Here are my notes, pg. 20-55
- “Champions really care about their clients.” Sure, some salespeople make money who don’t care about their fellow human. But this is the vast minority. The best are genuinely interested in helping people.
This is an interesting paradox, where the genuineness is key. You can’t just convey that you care because secretly you just want money. You can’t use “care about people” as a “technique” or means to an end. You really need to care. Then, you get referrals, close deals, earn money as a byproduct. It’s a delicate and subtle frame of mind. In short, get curious about people and helping them meet their needs.
- Questions are key. You ask questions to:
– Gain traction in the conversation
– Gain information about client’s needs
– Isolate objections. The Champion proactively uncovers objections before the client even asks, signally that she is on the same team.
Overall, questions allow the client to decide for himself if he want to buy. Nobody wants to be “told” he needs something. In an almost Socratic way, the salesperson can allow the client to discover how a product will meet his needs.
- Questioning 101:
– Standard Tie-Down: Add “isn’t it,” “don’t they,” etc. “Fuel economy is very important today, isn’t it?”
– Inverted Tie-Down: “Aren’t lots of people thinking about fuel economy today?”
– Internal Tie-Down: “Fuel economy is important, isn’t it, in today’s world?
These variations are simply different types of wrenches in your toolkit.
- Merge techniques with your own self. The techniques in this book are rules meant to be bent, shaped, formed, customized. Following verbatim won’t be authentic. Like a good composer, study the greats, then become your own person.
