relation to them.Here is an exercise for you to do. See if you can answer allthe questions listed.1.
List five of your competitors in one of your mainproduct or service areas.
2.
What are their strengths?
3.
What are their weaknesses?
4.
Where are you positioned in relation to them?
5.
What makes you better than or different to yourcompetitors?– 41 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
How did you get on? It is not always easy to answer thesequestions as the market place continually changes. Newcompetitors will enter your market; your customers’requirements will change. You need to keep abreast of thisand adapt your products/services, or the way they aredelivered, to suit changing expectations. Make sure youcontinually research your market place and customerrequirements.
Getting ready for the sales interviewAll of the above forms part of the preparation for the salesinterview. Of course you may not always be going out tovisit your prospective customers; your prospects may visityour premises, or you may be selling at an exhibitionwhere prospects come to your stand. Regardless, youshould do your pre-sales research.
Pre-sales researchThis means having knowledge of your products/services,their features and benefits, and both the objective andsubjective reasons why people buy your products/services.You also need to have knowledge of your market place,your competitors and what they provide.An understanding and knowledge of your prospect’s needsand wants will be built up through your own experienceor by talking to colleagues who may have greaterknowledge than you.
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S ET YOUR OBJECTIVES
You should also read trade journals and professionalmagazines to increase your awareness of what is happeningin the prospect’s marketplace. For example, if you areselling boats to consumers then you will not only need toknow about your own products but about the market placein general and have a good picture of the sort of personwho buys your type of boat - their lifestyle, socioeconomic background, and so on.If you are in business-to-business selling do you have anypress items about the prospect you are visiting that mayhelp you in the sales interview? You may also wish to carryout a company search beforehand to find out a little moreabout the prospect’s business and its credit rating.
Set your objectivesWhat do you want to achieve from the sales interview?Will you be able to get the order at the first interview?This may depend on what you are selling. Capitalequipment sales often take longer to convert and requiremore than one sales visit, as does selling some services.In addition, you may find that you need to sell to morethan one person and therefore the whole selling processwill take longer. You may need to return to the companyto demonstrate equipment or to give a presentation.If the purchase is an expensive one then the prospect maytake longer to make a decision.You may wish to obtain more information about the
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
prospect from this first visit and leave the door open to goback in later.
Check your presentation materialDo you have the necessary leaflets, price lists andbrochures to hand? What does your company literaturelook like? Is it old and outdated and therefore reflectingbadly on the image of the company? Or is it up to dateand reflects a good corporate image that suits the type ofcustomers you have?If selling at an exhibition, do you have all the necessarymaterial and equipment on display? What does your standlook like? Is it friendly and welcoming?Prepare as well as you can before any sales interview.Respect the saying:
To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail!
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I N SUMMARY
In summary
Do your pre-sales research.

Have knowledge of your market place, yourcompetitors and what they provide.

An understanding and knowledge of your prospect’sneeds and wants will be built up through yourexperience or by talking to those who work withyou who may have greater knowledge than you.

You should also read trade journals and professionalmagazines to have an increased awareness of whatis happening in your prospect’s marketplace.

If you are in business-to-business selling do youhave any press items about the prospect you arevisiting that may help you in the sales interview?

You may also wish to carry out a company searchbeforehand to find out a little more about theprospect’s business and check its credit rating.

Set your objectives - what do you want to achievefrom the sales interview? Will you be able to get theorder at the first interview?

Some sales take longer to convert and require morethan one sales visit, as does selling some services.

You may find that you need to sell to more than
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
one person and therefore the whole selling processwill take longer.
You may need to return to the company todemonstrate equipment or give a presentation.

If the purchase is an expensive one, the prospectmay take longer to make a decision.

You may wish to obtain more information aboutthe prospect from this first visit and leave the dooropen to go back in later.

Check your presentation material - do you have thenecessary leaflets, price lists and brochures to hand?

