MoneyWatch

Sales Quiz: How to Begin a Customer Conversation

By Geoffrey James

Updated on: July 5, 2011 / 12:16 PM EDT / MoneyWatch

SCENARIO: You're starting a conversation with a mid-level contact at a new prospect, a large manufacturing firm. You sense from the initial greeting that the contact is willing to have a conversation, but what's the best way to begin it? Remember: you want the conversation to be as substantive as possible. Your choices are below. Vote in the poll, then click on the link for the best answer.

OPENING #1: My research reveals that your firm is probably losing money because of poor inventory control. Since your industry is currently under stress due to the weak economy, you may need our product to help you fix this problem. That's why I'm here to talk with you today.
OPENING #2: It's my understanding that your industry, in general, has challenges connected with the weak economy and difficulties in controlling inventory. However, I'd like to know how you view the situation and to what extent that influences what's going on in your own manufacturing facilities.
OPENING #3: You probably know about our products and services and I'm here to answer any questions that you might have, and well as to help you make a wise buying decision. I guarantee that I won't try to sell you anything that you don't really need.

Click HERE for the best answer

The correct answer is:

OPENING #2: It's my understanding that your industry, in general, has challenges connected with the weak economy and difficulties in controlling inventory. However, I'd like to know how you view the situation and to what extent that influences what's going on in your own manufacturing facilities.

The reason this opening works is that it asks an open-ended question that will probably get the prospect talking about the actual situation at that customer facility. It shows that you did the appropriate research, and the request to hear about the situation "from the horse's mouth" shows the prospect that you don't assume he knows more about the situation than the customer himself.

The other two are much less likely to do so. Here's why.

OPENING #1: My research reveals that your firm is probably losing money because of poor inventory control. Since your industry is currently under stress due to the weak economy, you may need our product to help you fix this problem. That's why I'm here to talk with you today.

This looks like a good choice because it also shows that you've done some research. However, it makes you sound like you're a know-it-all who's going to tell the customer how to run his business. It's more like a lecture than a conversation, and a real turn-off.

OPENING #3: You probably know about our products and services and I'm here to answer any questions that you might have, and well as to help you make a wise buying decision. I guarantee that I won't try to sell you anything that you don't really need.

This is the kind of opening that your marketeers want you to use. It ridiculously assumes that that prospect has done all the work of research (on the web presumably) and knows all about the product category and how it's used. The guarantee, of course, is dreadful and suggests the exact opposite, like the used car lot named "Honest Abe's".

NOTE: The above is based on a conversation with Nancy Martini, President & CEO of PI Worldwide, an consulting firm that specializes in leadership development, sales performance improvement, human analytics. I'm working with Nancy on a book to be published by Wiley next year.