Page 7 - AprilNewsletter2021

Free yourself from Q&A traps

The question-and-answer sessions that follow
presentations can strike fear into an inexperienced
salesperson’s hearts. You can remain in control
with these tips:

Keep your answers as short as possible.

Beware of prospects with involved follow-up
questions- they can lead you far off your topic.
Say “I can see you have further questions- and
I'll be happy to stick around for a few minutes to
discuss them. Right now I think it's important
that everyone gets the chance to speak.”

Respond to off-topic questions by saying
“That's a good question. But in the interest of time,
I'd like to stick to talking about this particular
product.”
Admit it when you don't know the answer.
You can’t know the answer to every possible
question.
You might say “I don't know for sure, but my
guess is....” or “That's out of my area of
expertise. Let me speak to someone in our
engineering department and call you with the
answer.”
-Adapted from speaking magic,
Carolyn Dickson, Oakhill Press

Good posture can boost sales

To ensure that your words make the greatest
impression on your prospect, follow these
suggestions:

Line your body up at an angle that matches the
prospect’s body angle. Never sit at an opposite
angle; that can create a confrontational impression.

Maintain an open posture-hands palm-up and
open; uncrossed legs, arms and feet.

Remove anything that might tempt you to
“fiddle,” such as pens or paper.

Manage eye contact. Too much seems
aggressive; too little suggests a lack of interest.

-Adapted from Influencing People,
Jimmie Rodgers, AMACOM, .

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