You've probably spent a lot of time learning about your product, what problems it solves, and who should buy it. That's good, but it can lead to a rookie mistake that I see all too often: information overload.
Before you tell your client everything you know about your product, take a moment to find out what they want to know, and how much. That can be the difference between a productive sales relationship and an automatic disconnect.
Here are a few real-world examples from one of my clients demonstrating how you can assess what a prospect will want to know before you overwhelm them with information.
One of my clients, a roofer, was talking to a realtor who needed a roof put on a house before he could sell the house. The situation was already pretty painful to him, but that also meant that this prospect had his guard up against being taken advantage of.
My client asked him, "If I waved a magic wand, what would that result look like to you? How would the best outcome look?"
By asking those questions, my client shifted the conversation toward only the things that this prospect cared about. It ended up being a very quick sale.
This same client often meets with insurance agents to discuss whether it makes sense for them to become strategic partners. They'll often ask him to tell them about impact-resistant roofs, and he takes time to pause and ask them if they want the short or long version.
He also takes their communication preferences into account. For prospects who tend to like details, he will give them more, but he won't bore prospects who don't want details.
Pay attention to your prospects, especially with large sales or potentially beneficial strategic relationships. By assessing (or even simply asking!) how much information they want, and what kind, you can make sure you're addressing the concerns they really have.
