A discussion about sales, sales tips and advice, and about those who land the deal

That's the assertion by Kelley Robertson, from Robertson Training Group.  He specializes in training specialty retailers to be more effective sales professionals.

In a recent SalesDog newsletter, he talks about the tried-and-true technique of "If I could...would you?" selling, which is a strategy that's been used for years.

He says its worn-out, and here's why:

"What if you were a buyer who heard one of these lines? Would you feel compelled to buy from that person? I highly doubt it. Manipulative selling techniques are seldom effective when it comes to dealing with customer objections and they really have no place in the world of professional selling. Even though it is an old and tired approach, I encounter salespeople who think that the "What if" method of overcoming objections is still effective.

The real key is to address your prospect's objections during the sales process. This means asking the right questions early in the sales process and positioning your product, service, or solution so that you answer their objections before they express them.

It is fair to say that many people will have objections about buying your product and the most effective way to get past this is to uncover what their true concerns are before you start talking about your solution. This means that you need to invest time asking questions to learn more about their particular situation. It really does not matter what you sell; this is a critical aspect of successful selling.

You need to ask high-quality questions that make your customer or prospect think. This may sound easy but in reality, it is actually very difficult because thought-provoking question are tough to ask. Many salespeople perceive these types of questions as personal and often think that their customers and prospects will not be willing to respond to them. What is important to remember is that most business people, especially senior executives ask tough questions, and as a result, have little or no hesitation in responding. In fact, their level of respect for you will increase when you pose challenging questions. I am not suggesting that you challenge your prospect; I am simply recommending that you learn to ask high-level questions.

One of the challenges salespeople have in asking these types of questions is that they can not always anticipate the answer which means they do not have an immediate response available. But that is not the objective. Your goal is to find out what problems your prospect is facing. Then, assuming your product or service can help them, you can position your solution more effectively."

I tend to agree with Mr. Robertson on this one.  There might be a place to use it from time to time with the right individual, but as a general rule I think it isn't effective.