Are you familiar with the sales drive-by?
Ellen and Eric decided to get their house reappraised for a potentially lower interest rate on a refinance of their home. The word “appraiser” sends chills up my spine. And then I recognized many salespeople make the same error of “assuming they know”.
Years ago, when we were in the process of getting a new loan for our home, we were told an appraiser would come by to give an approximate value for the amount of what we could potentially sell it for. Days later, we received a letter stating the value of the house was 50% less than what we paid although we made significant upgrades to the property. You can imagine how upset we were.
I went into the bank to straighten the matter out and indicated the appraiser never knocked on our door so I didn’t believe he was there. It turned out the appraiser sat in his car and “guessed” what was in the house and the backyard. What he failed to guess was that although the house was tiny and sat on the front sidewalk, it was not evident that we enjoyed a quarter acre lot with many fruit trees and outdoor recreation in the backyard. The infamous appraiser was then required to make a second appearance and get out of his car to do his job properly.
This story is shared because many job-seekers, entrepreneurs and businesspeople make a very similar error. Instead of asking questions of their prospects and clients, they assume they know everything. Even worse, when a client uses unknown terminology, the businessperson will not ask what is meant for fear of looking stupid.
Whether you are a job-seeker interviewing, an entrepreneur or a corporate salesperson, you must always ask questions to get the latest news from those with whom you are meeting. Your questions are your marketing-communication message that you care enough to ask. Questioning is the strategy that attracts more sales and opportunities. They differentiate you from everyone else establishing you as the leader and expert in your field.
Your questions transform into business development on auto pilot and you then enjoy a very Smooth Sale!
