The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible pdfdrive com

The Person Who Asks Questions Has Control
As a rule, the person who asks questions has control. The individual who is
answering the questions is controlled by the person who is asking them.
Whenever you ask a question and listen attentively to the answer, you are
controlling the directional flow of the sales conversation, which is as it should
be. Whenever you are talking in response to a question from the prospect, the
prospect has taken control of the conversation.
If a prospect asks you a question, rather than answering automatically (which
most people do), pause, take a breath, and say, “That is a good question. May I
ask you something first?”
In other words, you acknowledge the question. But you then ask a question of
your own and take back control of the conversation. When you do this a couple
of times, it will become so natural and automatic that the prospect will never
even know what happened. And you will be back in control.
Position Yourself Properly
The very best salespeople today see themselves more as consultants and
advisors to their customers than as salespeople. As a consultant, your job is to
help the customer solve his problems with what you are selling. The very best
sales consultants focus all of their energies on identifying the most pressing
problem that the customer has that their products or services can solve. He then
concentrates all of his efforts on convincing the prospect that he will definitely
get the solution that he most wants.
Position yourself as a friend rather than as a salesperson, as an advisor rather
than as someone who just wants to make a sale. See yourself more as a helper
than anything else. Take the time to fully understand the prospect’s needs, and
then help the prospect to understand how and why your product or service will
satisfy these needs better than anything else.
Learn and Teach
Position yourself as a teacher. When you ask questions, you learn the
customer’s needs. When you talk, you teach the customer how he can most

---

benefit from what you are selling. When you approach every sales situation as a
friend, an advisor, and a teacher, you will dramatically lower the stress involved
in competitive selling. You will radically reduce the likelihood of failure or
rejection. Both you and the prospect will feel more comfortable and relaxed.