Curiosity and How It Effects Your Business Proposition

The first 15 seconds of your approach are the most important seconds of your entire sales presentation. You must instill curiosity in the mind of your prospect. It is a form of interest. As people, we are curious by nature. Curiosity wants to be informed. This state of mind is just where you want your prospect to be in at the beginning of your sales talk.

The approach includes everything that takes place from the time the salesman meets the prospect until the salesman begins their first selling talk, or until the salesman enters the second phase of selling, which is interest.

At this point the prospect has not been told much about your proposition. This is your chance to make them curious enough to want to know more.

Curiosity can be aroused in a person in many ways.

You walk into a department store to find people crowded around a table looking at something. Out of curiosity you go over to the table to see what they are looking at. It's a new model of DVD player. If you're interested in a new DVD player you will want to know all about how this one works. If it does everything you want in a DVD player this may stimulate the desire in you to want to own it, thereby, leading you to make the decision to take the necessary actions to buy it.

Your potential customer is no different than you in this regard.

Or you see someone looking down the street. Out of curiosity you began looking down the street too to see just what has captured their attention.

A stranger comes up to you on a sidewalk. Two questions immediately come to mind. "Who is he?" "What does he want?"

A salesman telephones the manager of a store and tells them they have a brand new product that is being introduced in the area. Of course the details are far too many to go over on the telephone, so the salesman makes an appointment to demonstrate the item to the manager. The manager is automatically curious about just what this gizmo is and how it works. The first step of the selling process has already started in the mind of the store manager.

You see a man run out of a bank holding two giant moneybags and jump into a car and speed away. Soon after, you hear a police siren. You are not curious about why the police is chasing behind the car, but you may be interested in the outcome. We are not curious about things we already know and understand.

Without curiosity you cannot get the prospect interested in your proposition. Without interest, the prospect will not care anything about your claims. If you cannot convince your prospect that they will benefit from your offer, you cannot create the desire in them to want to own it. You will not be able to get the prospect to make a buying decision and take action.

It is also important for you to implant a favorable personal impression of you in your prospect's mind because even if your prospect is curious about your proposition, they will have little or no interest in having that curiosity satisfied by you, if they are repulsed by your behavior. On the other hand, if you present yourself in a favorable manor, it will strengthen the curiosity for your proposal and open the door to interest.

You must pay close attention to your prospect after getting the prospect curious about your proposition. When you have piqued the curiosity of the prospect, don't continue along this line for an extended period of time. You will exhaust the prospect's curiosity and the first stage of the selling process will fall flat and it will have to be started all over again. After creating curiosity in the prospect's mind, you should move on to the rest of the stages of the principles of the selling process.

Just remember, the first 15 seconds of your approach, that of creating curiosity in the prospect's mind, are the most important. If this is not established the rest of your sales talk will be meaningless. So you can see the necessity of making a good strong opening statement, thereby getting the prospect curious about your proposition, so they will want to know more about your offer. It is also important to leave a favorable personal impression in your prospects mind.

Copyright © 2005 Gloria Whitehorn-All rights reserved

About the Author:

Gloria is an article writer, business owner, author of two books, salesperson and seasoned mail order pro. Visit her site for information on a great part-time, full-time-anytime business. She knows what she's talking about.

http://www.dovemang.com

*Attn: Ezine Editors/Site owners*
You have permission to reprint this article in your ezine or on your website as long as you print the complete article and leave all the links and resource box in place. You cannot modify the content in any way.

---

Jump Start Your Sales In 10 Quick Steps

1. Combine a product and service together in a package... Read More

Why Sales People Are Creating Their Own Objections

I'm about to reveal the biggest secret to growing any... Read More

In Sales You Get What You Expect

If your mind is set, you will be unable to... Read More

A Stupid Question

This is a stupid question but it has to be... Read More

What Does It Take To WIN A Sale?

What to do when you win or lose.You have given... Read More

Increase Profits from Your Existing Customers

An area many businesses fail to recognise as a way... Read More

Make Your Referrals Count

Just because we receive a referral, it doesn't mean that... Read More

Training for Trade Shows - 5 FAQs

Trade shows are so obvious. You go. You hand out... Read More

The Art of Backend Selling

The art of backend sellingThe backend sale can be more... Read More

Sell Without Feeling Like A Used Car Salesman

Many business owners and professionals are appalled at the thought... Read More

How to Spellbind Your Prospects in 10 Seconds!

You've got yourself 10 seconds to HOOK your prospects or... Read More

The Processionary Caterpillar Syndrome Costs You Sales?

Some years ago I read and interesting story that illustrated... Read More

Generate Sales with Lead Generation Marketing Tools

One of the best projects to undertake as an online... Read More

Direct Sales and the Use of Clipboards

Do you ever feel that when you are doing direct... Read More

Three Types of Salespeople

"There are three kinds of salespeople; those who make things... Read More

TheTop 10 Reasons Why Salespeople Get Outsold

In my business, it has been an interesting and very... Read More

How a Best Buy Sales Clerk Taught Me the Simple 6 Step Formula to Close ANY Sale!

Follow this story...I went to Best Buy today to get... Read More

Transforming Problems into Sales

My silent fish tank was no more. Enough water had... Read More

Sales Skills are Life Skills

I love the art of selling. LOVE IT. When I... Read More

Youre Hired... I Think

I'm not a fan of "The Donald" and I had... Read More

Closing the Sale - It Doesnt Have To Be Uncomfortable

"The Close" is sales jargon for the bit where you... Read More

7 Ways to Get to the Truth: When the Sale Disappears

Based on his most recent e-mail, "Everything looks good --... Read More

Grrr! Why Arent I Making SALES?!

Selling online can be very difficult, more difficult than in... Read More

Elearning Is Dead - Long Live Blended Learning!

There is little doubt that eLearning has not achieved the... Read More

Peak Performance

One of the best books I have ever read is... Read More

More Sales with Less Selling

Have you ever passed by a bakery display case without... Read More

The Art And Science of Closing - How To Close More Sales Right Now

One of the questions I often get asked as a... Read More

Are You Deaf? Dumb? Blind at Trade Shows?

I'm constantly amazed how otherwise smart marketeers become deaf, dumb... Read More

Are You a Sales Professional?

Many sellers like to describe themselves as professionals, but what... Read More

Survival On The Road! A Resource For The On The Road Sales Professional

It makes no difference if you are a Saleswomen, a... Read More

Hello! I Cant Sell!

What's that you say? You can't sell?Oh, you must be... Read More

Cross-selling for Increased Sales, Profits, and Customer Satisfaction

Cross-selling - the art of selling for non-salespeopleCross-selling is the... Read More

How to Sell a Feeling

To be totally in tune with the needs of your... Read More