Establish a Safe and Neutral Environment

Key Message: The foundation of any successful sale is phone number list customer’s willingness to share opposing opinions Most of the time the dialogue ends when the customer says “I need to think about it”, and often that is not the case

How to do that?

You can create this safe and neutral environment by asking certain questions and disclosing something about yourself so that it feels natural for your what services do seo consultants offer? to share similar information about themselves It’s how people are wired If you just bombard the customer with questions, it will feel more like an interrogation than a pleasant, normal conversation

I often kick things off by introducing myself and always sharing something personal to show vulnerability You get what you give in sales, as in life You need to be open so customers can be open about their situation as well

For example, I recently started at SparkReceipt

AI-powered pre-accounting/expense tracker for freelancers), so mobile lead introduction to an important client might go something like this:

“Hi, to introduce myself, I’m Joel, living in Helsinki with my spouse and our one-year-old boy I like to golf and cycle in my spare time, and I’m a very enthusiastic music lover I must say, I’m not an expert with this product and company yet I just started and am still learning I just wanted to say this if you wonder why I might not have all the answers to your questions But that’s about me, tell me a bit about yourself—I’d love to hear how you ended up being a freelancer”

Now that I’ve shared something personal about myself, it feels natural for the customer to do the same And you can ask questions and it feels normal

3 Set Ground Rules for Honest Communication

Key Message: Agree on rules that encourage honesty and transparency from the start

You need to get the most honest opinions from your customers Before diving into the specifics of your product or service, establish a mutual understanding that honesty is key If a client says they need time to think, it often means they have reservations they’re not voicing Address this directly by saying:

“I’m not here to push you into anything I’m genuinely interested in your thoughts on our product If something doesn’t feel right, I want to hear about it Would you agree to be upfront with me, so we don’t waste each other’s time? How would you feel about this?”

To prevent ghosting after the first meetings, I often say:

“I always keep my promises, so if I promise to deliver something or answer a question, I’ll do so within the agreed timeline How does this sound to you? If we move forward, would you promise to do the same for me?

This is very important so you don’t get ghosted

It is better to get a No than not hearing honest opinions and ending up with another round of meetings with a customer who is not buying  You can also refer back to this verbal agreement in the future

You can then conclude with:

“I’m just interested in your thoughts, and I won’t take them personally, so you can criticize our product as much as you want Does that sound okay to you?”

Often in sales, honest or opposing opinions are not heard, which makes it difficult to have a meaningful dialogue Why is that? Everybody knows the pattern in sales meetings when you try to criticize something or tell an opposite opinion, the salesperson argues back without even listening That is the key reason we fail in sales

4 Ask the Right Questions to Focus the Conversation

Now that you’ve created a space where the customer feels safe to share their honest thoughts, you can proceed As said, negotiation stalls when the customer is not disclosing their true issues By spending time building rapport in the beginning, customers won’t be afraid that you’re just selling instead of listening

The next step is to ask a ton of questions to determine if your solution is ideal for the customer These questions help bring the topic to the forefront of the customer’s mind When moving toward the demo, the customer must feel that this topic is relevant and important to them Without this pre-work, you risk losing the customer’s attention during the demo, leaving you essentially presenting to a brick wall.

5 Conduct a Meaningful Demo and Close with Confidence

After the demo, it’s natural to ask:

1. How did you like it?
2. What got you excited? What didn’t?
3. How and when are you making the decision?
4. How would you like to move forward?