Caring is Sharing
As consultants in direct sales, you are frequently coached to look for opportunities to share your product or service with all you meet. The common advice you’re given during basic training classes is that “caring is sharing.”
Awkward Sharing
It’s exciting to know you have the perfect solution to another’s problem. For example, during a conversation while checking out at the grocery store, a door may open:
New Acquaintance holding a bag of chocolates: “I should buy celery and skip the chocolate.” She laughs while patting her ample belly. “I’d like to drop 20 pounds before my birthday next month.”
You: “I have a product that’s helped me lose 30 pounds. I’d love to share it with you. I’m sure it could help you lose weight and feel great while you’re doing it. It costs X dollars, and you can order it at my web site.”
This type of sharing can make your new acquaintance uncomfortable and even worse, wondering how to politely say “no” in order to escape from the awkward situation you have created.
There’s a way to feel more comfortable sharing your product or service. There’s a way to make discussing your products more comfortable and intriguing for your potential client. There’s a way to turn more new contacts into clients and greatly increase your total sales. You can help your new contacts see you as a friend and consultant rather than a sales person.
Be Brave
In your daily life, you’ll bump into people who would be a great fit for your product. Conversations can start at stores, community events, and even at the dentist’s office. A person may express a need during casual conversations. Before you pounce on the golden opportunity to sell your product, be brave and patient enough to ask a few questions first.
Ask Questions—As Easy As 1-2-3
- “What have you used or are you using now to achieve your goal?”
If you jump right into promoting a product, it can make your contact feel like your primary goal is to make the sale. She feels her needs are secondary and this becomes a classic sales conversation. Also, she may feel like she hasn’t tried hard enough or doesn’t have enough will power because she’s failed to accomplish her goal.
- “How well did it assist you in accomplishing your health goal?”
Make sure you ask an open-ended question. Say: “How well did it work…?” instead of “Did it work…?” If you ask a yes or no question, she may say “yes” not knowing that there is something that would better meet their needs.
- “May I tell you about a product that I’ve found has worked for others with your health goals? Then you can decide if it’s a good fit for you.”
“May I tell you…?” Asking permission to share with her will make both you and the potential client more comfortable.
“…worked for others with your health goals” tends to be more credible in the eyes and ears of a potential client rather than bragging about your personal successes. It feels like a third party is giving your product a five star rating.
“…you can decide if it’s a good fit for you.” Everyone wants to feel in control. When you tell her she can decide, it makes you sound both nicer and like a consultant instead of a sales person.
Asking Questions Will Build Bridges
The above three questions will help build a bridge between you and your future client that will allow you both to have a positive experience. By sharing your passion while focusing on your future client’s needs, you create a personal and professional relationship that serves both of you.
From now on any place you meet someone new, ask these three questions and your customer base will grow at a rapid rate while you feel more authentic and less like a sales person. You’ll enjoy the feeling of helping others accomplish their goals while at the same time be a more authentic changer of lives.
As Zig Ziglar said: “You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough people get what they want.”