Magic Sales Words

Last week we told you about the first of sales trainer Renee Walkup's three favorite sales words: "oh."

Here's the second word that Walkup says will help you make sales: "tell."

Here's how she suggests you use it in selling situations:

Let's say you need to find out about the decision-making process from your customer says Walkup. In the past, your qualifying may have sounded like this:

Who makes the decision?

When is the decision going to be made?

How much is your team planning on investing in this?

What usually occurs when you meet to discuss the purchase?

Why don't I show up here to make a more formal presentation when your group meets?

Now, replace these five questions with one excellent "tell" question:

Frank, tell me about the decision-making process.

Then be quiet. Frank is now going to have to tell you a story of how the process will take place, who is involved, when they'll meet and the rest. You get more value for your intelligent qualifying and in the meantime, your customer sees you as a bright, experienced, and confident sales professional he can trust.

Give "tell" a sales workout this week.

Renee Walkup is president of SalesPEAK Inc. and author of "Selling to Anyone Over the Phone."