The Power of Dialogue in Sales Calls

Some people think we’re all born for specific purposes in life. Out on the farm, you’ll hear phrases like “farming is in my blood” or “I can’t imagine doing anything else.” For salespeople, they’re blessed with unique gifts, too. Their skin is thick enough to take the bumps and bruises from hearing “no thank you” day in and day out. They have the ability to connect with people, tell great stories and fill a room with conversation. But if you think salespeople are born with these skills, you’d be wrong. Like any other skill, it takes experience, practice and a lot of failures to get really good at selling. Have you ever heard someone say that salespeople talk too much? Research over the years has actually supported this idea and showed:¹

Techniques for fostering meaningful dialogue

Embrace uncomfortable silence – Usually in a sales call, there’s an opportunity to deliver your company or product message. Let’s say you have 10-15 minutes of points you want to make. How you deliver those points matters in terms of getting into a dialogue with the customer or prospect. You could use the “spray and pray” method and talk for 10-15 minutes, hoping at least one point sticks as the farmer’s eyes glaze over. Or you could talk for just 30 seconds. Deliver your main message, supported by three points, and pause. Don’t say a word. The silence will be uncomfortable, but within a second or two, the farmer will respond in some way. Possibly commenting on one of your points, which tells you what they’re interested in. Then you can continue explaining the point in more detail. The main idea is to provide an opportunity for the farmer to become part of the discussion and home in on what they want to know.

Use a balance of ask vs. tell assertiveness – Tell assertiveness happens when you make a direct statement without soliciting feedback. For instance, a police officer may rely more on tell assertiveness, using phrases like “hands behind your back” or “license and registration please.” In a sales call, tell assertiveness works well when you first start delivering your company or product message. Or when there really isn’t any need to engage the farmer as part of the response, like on simple questions of event dates, price, programs, etc. Ask assertiveness actively engages the other person to get their opinion. For instance, a customer says, “I’ve heard that I can get the same soybeans I’m buying from you for $10 cheaper down the road…is that true?” This is the perfect time to use ask assertiveness, because you likely don’t have all the details and may not know what the farmer thinks about it. So, you might ask, “Do you really think that’s true?” The next exchange should give you the information you need to have some good dialogue with the farmer. You might learn that they don’t even believe that, and you can move on to a different discussion point. Or it may provide you the opportunity to set the record straight and explain what they get when they buy soybeans from you. Regardless, the farmer feels heard, valued and more likely to remember the conversation since they were part of it rather than being a passive listener. This backand- forth dialogue will also create the opportunity for the customer to ask you questions, which you can then use as a way to present them with further information.

And remember, if you get questions you can’t answer, it’s perfectly okay to say, “I don’t know. That’s a good question. Let me find out.” After all, the customer certainly doesn’t expect you to know everything. They won’t find it surprising if you need to check on something to answer their questions. The benefit? If you’re honest with them — especially when it doesn’t make you look good or benefit you — your customers will become more likely to side with and feel agreeable toward you, to trust you. They’ll understand that you ultimately have their interests at heart, which encourages a strong relationship.

Ask more open-ended questions – Anyone with kids knows the results you get when asking open-ended questions vs. closedended ones. “What did you do today?” has a much better chance at getting into a dilogue than “Did you have a good day?” Closed-ended questions likely get answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” However, when a question takes an open-ended form, it becomes an invitation for the other person to speak at length and share details. “Did your seed treatments work well this season?” could instead become, “What type of early season disease and insect pressure did you face this season?” The information shared in the response allows for a deeper discussion and more tailored and relevant product recommendations. It takes thought and practice to think about how to ask good questions. But take notice of the difference and richness of the conversation in your next sales call. Small changes in phrasing questions can yield big results.

Will every sales call go perfectly with these techniques? Probably not. It’s selling, after all. But the opportunity exists to create deeper and stronger relationships through the use of dialogue. Customers tend to feel more valued and heard when they become part of the conversation. Give it a try and see what you think.

¹ Gong.IO (67,000 Meetings/Calls).

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