Stop Pitching!

"So when do I pitch then?"

This is a question I get asked a lot during training sessions, yet it's the wrong way of thinking.

If this is the mindset of a salesperson then it demonstrates they don't really care about their prospect's challenges. All they want to do is dive in with their pushy salesperson's hat on and product pitch.

A conversation with a prospective client should be just that - a seamless two way dialogue where you both work towards finding a win-win solution.

It should never be a case of asking questions (because this is what you've been told to do) then impatiently waiting for them to answer them so you can deliver your Mark Antony monologue.

Good questioning techniques should take you down paths of discovery you hadn't realised, making the conversation invaluable on both sides where you can really get a hold on what keeps your prospect awake at night.

Salespeople need to take their 'pitch' hat off and just talk to their prospective clients like a person with a problem that they can hopefully solve.