Prepare as well as you can before any sales interview.
– 46 –
6The Sales Interview - Approach *The selling structure I am giving you is called A.D.D.I.N.By using this I hope you will add in your product orservice to the prospective client’s business, home orlifestyle.It stands for:
ApproachDiscussionDiagnosisInterpretationNeeds
In this chapter we will consider the first phase of the salesinterview: Approach (the other phases are covered inChapter 7).*ADDIN copyright Pauline Rowson 2002
ApproachIf you are visiting a company to make a sale, plan aheadand make sure that you arrive early. Sit (or, better still,stand - it aids authority and gives energy) in reception.Here you can glean a great deal about an organisation.What do the premises look like? Are they falling to pieces?If so, how healthy is that business’s finances and thereforeits ability to pay you?– 47 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
How well are you greeted? Is the receptionist friendly andwelcoming or hostile? What does this tell you about thecompany?Receptions are gossip zones. They shouldn’t be if thecompany is switched on but, in my experience, manybusinesses neglect this vital area. This is good news forthe sales person because he can find out about thecompany from eavesdropping on the gossip. Obviously ifthe receptionist is moaning about redundancies I wouldquestion the ability of the company to pay you!You may also learn something about the person you aregoing to visit.I was visiting a large multinational organisation in Surrey.I was due to see the Commercial Director, in this instanceto sell in my training services. The two women onreception decided to undertake a character assassinationon the man I was visiting. I learnt an awful lot about himin those few minutes, not all of it true I am sure, but itgave me some insight into the nature of the person I wasabout to visit and some clues on how to approach theinterview! With this in mind, I won the contract, whichwas worth a considerable amount.In Reception, take a look at the literature that is lyingaround on the tables. Does the company have a presscuttings file, or a company newsletter? This could giveyou valuable information and you may be able to refer toit in your conversation with the prospect to demonstrateyou are interested in them.
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A PPROACH
What awards are on display on the walls and what doesthis tell you about the company?And don’t forget the gatekeeper - the receptionist. Taketime to be pleasant to him and ask gentle questions aboutthe business if you can but don’t pry too deeply. Keep theconversation light and friendly. (Also, this receptionist mayvery well be related to the person you are visiting andtherefore be an influencer, so don’t pass any commentsyou might regret later.)If the prospect is visiting you at your premises or comingon to your exhibition stand, how welcoming are yourpremises or your stand and how welcoming are you?Let’s take a look at the Approach in more detail.If I was to ask ‘When do you close the sale?’, what wouldbe your answer? Well, the correct answer is you begin toclose the sale during the first few seconds of meeting theprospect.
You never get a second chance tomake a first impression.When you meet someone they will sum you up in thefirst five seconds. They will assess your appearance, yourbody language and the way you speak. So ensure you getthese right. A first impression can be a lasting impressionand you could lose that sale in the first few seconds.– 49 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
Your appearanceMany people overlook this important aspect and whilstyou can’t possibly know the prospect’s tastes in clothingand grooming you can eliminate some mistakes byfollowing some very simple guidelines.Make sure your shoes are clean and tidy. I have sat in on anumber of sales presentations with clients, or oninterviews, and have heard the decision maker commenton the state of someone’s shoes.Men’s’ trousers should not be too long and hanging overtheir shoes. Neither should they be flying at half-mast,displaying Mickey Mouse socks or, worse, white socks.You may like them and they may be fine in certainsituations but not if you want to win this business. I oncesaw a man dressed in a very dark sombre suit wearingbright pink socks and grey shoes!! I am afraid his credibilitywas completely blown.Whether male or female, if you are wearing trousers thathave belt loops please wear a matching belt. Again, ensurethe trousers sit comfortably on you and that they are nottorn in any way. Yes, I have seen a man with trousers tornat the crutch!!If you are rather stout, make sure your clothes fit you andthat your shirt or blouse is not straining across your midriff.Also, if wearing a jacket, make sure it fits when fastened.Ties should be knotted neatly. It is not always necessaryin some industries to wear a tie; an open necked shirt or– 50 –
Y OUR APPEAR ANCE
even a casual polo shirt may be acceptable. Only you knowwhom you are visiting and what they would be expecting.
The golden rule is:Where I am going?Who am I seeing?What do I wear?
