Approaching Prospects - What to Say when a Prospect Asks "What is It?"

A challenge that many people face when prospecting is how to handle the question, "What is it."

You see, prospects want to be able to make a decision immediately. They do not want you to be vague and skirt around their questions. This makes them feel like you are hiding something. And if you try to explain everything yourself in detail on the spot, they will think they have enough information to make a decision. And that is not fair to you or them if they try to make a snap decision based on incomplete information from a simple conversation.

So what can you do?

If you do not handle this well by explaining too much too soon, they may lose interest. And you would blow your chance of ever having them willing to listen to your business presentation ever again because they will now have a preconceived notion of what it is.

How you answer this question may depend on the situation surrounding them asking it. For instance, someone responding to one of your ads will probably need a different answer than a friend you are speaking with at a social event.

An important key to answering the "What is it" question is determining exactly what they are asking. Maybe you just invited them to watch a video on a DVD or on your website. When they ask, "What is it," they might want to know what the business is or how money is made. These questions are a little bit more difficult to answer. But then again, they might just be asking, "What is the video?"

Let me illustrate this. A 4-year-old child asks her father, "Daddy, where do babies come from?" The father could go into a long lecture about the birds and the bees, or the father could just say, "From your mommy's tummy." That might be all the child wants to know at this point.

Now, if the child asks, "How does the baby get into mommy's tummy?" The father could then provide more information or simply tell his child, "That is a great question. Go ask your mom."

I am obviously joking with the "Go ask your mom" part, but I hope it illustrates the point that sometimes we find ourselves answering a question with way more information than the person asking the question is looking for at that given moment. You can actually make the situation more complicated if you try to explain too much too soon.

In many instances, it is better for everyone involved to give a direct, yet simple answer. This applies to sales and marketing or any form of business as well.

Back to the question, "What is it?" Do not just jump in and start answering their question until you understand what they are really asking.

You might answer them with a question, "What is what?" You might also ask them, "How do you mean?"

Wait for their response. This invites them to elaborate on what question they really want answered right now.

When they explain it, validate them by thanking them for the question and letting them know it is a good question.

At this point, it is time to answer their question. Instead of going into a five-minute answer, you might give them a very short and direct answer that leads to inviting them to watch your video, view your website, or gather additional information in some form.

The less you personally explain at this point, the better. Let the tools and resources your company provides do the presenting. You should just be inviting. If they still have objections, you might bring up points from earlier on in your conversation such as, "Brenda, you mentioned you would like to be debt free and have more time to travel to places like Europe and have more money to give to charity. The information I have can show you a simple way to get those things. You will understand more after you have looked over everything."

In essence, you have been direct with them as well as created a desire for them to seek out how you can help satisfy their specific needs.

The secret to approaching prospects is to focus on inviting. Do not explain anything yourself.

Just invite.

Try out these ideas and see if your results improve. Never give up! Giving up is the one sure way to fail. Stick with it long enough and you might become your own success story.

Good luck with your marketing!

Nick J. Lang teaches Biology and coaches football, wrestling and track at the high school level. He also enjoys teaching internet marketing strategies to home business owners through his FREE Coaching Program found at:

http://www.RejectionFreeMarketing.com