STOP Asking for the Sale!

Yes, I know. Your boss told you that you had to “ask for the sale” a thousand times…

When I first entered the profession of sales, I was taught by my mentors that asking for the sale was absolutely imperative. They were wrong. In countless workshops and training sessions, I myself have taught people that they had to ask for the sale. I was wrong.

Modern selling is a process of educating, helping, advising, and guiding. Today’s true sales professional is a consultant and advisor. In this role, you do not ask your client what they want to do, or if they want to do it. You direct them forward to the product or solution that will satisfy their needs and desires. In short, you don’t ask for the sale, you recommend it.

Whenever there are consequences involved, a recommendation is more appropriate than a question. If what you are suggesting for your customer is good for them, (and it very well should be), there will be negative consequences for them if they don’t follow your advice. If there is a valid reason for it, you should be recommending it. If there isn’t a reason for it, you shouldn’t offer it. When there are no consequences involved, it’s perfectly acceptable to ask a question: “Would you like cream or sugar with your coffee?” However, it would be quite ridiculous for a no-consequence question to be phrased as a recommendation: “I highly recommend cream and sugar with your coffee.”

Providing professional advice with a question is just as silly and awkward. Can you imagine a doctor saying, “do you want to have a triple bypass?” or an attorney saying, “so, do you want to go with an insanity defense?” Of course not. In both of these cases, we would expect the professional to fully understand the situation through research and diagnoses, and then, using their knowledge and expertise, provide advice. Consider this example: “The arteries that supply blood to your heart are severely blocked, and you have a high risk of a heart attack. I’m recommending bypass surgery as soon as possible so we can mitigate risk and alleviate your shortness of breath and angina pain.” The profession of sales should be no different than this.

The consequences involved in this scenario are quite obvious (and quite severe). You might be thinking that what I am suggesting only applies to these types of situations. Please consider the consequences of a customer not taking a vehicle for a test drive before making a purchase decision, or a client choosing the wrong type of life insurance for their future financial health. We could easily extend this into any sales situation.

My advice? Stop asking for the sale and start recommending it instead. “Since you’ve been struggling to make all of your monthly payments, I recommend we include all of your credit and installment debt in your refinance. This will reduce your monthly payments significantly, reduce your stress, and allow you to get back on your feet financially.” When I hear a sales professional ask instead of advise, it drives me nuts. “Are you ready to move forward?” “Would you like to take it for a test drive?” “How much insurance are you considering?” “Do you want to schedule an appointment?” Blaaaah! Please, stop!

Are there consequences if they don’t move forward with your suggestion? If so, tell them why they should do it and tell them what you recommend they do. If you have taken the time to understand their needs and desires, and you deliver your recommendation in the right way, you will see a much higher success rate, and your customers will suffer fewer consequences.

-Hans