Ever considered that your best customers can still be prospects? If you've got something else to sell them, or you need to sell them again, you can't take it for granted that just because they've bought from you once, they'll do it again, no questions asked.

You've got to take them through some kind of sales cycle and treat them like prospects. They need woo-ing, romancing, nurturing, qualifying and questioning.

Came across this great story from a Christian website - they do a really inspiring and motivational ‘Word for Today'. It's a story that tells you the power of a well-worded question!

The story is told of a psychology student in the army who was given kitchen duty. He decided to test the response of different groups of soldiers to apricots.

First he took the negative approach: 'You don't want apricots, do you?' Ninety percent said no.

Then he tried the positive approach: 'You do want apricots, don't you?' Over half said yes.

With a third group he tried the either/or technique: 'Would you like one dish of apricots or two?'

In spite of the fact that most of them didn't like apricots, forty percent took two dishes and fifty percent took one dish.

Whether you're looking to increase your share of wallet (selling more to your existing customers or clients) or searching for your next piece of new business, the way you word your questions will influence the answers you get.

Most entrepreneurs and business professionals are not usually natural sales people. You are technically gifted, highly skilled at what you do and often pretty ‘people-oriented'. But selling is a different game altogether.

Action/Learning Points

• Word your questions carefully, especially when you've done your pitch and you're approaching the closing phase.
• When you add a negative ending to a sentence (don't you, won't you, wouldn't you, shouldn't you, couldn't you) you increase the likelihood of a positive answer.
• Offer two ‘yes' alternatives in an either/or situation to maximise the chances they'll go with you or buy that product.