I hear it over and over in the pit and on recorded calls. The client asks for one answer, and the salesperson gives two (sometimes three or four).
Oftentimes, this happens with rookie reps that don’t know what to say, so they end up saying everything. But it also happens with veteran reps that get lazy and loose-lipped.
Example #1:
Prospect: “I’ll get everything set up today, right?”
Wrong answer: “That’s right. And I’ll also give you the number to our customer support team so you can reach them anytime just in case you have any questions. And I’ll also be available in case our customer support team doesn’t answer.”
Right answer: “That’s right.”
Example #2:
Prospect: “How much does it cost to get started?”
Wrong answer: “Well, it’s $99 per month. But it used to be $120 per month and you had to pay for the whole year. Now we make it way more affordable and you can pay monthly.”
Right answer: “It’s $99 per month.”
There are two main problems with answering unasked questions:
- Overtalking – prospect gets bored
- Overexplaining – prospect gets confused
When the salesperson volunteers answers to unasked questions, it opens up a can of worms. This invites the prospect to think of questions that they previously weren’t worried about. It over-complicates the sale and increases the chances that you’ll get the “Let me think about it” objection when you ask for the sale.
The client already has enough questions on their mind: What if I can’t cancel? What if it doesn’t work? What if this is a scam? What if my business fails?
We don’t want to add even more questions to that mix.
Prospects buy when they understand. They buy when they feel that all their questions have been answered. So we want to answer all the questions that they have, but not one more.
The only exception to this rule is at specific parts of the pitch when you are selling value.
Example #3:
Prospect: “What about this feature?”
Salesperson: That actually solves for the specific pain point you mentioned earlier. Here’s how it works … [the salesperson can be a little long-winded here because it’s a very important part of the pitch].
But after showing value in the main parts of the pitch, especially during the closing part of the call—less is more. Keep your answers brief and don’t answer unasked questions.