If you are in the business of providing solutions, then getting your prospect to truly open up to the issues a certain problem is challenging. Although challenging, it is possible to do it. This article highlights tips you can employ to get your clients to open up about the pain they feel that a certain problem has on them. You can then use the information gained to tailor how your product will help them solve that problem.
Zeroing In On Pain Indicators
When you are dealing with a prospect, you need to be attune to what he is saying. You will get more information from a relaxed conversation about an issue than you would by going direct to the point. Most people gravitate towards people whom they are comfortable with. They grow suspicious of people trying to sell them things because to a certain extent, they feel that they could be getting taken advantage of. That is why you need to keep it light while you are probing for the issues your business can help them solve.To this end, you need to keep an eye out for ‘pain indicators’ during your conversation. Pain indicators are those words that shed light on a particular problem a business is facing. They come in two categories that you need to know so that you can distinguish one from the other. They are general-impersonal pain indicators and specific-emotional pain indicators.
The general-impersonal pain indicators highlight a problem which the prospect feels but not to the extent they would hire someone to get rid of it. If you are in the I.T. support business and are chatting up a client, they might say their computer freezes from time to time. This could affect the business but only to an extent that they have learned to bear with it. Trying to convince them to use your service could wind up being a tall order, especially if they feel they can live with it.
The specific-emotional pain indicators, on the other hand, are those cues you get that point to how a particular problem affects the person emotionally. Using the same I.T. example, if the prospect says that they feel very frustrated and would like to solve that problem once and for all, you have an opening. As soon as they are done venting, you can bring up how you have a business can help address that problem. It is specific-emotional indicators that give businesses an opportunity to sell.
If you are cold calling a prospect or they happen to come to your shop, directly asking a question might put them off. It has to be reiterated that prospects tend to get rather suspicious if you try to upsell them on your first meeting. You need to create a rapport with them so that they can truly open up with the business issue they feel you can solve for them.
Prospects are different. There is no one single, one-size-fits-all approach you can employ to close them. As you interact with them or your staff does, you need to be attuned to how different that particular individual is. This will help you tailor your approach to how you get them to open up.
If it is a cold call, you can rely on a series of questions that start with a general and casual talk. As the conversation goes on, be as specific in your line of questioning, with particular focus on the emotional side of the problem. Part of the main aim is to get the prospect to admit that they have a problem that makes rather emotional about. The other part is to move them to the conclusion that your business can offer them the relief they crave.
In offering your solutions, you need to show them the particular benefit of having that problem solved by you. This means giving them as much information about how the problem could get worse if unattended. Like a computer which freezes a lot could waste prospective clients’ time. These clients will leave and this will affect their bottom line and their brand negatively. Make such dangers as vivid as possible. This is not to scare them, of course, but to point out to them why they need a trusted provider to address this problem once and for all. Once you feel they are open to the prospect of hiring someone to solve the problem, you swoop in.
Tell your prospects what they will expect from you. Give them your plan of attack as clearly as possible with clear timeframes, if need be. This builds your credibility in their eyes and makes them trust you more. No one likes to leave things in the hands of people who do not know what they are doing. The stakes in their business are too high to risk having an incompetent service provider.
As you embark on providing solutions to people who do not yet know they need it, be prepared for a bit of resistance. Some will co-operate but only to the extent that they will give only vague answers. Some of these answers border on disinterest, but do not be discouraged though. At least you have them talking about the issue affecting them. Show genuine concern for them and their predicament. This shows them that they can trust you and you can then show them the value in choosing you to solve their issue. It will take some work getting used to but once you hone this skill of getting the prospect to open up, the rest will be easy.