If you dress too inappropriately you will alienate yourprospect. 55% of the impression you give out is based onyour appearance and your body language so take time toget this right.Good grooming is essentialYour hair should be clean and there should be no tell taledandruff signs on your collar. And don’t overdo theaftershave if you are a man or perfume if you are a woman.I know women decision makers who have taken an instantdislike to a man because of his overpowering aftershaveand it can be the same for men with women wearing strongperfume.Check your breath. A good way to know if you suffer frombad breath is to lick the inside of your wrist, wait for fiveseconds then sniff it. This will tell you. Or visit a dentistand ask his professional advice. Having bad breath, likehaving a bad body odour, is something even your best
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
friends won’t tell you. It is so personal and delicate andyet something can be done about both.For women there are some additional rules. Whereas menhave a sort of uniform – jacket, shirt and trousers - womenhave a much greater choice when it comes to what to wear.The basic rule is the more flesh you show the less credibleyou will be. You need to look professional and competent,not as if you are about to go to the beach or nightclub.Alright, so some male buyers might be impressed andpersuaded by a flash of leg and a glimpse of cleavage butwe’re talking different tactics here and I will leave theseto your imagination!The group sales presentationIf you are giving a sales presentation to a group of peoplethen you need to project authority. If you are a womanthen dress classically rather than too fussily. Darker suitsaid authority and you can combine this with a strikingnecklace or scarf.For both men and women, check the fit of the suit whenbuttoned. When presenting formally always stand andmake sure your jacket is buttoned up.
Your body language55% of the impression you give out is through yourappearance and body language so you also need to examinethe way you greet the prospect.
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Y OUR BODY LANGUAGE
Walk forwards with your arm outstretched, not too stiffbut with your elbow tucked into your waist. Ladies shouldalways offer their hand first. Since the handshake is not anormal form of greeting for women, many men are notsure whether to shake hands or not. If a woman offers herhand first then any hesitation will be removed from theprospect’s mind. I have only ever had my hand refusedonce by a man, when I was being introduced as themarketing consultant in an accountancy firm. It told mean awful lot about that man and his manner towards me.After talking to him for a while I offered my hand againon leaving and that time he took it, so hopefully I hadpersuaded him that I wasn’t a complete waste of time andmoney!As you shake hands with the prospect, smile at him andgive him or her good eye contact.Your handshake should be firm and dry. Again, it is notalways easy to know if you are giving a good handshake,as people won’t tell you. On my courses I shake handswith everyone and I get delegates to shake hands with eachother and tell each other honestly what their handshakeis like. I will often ask someone to firm it up.Don’t do the double clutch handshake. This is oftenreferred to as the Politician’s Handshake. This is wheresomeone takes your hand in both of theirs. It is done totry and reassure you that they are on your side. It is alsooften interpreted as being patronising. People who have adominant personality use it in the main -more about thisin Chapter 11.
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
Women should practice what I call the man’s handshake;they should take the whole hand and not just the fingertips.A good firm confident grip gives the impression you areconfident (even if you’re not.)Only when invited, sit down and not before. Keep yourbody language open and sit back in the chair. Do not putanything on the prospect’s desk or table without askingfirst. The desk or table is their territory and you areinvading it without permission if you don’t ask.
Set the tone - opening the conversationYou will also need to set the tone for the sales interview.Open the conversation with neutral remarks. This caninclude comments on the traffic, the weather, and so on.Or you can compliment them on their directions, theirbuilding, their receptionist, and the awards displayed onthe wall in reception before moving into the salespresentation and the area of Discussion.
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A T AN E XHIBITION
At an ExhibitionBefore we move onto the next stage in our sales structureit is worth mentioning a few additional points on sellingat an exhibition. For a start never sit on your stand andwait for people to come up to you, they won’t. People arewary and reluctant to open conversations, so you need todo it. Give them good eye contact, smile and open theconversation gently, a neutral comment can be best.Always start with an open question rather than a closedone. I cover this in detail in the next chapter but ask them‘how’ they are enjoying the exhibition rather than ‘are’they enjoying the exhibition.Never stand at the front of your exhibition unit with yourarms folded – you will look like a police officer guardingthe entrance and no one will approach you. And don’tpatrol the entrance to your stand either, walking up anddown in front of it. Move out slightly into the aisle and bewelcoming.If you have something moving on your stand, orsomething of interest on display, this can help capture onlookers and then you can start talking to them. All thesales points covered in this book apply to selling at anexhibition.
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
In summary
By using the sales structure A.D.D.I.N. you willadd in your product or service to the prospectiveclient’s business, home or lifestyle.

