Selling

Selling is not something done to a prospect but it is something they buy because they see the benefit to them. On the contrary, according to the traditional school of thought on selling, a sales person does something to a prospect to make them buy.

Volumes of books have been written on how to trick a customer into buying. I would not like to step on the toes of the traditional sales guru. It is only that I have a different view of what sales is all about. You do not trick a customer into buying (even when what he buys does not bring value to him). You guide a customer to buy because his purchase solves his problems of needs.

For comparison, here is an example of the traditional sales methodology.
i. The sales person does most if not all the talking.
ii. He makes a 'pitch' attempting to sell whatever, rather than identifying the wants and needs, and then attempting to fill them.
iii. The sales person assumes the persona that he is doing something to the prospect rather than for them. (And takes pride in doing so)

The traditional approach adopts a stance of selling products or services to people, irrespective of whether these products or services really fill the needs of the buyers. How do you go about incorporating this into your interview segment? It is as simple as the word itself implies. You just ask open ended, indirect questions that require the prospect to respond. This may take some practice but it is worth its weight in gold.

Ask open ended questions that require the prospect to respond. This will require some practice as it is contrary to the traditional approach. Let me give one example. Let's look at the structure of one sentence.
"Mr prospect, would you share your company history with me?"
What kind of an answer will you receive to a question formulated this way?
Yes. He will say either yes or no. What have you learned about him at this point?. Nothing.
Now, let us rephrase this question.
"Mr prospect, how did you get started in this business?"

See the difference. You have passed the ball to his feet and open the door for him to share tons of information with you. He would be too happy to talk about his exploits. Remember to keep your ears open and your mouth shut, except for the occasional "yes" and "I see ". By the time he is exhausted telling you that entire he enjoys telling, you would have accumulated all the information you need regarding his problems and needs. This will help you plan your offer to satisfy those needs

Here are some examples of open ended questions:
"How do you intend to ....."
"Where will you be ......"
"What other options are you ......"
Use the old "who", "what","where", "when" and "how" formulations. If you begin your interview questions with any of theses opening words, you are establishing the dialogue necessary to learn about his wants or needs.
Remember SELLING IS NOT SELLING. IT IS NEED FULFILLMENT.