information about his or her method of internal representation (primarily
visual, auditory, or kinesthetic processing?). Listen carefully for the sensory
indicators. The answer to this question is likely to give you the information
you are looking for. If the prospect answers is, “I would need to see a
detailed proposal with some alternatives,” the processing system is visual;
if the answer is, “It would have to sound right to me,” the prospect is
auditory; or the answer is, “I want the basement to be conformable,” then
the prospect is kinesthetic.
Pay close attention here and take notes. Your prospect is telling you
the standards you must meet to get the sale.
Bill:Have you used a home improvement contractor before? If, yes:
How did that work out?
The answer here provides useful information about the prospect’s thinking
and a useful lead-in for your next comments. Pay close attention to the
prospect. If the prospect had a good experience, then emphasize that he
or she will have a good experience using your service later on in the
presentation. If the prospect had a bad experience, probe further to find
out what happened. Use this description later to help the prospect
understand how you will handle it differently so the bad experience
won’t be repeated.
Bill:Have you considered doing this project yourself?
Bill has been burned by a do-it-yourselfer who took the ideas and design
Bill drew up and did the work himself. In general, it is useful for you to
learn about alternatives prospects have considered and discarded to
understand the precise nature of their needs and desires.
Bill:So I am not wasting your time, do you have financing available
for this investment?
Bill will spend an hour in travel time for this appointment and several
hours at the prospect’s house. This question is designed to discover how
serious the prospect is about renovating the basement. The good
connection Bill made with the prospect at the beginning facilitates
discussion of potentially sensitive issues like payment.
Prospect: How much will this cost?
Since you are paying close attention, you notice that the question has not
been answered yet. So answer the prospect’s question and then ask yours
again, in a different way.
Using the Five-Step Sales Map to Sell a Service 241