A.D.D.I.N. stands for:ApproachDiscussionDiagnosisInterpretationNeeds

Arrive early for an appointment if you are visiting acompany and see what you can glean about thatorganisation in reception.

Take time to be pleasant to the receptionist.

If the prospect is visiting you at your premises, orcoming on to your exhibition stand, how welcomingare your premises or your stand and how welcomingare you?

You begin to close the sale during the first fewseconds of meeting the prospect.

You never get a second chance to make a firstimpression so make sure yours is right.

Make sure your shoes are clean and not falling topieces.– 56 –
I N SUMMARY

Trousers should not be too long and hanging overyour shoes. Neither should they be flying at halfmast displaying Mickey Mouse socks or, worse,white socks.

If you are wearing trousers that have belt loops weara belt, one that matches the trousers.

If you are wearing a tie it should be knotted neatly.

The golden rule is: Where I am going? Who am Iseeing? What do I wear?

If you dress too inappropriately you will alienateyour prospect .

55% of the impression you make on other people isbased on your appearance and your body language,so take time to get this right .

Don’t overdo the aftershave if you are a man orperfume if you are a woman.

For women the basic rule is the more flesh you showthe less credible you will be. You need to lookprofessional and competent.

If you are giving a group sales presentation you needto project authority.

In greeting the prospect walk forwards with yourarm outstretched, not too stiff, with your elbowtucked into your waist. Smile and give good eye contact– 57 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING

Your handshake should be firm and dry. Don’t dothe double clutch handshake. It is often interpretedas being patronising

Women should practice what I call the man’shandshake; they should take the whole hand andnot just the fingertips

Only when invited, sit down and not before. Keepyour body language open and sit back in the chair.Do not put anything on the prospect’s desk or tablewithout asking. The desk or table is their territoryand you are invading it without permission if youdon’t ask.

Set the tone for the sales interview by starting withneutral remarks.
– 58 –
7The Sales Interview – discussion,diagnose interpretation and needIf you remember back to the buying motivations discussedin Chapter 3 you will recall the first two positive buyingmotivations:
I am important.Consider my needs.
In order to make people feel important we need to getthem to talk, to open up, and we need to listen andinterpret what they are saying. Only by doing this will webe able to identify their reasons for buying, their needsand add in our product to satisfy those needs.So the next stage of our sales structure is to stimulatediscussion.
DiscussionWe stimulate discussion by asking the right kind ofquestions – open questions. These are designed to getthe prospect to open up.However, first let me give you a don’t - Don’t ever handyour literature to a prospect at the beginning of the– 59 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
sale. This will guarantee that he will be looking at it andnot listening to you or wanting to participate in thediscussion. Save your literature until the end of the salesprocess or at the interpretation stage.
Open QuestionsAsking open questions will help you to:
Properly understand what it is the prospect wants.

Make the prospect feel important.

Find out how the prospect feels about you and yourorganisation.

Control the conversation.

Understand the prospect’s needs.
Open questions are questions that can’t be answered witha single ‘yes’ or ‘no’. They begin with the following wordsas highlighted in the box below.OPEN QUESTIONSWhoWhatWhereWhenHowWhy
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C LOSED Q UESTIONS
Closed QuestionsClosed questions are questions that usually lead to asimple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. They begin with the followingwords highlighted in the box below.
CLOSED QUESTIONSIs/AreHas/HaveCan/CouldShall/ShouldDo/DidWill/Would
If you ask ‘closed’ questions, you will make life a lot harderfor yourself, particularly with an individual who is notnaturally forthcoming, or is hostile. Asking closedquestions will force you to ask two questions instead ofone, as you can with open questions.For example:Closed Question: ‘Did you go out last night?’Answer:
‘Yes.’
Open Question: ‘Where did you go?’
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EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
I have had to ask two questions instead of one. I couldsimply have asked:‘Where did you go last night?’ or‘What did you do last night?’As a child, you were probably extremely skilled at askingthese open questions. Those of you who have youngchildren or nephews, nieces or grandchildren, know this.Children can drive you round the bend with their constantquestioning but it is how they learn. As we grow up webecame too embarrassed to ask questions, and too lazy toprobe and more interested in talking about ourselves thanasking others about themselves. So we need to relearn thislost art and the only way to become good at it is by practice.We need to learn to ask an open question and then listento the answer. Learn to probe gently.
Open situation questionsSo, in order to stimulate discussion we need to ask opensituation questions. These are questions that aredesigned to probe the prospect’s situation.For example:
How many staff do you employ?

What sort of markets do you operate in?

Where do you currently export?
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O PEN SITUATION QUESTIONS
If we take the theatre example used earlier, where we wereselling box office tickets to group bookers, we can ask:
What sort of shows does your group enjoy?

How often does your group attend shows duringthe year?

How many of you are there?

What sort of age mix is in your group?
If we take our luxury motorboat example we can ask:
How are you intending to use the boat?

Where do you usually motor?

What arrangements have you made to moor theboat?

How many people does it need to accommodate?
For selling training services we can ask:
How many people are you looking at training?

What are their positions in your company?

What are you hoping to achieve by the training?

