Someone asked me a really interesting question recently. The query came from a sales professional who is brand new to the industry. Think for a moment about your own response to the following: “What is the single most important question in the entire sales conversation?” I’m curious as to your thoughts on that question. Perhaps I could persuade you to offer your response in the comment box below. Here was my response: “Why are you thinking about moving?” To me, the motivation question gives you the clues you need to really understand what is happening in the customer’s life. Before you can provide a solution you had better understand the problem. The motivation question tells you what you need to know. Your thoughts????

You may have seen the demonstration from a stage. A speaker shows you a large, empty jar. Next to the jar you see several containers with the following contents: large rocks, small rocks, sand, and water. The speaker pours the water into the large jar, then the sand, and then the small rocks. By the time he is done there is no room for the large rocks. Then he starts again with an empty jar. This time he puts the big rocks in first, then the small rocks, then the sand, then the water. And everything fits. The demonstration is designed, of course, to point out the importance of determining your most important priorities. When you are planning your week or your day you can begin with the big rocks first, before you fill the time with urgent but unimportant … Read More…