The third class of the Sandler Sales training class focused on asking the questions needed to draw out your potential client in order to seal the deal and get the job. The idea is that if you ask the right questions you will not only find out what the problem is, you’ll also be able to establish trust with your potential client and make them feel understood—the cornerstone for getting the job.

You need to find out what brings the client to you—what isn’t working for them. If they’re coming to you, there is already a problem they’re trying to fix. So ask them why they’re not using the same person as before. You need to know what has changed for them and what pressures they’re under that makes them want to go in a different direction.

Use phrases like, “Help me understand…Tell me more…What are you trying to achieve?....Is this the first time you’ve done a project like this?...How long has this been an issue for you? These are ways to draw out the client and get them talking so that you can create an empathy connection with them. You aren’t trying to solve their problems right then and there (something I have to remember), you’re just wanting them to feel as if you care and understand them.

Bob talked to us about the “pattern interrupt,” where you want people to go from using their logical left brain to using their right brain emotionality. By doing something they don’t expect you can shift their thinking, and by doing that you have a way in to connect with them.

So you take an emotion (depression, fear, etc.), find out why they’re feeling that way (things aren’t going well, etc.), and connect it to what that means for them (I’ll have to get a real job, I’ll lose my studio.etc.). “People tell me they feel stuck because they’re afraid of change, but know they have to change which might be too expensive…”

This is where the “third-party stories” come in. Beginning with, “It’s not unusual for people who are doing this to tell me….” allows the person to feel as if you know where they are coming from. Using phrases like “typically” “almost all the time” and “usually”, or “the editors I talk to usually say….” Adds to that feeling of being understood.

Our objective as sales people (and that’s what we are) is to get people to tell us stuff. And by using key phrases to show you are on the same page with them you create trust which is the first step towards sealing the deal to work with them. Since all of this is learning how to tap into the emotional psychology of your potential client, using a “negative reverse” can really pull them in to you. By that I mean at the end of talking with them you say, “I don’t know if this is the case with you…” or “I’m not sure if this if affecting you..” You want them to come back to you with ‘yes.” That yes is an almost certain proof of commitment.

If you’re trying cold calls, this is the approach to use: “This is an awkward call for me because we don’t know each other, and we may not have a reason to talk. Can I take a couple of minutes to tell you why I called, and you can decide if it’s right? People I usually talk to tell me….because…..which means….I specialize in_______. Not everyone needs my services, but those who do tell me_____. I don’t know if this applies to you…..”

What you’re doing here is engaging them, letting them make the decision as to whether they will talk to you, and make the decision if they are the person you should be talking with. Then you’ve used words that show you understand them and know what they’re about.

I can’t wait for next week’s class. I’ve been trying to use what I’ve learned (and I have a LOT to learn, since this runs counter to what I’ve been doing), and I have to admit it’s really helping. It’s up to me to redirect myself in the way I approach clients in order to make the experience better for both of us. Stay tuned for more about the Sandler Training classes in the weeks to come.

And let me know what you think.