The Q.U.I.E.T. Approach to Sales
In a recent LinkedIn post I pontificated about an epiphany I’d had regarding a new acronym and approach to sales.
Working a lot with introverts in the ag and engineering spaces, I’m always looking for ways to make approaching sales less scary and simpler for them. In doing so I like to use acronyms as tools for the various facets of growing & maintaining business. Not knowing how to start conversations is one of the most common pain points for my clients.
Early indications were that I may be on to a cracker; the Q.U.I.E.T approach to sales - in particular sales meetings. I put it out to my network and the resounding feedback was positive – positive enough to develop that thought further. The concept also resonated well when introduced at a couple of recent client workshops.
Post epiphany due diligence research revealed Zig Ziglar Corp used a quiet approach to objection handling, Susan Cain champions a quiet approach to introverted working and Christine Volden has written a book on her quiet selling method. But in terms of a simple sales framework the Q.U.I.E.T approach appears to have its place.
My Consultative Selling Method works well for those with some B2B sales experience looking to professionalise their approach. The Q.U.I.E.T approach to sales, and in particular client meetings, provides a simple “painless” framework for those brand new to sales and/or with introverted backgrounds.
Importantly, it remains anchored to my three guiding principles for those in sales:
Be you
Be real
Be a problem solver
So, what is the Q.U.I.E.T approach and how can you apply it?
Q = Question
Lead with intelligent, curious questions that relate to their business and their typical pain points; not your offering.
The problem solving approach necessitates knowing the typical problems your clients may be experiencing. Asking leading, open questions relative to those typical pain points is a great start. It indicates to the client you have an understanding of their world (or a desire to gain one), are interested and start rapport building – which over time leads to trust.
What, when, which, how open questions are a great start. If you are in the engineering space working with a construction client, a question like ”What project deadlines are you working too?” followed by “What do you anticipate being your biggest challenges to meeting those deadlines” would be a good start.
Clients don’t want to be greeted by a salesperson who can’t wait to vomit up their complete product list at their earliest convenience. Clients will however engage with someone who shows a genuine interest in them and their challenges. How do you find out what those challenges are? Simple - ask intelligent, curious questions.
U = Understand
Make sure you understand what your client is telling you and the context in their world. If not, ask them to explain it to you another way.
With conversation underway it is important to listen to hear, not reply. Listen to what your client is really saying and make sure you understand; understand their issues and how those issues are impacting on their world. Their productivity and profitability. Without this understanding you can’t clearly identify their problem and whether or not you can solve it.
Don’t fall into the trap of switching off to mentally compose your next question or slam dunk close after hearing what you think what you wanted to hear; as opposed to listening to what the client is telling you. Assuming it’s on topic, the more a client speaks the more they tell you – think about that for a moment. Generally we have two ears and one mouth for a reason.
It’s ok to not know or not understand what you are hearing initially. Just say so. Don’t bluff, you will get found out. Asking your client to help you truly understand again shows an interest and will go towards building trust and rapport. Finally, you do need to understand the issues. Understanding is the foundation for problem solving.
I = Inquisitive
Be inquisitive and dig deeper, really try to understand what they are trying to achieve and how their pain points are holding them back.
Ask deeper, sensible questions relating to their pain points so you are clear. Back to the engineering example, dig down to uncover what potential penalties your client is up against if they miss their deadline. Asking what other projects they need to get onto will start to uncover the value you can offer by solving their problems so they can get the job done.
Blinking words is a term I love, look for them. Blinking words can indicate there’s something deeper going on that some more insightful digging will uncover to reveal the true problem and hence opportunity. Simple example: you ask your client how productivity was for the previous month. They may respond “Not bad, would have been better without the downtime issues.” Downtime is the blinking word, your cue to empathetically ask something like “That sounds frustrating, what downtime issues in particular?” From there the opportunity is to get specific and identify your problem solving solution.
E = Empathetic
Genuinely empathise with their challenges and what a resolution would mean to them professionally & personally.
You don’t have to throw yourself at their feet clasping their hands in yours whilst wailing “You poor thing?!” but as indicated in the Inquisitive the example acknowledging the situation and implications will go a long way. The correct response is not to jump up and down exclaiming something like ”Oh goody, I’ve got something I can sell you to fix that!”
Reflect back to your client what you have heard to confirm your understanding of the challenges they face and the implications. Back to our engineering example:
“So, if you can’t get this project underway on time you will be hit with both penalties and billing delays?” An acknowledgement of that could be “I can understand why you are concerned, with that impact on cashflow & scheduling and not least challenging for you personally.”
T = Think
Pause to think about you can help them, what the positive impact would be on their business and how to articulate that in their language. It harks back the old, but still valid Features, Advantages, Benefits approach; our thing has this (Feature) will do this for you (Advantage) which will allow you to (Benefit)
Think back to the engineering example;
“So, if we can have those plans to you and consented by the end of the month you’ll be able to meet your completion deadline, billing milestone and get that next project started ahead of time – is that correct?”
This way you can focus on the value your problem solving solution will bring, not so much the cost. In the case of the example, spending more on an engineering service that allows them to get paid on time and avoid penalties is more attractive than a cheaper one that doesn’t.
The underlying theme throughout this framework is the need to listen. In order to listen you need to be Q.U.I.E.T. It seems such a simple concept, but then so often the good ones are a validation in itself.
To learn more about how your team could adopt the Q.U.I.E.T approach to sales, give me a call or flick me an email here.