It’s common for salespeople to research their prospects ahead of time before making a sales call and it’s natural to want to share that information during the call to appear knowledgeable about the prospect and their business. But oversharing during a sales pitch can often have the reverse effect we think it will.
Why Oversharing Can Hurt Your Sales Pitch
There are a number of reasons why a sales representative might overshare during a sales call. They might be trying to build rapport by showing authenticity or they simply might be hoping their collected data and information will make the conversation go more smoothly. But much like reciting back the details of someone’s LinkedIn profile or social media page, it can often have the opposite effect.
Prospects might not always realize or know about the information other companies can access about them and their operations. When sales reps overshare, they can sometimes make prospects feel uncomfortable and shut down the sales conversation before it even gets started. That’s why it’s so crucial to know what you should share, what you should keep to yourself, and what you should try to bring up during the conversation through expert steering.
Steering the Conversation
Instead of sharing what you know about a prospect outright, it’s helpful to steer the conversation toward the data or information you’ve collected and studied. This can help that information come up more naturally during the conversation and stop you from spooking the prospect.
Here are some tips to help you steer the conversation more naturally toward what you might already know:
Building rapport before jumping into any type of sales conversation can help the prospect feel more relaxed and comfortable. This can help them open up more during the conversation and feel like they can share information with you. Ask them about their business, how they feel it’s operating, and inquire about any projects or goals they’re hoping to accomplish. Show them you care about them and their objectives and that your company is there to support them in any way you can.
Ask Pointed Questions
Asking pointed questions can help you lead the conversation toward what you might already know. Using RigDig BI’s prospect profile, you can uncover a lot of information on potential customers, including what equipment they operate, where they operate, and if they prefer certain brands over others.
Knowing that, you could ask the prospect if they prefer to purchase or operate any particular brands and what they like about them, then follow-up with your sales pitch on the brands you sell and how the prospect can continue to benefit from them.
But keep in mind, the prospect might not always share everything you want them to. They might even share inaccurate information that contradicts what you know about them. If that occurs, it’s good to not push the prospect. Instead, focus the conversation on other possible pain points they might be experiencing and how you can help with them.
If you’re worried about coming up with questions on the fly, it can also help to write them down ahead of time. Look at the information you already know about your prospect and think of questions you could ask to bring up that information naturally in the conversation.
Ask Open-Ended Questions
Open-ended questions can help keep the conversation moving. Asking questions with short answers can disrupt the flow of the sales call and might even stop it in its tracks. When you ask questions that your prospects might need to think about or answer with more of a story, you can learn more information about them and their business.
You can also develop more ideas or questions on how to direct the conversation further. When asking open-ended questions, jot down notes or additional questions you think of based on their answers. This can help you steer the conversation even further later on in the call.
Use Example Situations
If your prospect is having trouble opening up about different situations or struggles, steer the conversation using examples. “We once had a client who had issues with X problem, and this is how our product helped them.” Fit the examples to the problems or challenges you know your prospect is facing and show them the ways your products or services can help.
In Conclusion
Gathering data and information about your prospects is still crucial to a successful sales call. It’s just about balancing what you already know with what you want to discuss during the sales conversation. Data products like RigDig BI offer in-depth analysis of equipment owners in America and can provide you with all the information you need to ensure the sales call is a success. But when using these services, it’s always helpful to build a rapport with your prospect and use pointed and open-ended questions to steer the conversation first before diving into your pitch.