The ability to listen is essential for a business person. We all know that. But many salespeople do not fully understand what they should actually look for in what the client is saying. In fact, a prospect reveals a great deal, both in the initial small talk and in answers to your questions, which you can then use in your efforts to sell.
Here are three main things you need to learn from a prospect during a business meeting, through either direct questioning or reading between the lines of what the client says.
What does the client need?
Here, according to INC.com, it is important to distinguish between what clients think they need (i.e. what they want) and what they actually do need. In other words, does the prospect need your product? If so, what features of your product are essential for the client and therefore need emphasising? From what the prospect says, you should build a mosaic and form an idea about the priorities and needs of the prospect, as well as how you as a salesperson can best help them. Then stress this last-mentioned aspect throughout your sales presentation.
What worries the client right now?
Long-term priorities and needs of the customer aside, usually there is also an acute problem, fear or challenge that led the prospect to take an active interest in your product. What worries the customer right now? What is currently their main motivation? Does the prospect have an urgent problem? If you discover this momentary motivation of the customer, you will have a great advantage.
How are your products better than others or what the client is using at the moment?
It is highly likely that the client is already using another product or has offers from other companies with similar solutions to yours. It is necessary to take these facts into account when presenting your product. In what way is your solution better and unique? What do the products of the competition lack and what should you emphasise to the prospect? As with the previous items, also the answer to this question might be obtained either via direct questioning or by guesswork based on other things the client says.
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