Customers lie because there is an underlying fear issue. A perceived lack of safety breeds fear. A lack of safety is due to a lack of trust. We don’t tend to lie to people in safe environments, nor do we lie to people whom we trust. There are three main ways that salespeople can increase trust, thus increasing safety, thus increasing honesty.

Asking the wrong questions will get you the wrong answers. Asking the right questions, can help you to get to know your customer better and make the sale. The most important thing that you can learn when you’re trying to sell anything, is not what the customer is moving to, but what the customer is coming from.

Most salespeople simply do not question in a strategic way. They don’t plan the questions that they want to ask during the sales presentation.

As a sales practitioner for 30 years, and having taught sales techniques to thousands of people on multiple continents, I have witnessed some great presentations and a whole lot of horrible ones. Let me address a series of very popular questions that are, in fact, NOT the most important in sales (although one would think so given their popularity among salespeople).

In sales. there will certainly be situations where the buying consideration comes to a halt and your prospects walk away. Which raises the question: How do you reengage prospects after some amount of time has passed?

Want to really stand out from all the other salespeople out there? Try doing what others aren’t: sending video follow-up messages. Regardless of what industry you’re in, you have a product or service whose features or results are visually appealing.

Why are we so resistant to follow up? What is it about this extremely important habit that’s so off-putting? What makes us reticent to do that which is in our best interest AND in the best interest of our customer? And what do we do to fix it?!

What’s an effective voicemail? It’s one that your customer will actually respond to. What an idea! I do think it’s appropriate to leave a voicemail as long as you’re doing it properly, which is what we’re going to talk about next.

In a society that cherishes and rewards speed, texting is an awesome tool. We can send and receive information in the blink of an eye. We can stay visible with a single emoticon. We can confirm an appointment with a single tap. We can make someone smile with a well-picked GIF. So, the question is asked: to text or not to text as a means of following up with a prospect?

Too many salespeople choose the communication method based upon their own personal comfort levels, rather than the most effective tool for the job. Are you selecting your follow-up medium based on what is easy for you or what is effective for your prospect?