“Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.”
A useful rule of thumb for persuasive presentations is that you should listen twice as much as you speak. A compliment coupled with a question is a good way to start. The compliment gives the customer an opportunity to talk about themselves. It also establishes a dialog vs a monologue which is one of the most frequent mistakes salespeople make: talking too much. The sample creates the emotion. The choices give the other person a chance to say yes. When you ask a yes or no question, there's nowhere to go when they say no. Create choices that give a client a chance to say yes and the chance of success goes up dramatically.
Ask only open-ended questions. Tell me about…? What, when, how and why?
Recognize that the first question a buyer asks is a buying signal
Close page-by-page and Concept-by-Concept
Sell the product line completely.
Listen and overcome major objections, dismissing minor ones. Objections represent a request for more information. Agree with them and say “Yes, I understand how you feel, we hear that sometimes from customers,” then overcome that particular objection.
To repeat some points made earlier, curiosity is expected of a child, though it can sometimes annoy the adults who deal with it. Rudyard Kipling’s The Elephant’s Child, the tale of a young elephant who asked question after question, is an endearing story on that very subject.
In the life of mature human beings, forces in our daily routines and the culture itself tend to stifle our natural curiosity. Overcoming these forces is important. Curiosity is a gift, perhaps even a right. Indulge it. Ask yourself how and why things happen.
Not only is curiosity the first virtue of a scientist, it is the first virtue of a citizen of the Earth. Adopt asking “why?” as a best practice. Ask “why?” often, at least once a day. And make it a habit to try to find the answer. Your brain will be happier, and you will be amazed at how many opportunities and solutions will show up in your life and work.
Keep asking questions. Use emotional intelligence to know when the customer wants to move on. Listen much more than you talk. You know your product and now you are learning about their problem. Ask questions to determine the buyer's wants, needs and goals. Use Tell me about, e.g., "What your plans are for...?" when asking questions. All questions should be open-ended. Avoid closed questions that result in a "Yes" or "No" response. Walk the customer to the sales floor during the discussion. Take the buyer out of their element and bring them into yours.
Curiosity is an important trait of a genius. I don’t think you can find an intellectual giant who is not a curious person.
Read MoreWe are born curious, but when answers are valued more than questions, we forget how to ask. Here’s how to relearn an old habit.
Read MoreCuriosity, according to Ian Leslie(link is external), is a combination of intelligence, persistence, and hunger for novelty, all wrapped up in one.
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