The Best Question Smart Steemians, Salespeople, and Entrepreneurs Ask
The Best Question Smart Steemians, Salespeople, and Entrepreneurs Ask
Business-Building Action from Terry Brock for Steemit and DSound
We know that building solid, mutually-beneficial relationships in business is the key to long-term success. The best entrepreneurs are continually focusing on how to build quality relationships. They focus on how they can create value and help the other person success.
This is what Relationship Marketing is all about. Always be in the business of searching for opportunities, finding ways to develop and hone skills which are market-valuable, and producing serious value for those marvelous people who pay our bills —- buyers!
We’ve long seen that your results are driven by the questions you ask. Wrong question = wrong answers. Many times when sales aren’t where we want them, people we ask about why sales are so disappointing.
That is not the right question.
A better question might be, "What are our prospects looking for now?” An even better question might be, ”What pain are our customers going through now?" An even better one might be, "What is the single biggest pain that our beloved customers are going through now?" Keep asking tougher and tougher questions to get the bedrock issues that are confronting you. Yeah, it is hard, but it is worth it.
So what is the best question for salespeople and entrepreneurs to ask? What question will help your prospects know that you are really there with them?
Before I share this with you, let me share an experience I had this past week. I was doing a program for a well known technology company that you would recognize if I told you their name. This multi-billion dollar company asked me to put together a special program for some of their top partners on how sales and marketing have changed. They wanted to know what is working for the contemporary buying process. Social media is a critical factor and we addressed that specifically to their needs.
We talked about a question that helps smart salespeople and entrepreneurs to firmly let prospects and customers know they care. It is a question we need to ask in today’s changing marketplace.
The environment today has changed for sales and marketing. What worked before is not necessarily working today. However, there is one strategy that is stronger than ever today and it has worked for the best salespeople for centuries. The best salespeople and entrepreneurs throughout history have been those who demonstrate the ability to help others. That is more important than ever in today’s white-hot competitive environment.
The best question for salespeople and entrepreneurs today? "How can I help you?" Is arguably the best. It sums up a lot in that short question. Asking how you can help let’s others know that you are there for them, not just for a sale.
It is vitally important to know that that question works best when you follow it up with the quality research which is necessary and the due diligence to sincerely help in a meaningful way. This helps you to connect with people more. This is what real relationship marketing is about. Hey, it is what being a human being who connects with others is all about.
Ok, I’ll grant you that it is simple. However, it is not anywhere near easy. Remember it is only a start to simply ask the question, “How can I help you?” The most successful people are willing to pay the price and find out the answers when someone tells you where they need help. You can help them in a specific way as they requested. Bonus points — see beyond their question and find out what they need that is not communicated in their question.
What is the key to success for salespeople and entrepreneurs today? Ask how you can help others.
Even more important action? Continue to help others regularly. This will help your success more than anything.
Keep asking this question here on Steemit and DSound, my fellow Steemians. Also, please share this with your community. I love those Resteems and upvotes. Thank you very much for listening.
Terry L. Brock, MBA, CSP, CPAE
Member, Professional Speaker Hall of Fame
Certified Speaking Professional
Master of Ceremonies
Professional Video Coach
Syndicated Columnist with Business Journals (43 papers across USA, 11 million monthly page views)
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Former Editor-in-Chief for AT&T's Networking Exchange Blog
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I'm sorry you've had a rough time; it must feel really discouraging to hear negative misperceptions of something that is so important to you.
Where are you meeting girls? I bet you would have more luck going through friends-of-friends than dating online. Online, people are in a low-information environment and way more likely to jump to conclusions, consider worst-case scenarios, etc. Offline, where a friend can vouch for your reliability, you won't face the same degree of skepticism.
As for juggling time: I think it's more about respect than about inconvenience. How do you make sure that someone still feels important, while showing them that another priority is taking precedence? If you think you may cancel, I'd let someone know sooner rather than later, provide as much context as you can and directly address any potential emotional anxiety. ("Wednesday night almost certainly works for me, but there's a chance I'm going to hear from this client during that time." "I'm so sorry, I actually can't do tonight, because of X. I'm really disappointed, because I've been looking forward to seeing you and I'd absolutely rather spend time with you.")
Huh? I'm thinking you must have had this comment for someone else. Thank you for the effort but this comment doesn't seem to fit what the post was about here.