Impotent Questions - How Much Are They Costing You?

Last issue we talked about what motivates people to buy something. A person or a business is motivated to buy when they perceive that a change needs to occur to fix or avoid a problem, or to enable a greater vision for their future. They buy when they believe that a product or service will bridge this gap for them.

In other words, people are most likely to buy when they are in a state of trouble, or a state of tremendous opportunity. Some people will seek you out as a seller, and tell you this. These are the easy sales. Most people do not do this however. Most people stay in their comfort zones, desiring not to get too worked up over what's not happening in their lives.

Selling then, becomes a game of stirring up people's emotions. When you become aware that you have a problem that you must solve, your emotions change. You get concerned, frustrated, upset, worried, scared, or even angry. Just how intensely you react depends upon your perception of the magnitude and the imminence of the consequences.

Consequences.

In one word, you have the key to all selling and motivation. Consequences give rise to the experiencing of emotions such as fear, despair and anger, or hope, want and excitement. And it is the mere thought of experiencing these emotions that motivates you or anyone else.

My dictionary defines a consequence as follows: -"something that logically or naturally follows from an action or condition."

Once you think of taking an action, or not taking an action, and you consider the consequences of that decision, the opportunity for a strong emotion to be triggered has been setup. Whether the emotional response is a strong one or not, depends on you, and your own associations concerning a particular action.

The thought falling from the top of a 500 foot cliff, smashing onto the jagged, craggy rocks at the bottom, and becoming a bloody, gelatinous skin sack of red, pink, and purple would cause the emotion of fear in many people.

That is if you really think about it, and picture it in your mind.

What about sitting down and watching TV on a Saturday afternoon? That might trigger the emotion of boredom for some people. It might trigger relaxation, or escapism for another. To my wife it represents "being a loser". For me, it represents an opportunity to escape, and not to think about reality for just awhile.

Consequences trigger unique emotional motivations for every person. Not all are intense, and not all are enough to move someone to act, to make a decision, to buy something. The ones that do are the ones that we care about.

Asking questions that stir up consequences and uncover motivations is not a natural course of action for most people. I'm not sure exactly why this is, but I believe that it has something to do with politeness, and a cultural value that you shouldn't get too personal with people you don't know well.

Yet asking such questions is one of the most powerful things you can do as a persuader. "Isn't this manipulation?", some are of you are probably thinking. Well, yes. But is this a bad thing? You are helping people to access the emotions that will motivate them to solve their own problems. If they are to solve their problem (and solving that problem involves making a purchase), then they will do this sooner or later. By helping them with the process, you are helping them to get what they want.

How does one question then in such a persuasive manner? To effectively teach you this here would require about ten times as much space as I have already written. I can tell you a couple of things though. You probably question this way on only a rare occasion right now. Also, most of your questioning probably centers around getting factual information, that is what someone wants or doesn't want, what they have now, what they need, etc.

While useful to you, this information does not motivate your buyers. It helps you. But it does not really help your buyer. People bond with you, and want to buy from you when they believe you can help them get what they want. For this reason, too many sales calls end on a rather flat note.

Many people don't take their questioning to a deep enough level. This is why I created the Persuasive Questioning Techniques Sales Teleclass. I have been sharing these techniques with my personal one-on-one clients for the last couple of years, and I wanted to share these with more people.

In a live teleclass setting, I demonstrate precisely how this technique works. I role-play with you, and show you how to acquire this skill. You need to know what to do, and you need to practice it. It's not that difficult, but it does go against your nature a bit. I've seen great results in my clients success and my own business using these techniques.

© 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.

Shamus Brown is a Professional Sales Coach and former high-tech sales pro who began his career selling for IBM. Shamus has written more than 50 articles on selling and is the creator of the popular Persuasive Selling Skills CD Audio Program. You can read more of Shamus Brown's sales tips at http://Sales-Tips.industrialEGO.com/ and you can learn more about his persuasive sales skills training at http://www.Persuasive-Sales-Skills.com/

---

Overcoming the Fear of Selling

For many of you the Fear of Selling is a... Read More

Selling Is Not A Dirty Word

Selling--a word that strikes terror in writers and professionals. We... Read More

How to Generate Leads on the Internet

In the last decade, the Internet has become a major... Read More

Creating Your Perfect Pitch!

Why should you describe your business to others in 5... Read More

10 Important Things To Tell Your Prospects

Hello everyone, hope your day is going well! I know... Read More

Ten Top Tips for Terminating Telephone Terror

1. Make telephone callsFew things are more terrifying than the... Read More

How Improve Conversion Rates

Do you know your conversion rates? Conversion rate is the... Read More

Your Profit is in Your Follow-up: A System for Increased Sales Conversion

No matter what you sell--products, services, or causes--one of the... Read More

Creating More Effective Proposals

The need for good proposals - the business kind, not... Read More

Make Your Trade Show Booth Popular

So, you are taking your products and heading to a... Read More

9 Packaging Problems That Lose Sales

You have a great product, but it's not flying off... Read More

How to Buy Wholesale Store Fixtures for Your Business

It may sound funny, but honestly, if you're opening up... Read More

How to Revive a Dead Lead

It's easy to spend days, weeks, or months speaking with... Read More

Closing Sales Is Not A Problem, It?s A Process

In my opinion, the most overrated topic in sales training... Read More

Selling Commodities

"How do you create a perceived value to differentiate yourself... Read More

Dont Be Macho Selling Ice to Eskimos

This issue's topic was suggested by a sales rep for... Read More

Dropped Jaw Syndrome, Your Fastest, Most Reliable Market Test

Business owners should be more like doctors.Forget selling and start... Read More

Selling the Difficult: How to Sell What People Dont Understand How to Buy

I'll play a seller, using conventional selling methods, selling something... Read More

10 Amazing Product Selling Formulas

1. Sell your products at a wholesale price to retail... Read More

Female Mannequins: An Overview

Female mannequins are very common in clothing stores. They are... Read More

Increasing Short and Long Term Profits

"I was at your site for all of two minutes... Read More

Are You Scaring Your Customers Away?

"Hello, is (pause) puh-TREE-shuh home?"So started my weekend lesson in... Read More

Create a Magic Connection with Clients, Leads, and Business Associates Part II

Part I of this article explored how strategies of Neuro-Linguistic... Read More

6 Steps on How to Install Confidence Into Your Clients

What methods can we use to install confidence into your... Read More

Going Back To Get Ahead

Have you ever run DOWN an escalator that was going... Read More

What Should I Charge?

People ask me, "What should I charge?"I say, "Ask your... Read More

Chicken Little And The Disintermediation Myth

If Chicken Little were alive today he wouldn't be running... Read More

Selling Your Business ? Step by Step Process

So it's finally come time to sell the business. After... Read More

Before They buy What You Say - 10 Steps To Selling Yourself

You are the productWe're all in the selling business whether... Read More

Looong and Boooring Sales Letters

You have all seen them,the sales letters that never ends.... Read More

An Introduction to Store Fixtures

Everybody is familiar with the old retail chant, "Location, location,... Read More

Save Your Breath: How To Sell In Trade Shows Without Pitching

You stand there, in front of your great presentation material,... Read More

Ten FAST Ways to Sell Your Products

Always give a reason for the sale for credibility. 1.... Read More