Where are you thinking of holding the trainingsession?– 63 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
From all the above examples you will get information.You cannot sell your product or service until you have information.Miss out this vital first stage andyou will miss the sale!The sales person who starts by giving his sales spiel willsurely fail. It is not enough to tell the prospect who youare and what you have and then invite them to buy. Theprospect needs to feel important, they need to know thatyou have considered their needs, they also need to see thebenefits of buying from you and your company.Of course you may be put under extreme pressure by yourprospect. The prospect may be giving you an interviewrather grudgingly. Remember those negative buyingmotivations, the prospect could be highly sceptical andsuspicious of you and your company. The prospect mayvery well start the sales interview by saying somethingalong the lines of:‘So, come on, then sell to me.’Or‘I can only give you ten minutes so what do you do?’Or‘What are you going to sell me?’– 64 –
O PEN SITUATION QUESTIONS
In these, and similar cases, your instinct could very wellbe to let your sales spiel come out. Having finished it youthen sit back and say, ‘So are you interested?’ to which theprospect replies, ‘No, thanks.’ or ‘I’ll think about it.’So curb that instinct. Instead, throw the ball back into theprospect’s court. For example:Salesperson: ‘Of course I will be delighted to tell you whatwe do but first, so that I can find out how I can help you,I need to ask you a few questions. Tell me what sort oftraining have you carried out in the past?‘Use open situation questions to get the discussiongoing. Even if the prospect is reluctant to begin with, hewill soon warm up once they are talking about themselvesor their company. Chip in with a few more open questionsto keep the discussion going and, of course, at the sametime listen avidly and critically.I am not saying you should never use closed questions.They have their place. They can be used to obtainclarification or to elicit a specific response.For example: ‘Is it raining?’ This will get you a ‘yes’ or‘no’ answer. It may be all the information you need tohelp you decide whether or not to take an umbrella withyou. However, if you were to ask ‘What’s the weather like?’you are likely to get a full blown weather forecast withthe outlook for the next day and a comparison with theday before. You may not need or want all this information.Closed questions can also be helpful in shutting someone– 65 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
down who talks too much without actually sayinganything.Let’s just take a pause here because there are one or twothings you need to be aware of in the questioning andlistening arena before we move on.
Beware of asking multiple questions
This is where you roll several questions into one.For example, ‘How many people do you train Mr Jonesand how often do you train them?‘Which question is my prospect likely to answer - the firstor the last? Will I have got all the information I need? No!
So ask an open question, shut up andwait for the answer.
Resist the temptation to jump in and help them out,particularly if the prospect is a fairly slow individual andyou are a rather quick and impatient one.
Beware of using value-loaded questions
For example, ‘So, what do you think of these thick unionreps?’ You might get the answer, ‘I am one.’
– 66 –
D IAGNOSE

Be careful of how and where you ask leadingquestions
Leading questions can be used in some circumstanceswhere you want to lead the prospect into giving a positiveresponse but it can work against you, so you need to becareful.For example, if you say, ‘You don’t think this will workthen?’, you are likely to get the answer ’No.’However, leading questions can also be used to close.For example, ‘Shall I go ahead and place the order?’ or‘You’ll agree to present this idea to your Directors then?’Hopefully they will say ‘Yes’.
Ask the right questions. ‘Open’ ones toget people to open up and give youinformation.
DiagnoseWe are now on to the ‘Consider my needs’ part of thepositive buying motivations. Here you will need to askproblems and needs questions. You will need to probe.These questions (again open ones) are about probing theprospect’s problems, difficulties or dissatisfactions withthe existing situation.– 67 –
EASY STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL SELLING
For example:‘How satisfied were you with the work carried out?’‘What problems did you experience?’You can use comparative questions to help you with thisstage.
Comparative questionsThis is a variation on the theme of open questions butthey can give you yet more information and can help youexplore different angles.For example:‘How does this compare with the previous/currentmodel?’‘How do these proposals compare to those outlined inyour letter?’These questions can often be followed up by more openprobing questions.Let’s take a hypothetical sales interview:Salesperson: ‘How do our prices compare to what youare currently paying?’Prospect: ‘Your prices compare very favourably indeed.’
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I NTERPRETATION AND NEEDS
Salesperson: ‘In what way?’ (Open probing question.)This may elicit for you yet more information along thelines of:Prospect: ‘Well although you are dearer, I am not gettingthe level of service from my current suppliers that yousay you can provide.’Salesperson: ‘And this high level of service is important toyou?’ (Leading question.)Prospect: ‘Yes.’Salesperson: ‘Why is that particularly?’ (Open probingquestion.)Prospect: ‘Because we need our suppliers to respond tous rapidly. We can’t afford to have the computer systemdown because that affects our performance and we losesales as a result.’From this discussion I can now diagnose what the prospectis buying and I can interpret the prospect’s need.
Interpretation and needsThe prospect has given me