Focus on the Customer (Not on the Product)

Selling today often involves complex technical solutions that turn many salespeople into features-focused product experts rather than customer-focused sales professionals.

Simply stated, customer-focused selling means first finding out what the customer wants and then providing the solution for that specific situation.

Customer-focused selling requires that the customer do most of the talking. But how does the customer do most of the talking if he or she doesn’t understand the products or the technology? The customer may not even understand what his needs are. The salesperson must probe with the right questions in the right sequence to determine the customer’s business needs.

A probe is a request for information. Probes start with an action verb. Tell me about . . . Talk a little about . . . Describe if you will . . . Give me a little background on . . . Questions ask the listener to choose or to provide more specific information. Two types of questions open and closed ended are necessary to find out the customer’s needs.

Open ended questions begin with words like what, when, how, where, why, and when. They ask for people’s opinions, facts and feelings. They open the conversational door. They are similar to probes, but more focused. They can be used interchangeably with probes. Examples: “What makes you say that?” “What makes that important to you?”

“What” questions tend to be the most effective for most sales situations; they enlarge the comfort zone of the listener and raise the effectiveness of the salesperson. To improve your “What” questioning technique, study good TV interviewers Larry King, Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters, Ted Koppel and practice your own technique until it feels natural.

Closed ended questions restrict the listener’s response to “yes” or “no,” black or white, this or that. Closed ended questions are necessary to gain agreement from your listener, or sometimes to begin a discussion with a tight lipped prospect.

To get your prospect to be more receptive to your probe or question, try to cushion it with a softening preamble. You might try, “Would you mind if I take some notes?” or “Would you permit me a few questions?”

Increasing your ability to probe and ask questions will tell you the specific benefits the customer is looking for. Next, to make the sale, you have only to satisfy these benefits with your solution. When you can skillfully probe for customer needs, you will set yourself apart from the rest of the field and be on your way to building your steady sales.