(By Rick Fink) You’re about to go into a meeting with a new prospect where you will be conducting the ever-important CNA, or as I like to refer to it as, “asking questions session”. This is where you are about to learn everything you need so that you can go back to the office and put a complete presentation together.
But STOP!! Don’t ask ALL of your questions. Save a few for later!
Instead of asking all of your questions, at the end of your meeting say to your prospect something like this, “Thank you for your time and attention. I appreciate all the information you’ve provided. With this information, I think I can start working on some ideas that you will like. However, if I do have a few more questions, would you mind if I give you a call?”
Their answer is always going to be, “Yes”. It’ll never be, “Nope. I gave you all the information I’m gonna give. You’ll have to come up with something from the answers I provided”. That’ll never happen. Of course, they will say yes!
This is your opportunity to show them you are giving great thought to their business.
In a few days, or I prefer about a week, call the prospect back and either ask the “extra” questions over the phone, or better yet, you mention that you have a few more questions and was hoping that you could stop by and visit for a few minutes. Ask something like this, “Mr./Mrs. Prospect, I nearly have all of my thoughts put together for you. However, before we finalize our thoughts and ideas, I have a few more questions for you. Do you have ten or fifteen minutes later today or tomorrow to visit if I stop by?”
Here are a few follow-up questions that I use:
- What day of the week do you receive the most phone calls?
- What day of the week do you have the most traffic?
- What is the most common thing people say about your business the first time they visit your store or business?
It doesn’t really matter what the follow-up questions are. What matters is that the prospect will believe you are going the extra mile and giving great thought to his/her business.
Next time you’re conducting an “asking questions session” with a new prospect, play your cards right and save a question or two for later.
NEVER Stop Learning – Get Better Every Day!
Rick Fink from ENS Media (www.ensmediausa.com) can be reached by phone at 605-310-2062 or e-mail at [email protected]
