In
marketing and sales, the most fundament principle is to promote benefits
rather than attributes. In other words, it is more effective to discover
and then accentuate what is relevant to the consumer instead of simply bragging
about all the features of your product or service — some or all of which may not
be relevant to your audience.
In
other words, literally, it is more productive to listen more and talk
less. To take advantage of this inherently difficult process, salespeople need
to challenge themselves (and their prospects) by replacing sales pitches with
thoughtful, probing questions.
Think
about how infrequently you actually are asked an original, personal question —
and how much-appreciated and memorable the experience is. It is the same thing
with a talk show guest who noticeably perks up when the host poses a unique
question: “Wow, I’ve never been asked that before.”
A top
sales consulting firm includes a key question on the inquiry sheet to be
completed during calls with adult children considering aging services for their
parents: “What is your greatest concern for your loved one at this time?” The
question is valuable and probably never been posed to the individual. And, best
of all, the purpose of the answer is mutually beneficial: Your consideration
will almost certainly leave a lasting impression that distinguishes you and your
community from the competition.
Feel
free to test the approach on family, friends, coworkers and acquaintances. You
will find playing talk show host or journalist is always
appreciated.
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