So What

How would you like a new tool that will increase your sales by 20% immediately – guaranteed! Okay, here it is. Go get a green marker pen, and on the palm of your left hand (make sure it is your left palm) write: “So What®” in big green letters. I know this sounds silly, but it is one of the most powerful sales performance enhancements available today.

Here is how it works in action. When you go into a client’s office and begin your pitch by talking about how great your company is, how long you’ve been in business, and how superior your product is, stop and look down at your hand. “So What!®” I hate to tell you this, but in most cases your client does not really care about how great you are, they care only about how great you can make them. Every client, whether out loud or in his or her mind, is saying this question to you the entire time you are talking. “So What?®”

What is in it for their business? How can you help solve their problems? How will your product or service give them a competitive advantage? What are you going to do for them?

As a professional trainer I have coached literally thousand of sales call role-plays. In the vast majority the rep spent 80-90% of the time talking about their company, their product and themselves, with little or no consideration to the “So What®” question. If you want to be significantly more successful, find out specifically what your client wants to buy first – then later you can tailor your presentation to exactly meet their clearly stated needs and desires. How do you do this? By asking excellent questions, and practicing highly-focused, active listening.

For example, I’ve had many sales people ask this standard question at the beginning of a sales call role-play: “Could you tell me a little about your business?” My reply is always a very brief and ambiguous answer, revealing little if anything that will help them to sell me. Instead, try phrasing the question in such a way as to subtly direct the answer and get the client doing the majority of the talking. A better question might be; “Bob, in order for me to help you, I’d like to ask you to take the next five or ten minutes to share with me, in as much detail as possible, everything you think I should know about your business and the challenges you are currently facing?” Then sit back, shut up, listen and take notes. If you have done you homework, and demonstrated a good baseline of knowledge about your client’s company before you ask this question, chances are you will learn an amazing amount of pertinent selling information. Good questions are pure gold and the “So What®” question is platinum.

By the way, the reason I tell you to write it on your left hand and not your right is, when you get a little nervous and start sweating and then shake hands with the client, you don’t want them to look down at their hand and read, “tahW oS.” This may hinder your chances of closing the deal.