“Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.”
A useful rule of thumb for persuasive presentations is that you should listen twice as much as you speak. A compliment coupled with a question is a good way to start. The compliment gives the customer an opportunity to talk about themselves. It also establishes a dialog vs a monologue which is one of the most frequent mistakes salespeople make: talking too much. The sample creates the emotion. The choices give the other person a chance to say yes. When you ask a yes or no question, there's nowhere to go when they say no. Create choices that give a client a chance to say yes and the chance of success goes up dramatically.
Ask only open-ended questions. Tell me about…? What, when, how and why?
Recognize that the first question a buyer asks is a buying signal
Close page-by-page and Concept-by-Concept
Sell the product line completely.
Listen and overcome major objections, dismissing minor ones. Objections represent a request for more information. Agree with them and say “Yes, I understand how you feel, we hear that sometimes from customers,” then overcome that particular objection.
Keep asking questions. Use emotional intelligence to know when the customer wants to move on. Listen much more than you talk. You know your product and now you are learning about their problem. Ask questions to determine the buyer's wants, needs and goals. Use Tell me about, e.g., "What your plans are for...?" when asking questions. All questions should be open-ended. Avoid closed questions that result in a "Yes" or "No" response. Walk the customer to the sales floor during the discussion. Take the buyer out of their element and bring them into yours.
Talking to your coach. This skill is about using questions to open up a relaxed conversation and learn about the top one or two problems you client has and how your product can help. Using your own measure of success, once a day or throughout the work day tell your coach why you have—or haven’t—been curious and asked the questions that worked. Your coach will ask questions you designed to help you master the habit.
Curiosity, according to Ian Leslie(link is external), is a combination of intelligence, persistence, and hunger for novelty, all wrapped up in one.
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