Why Not Just Ask The Question?
I often tell people….
“I’m in sales, so I will always ask the question. The worst they can say is no”.
Although this logic may come across as a little generic and obvious, are you guilty of not asking a question because you think you already know the answer?
Some key situations where I have asked questions and had positive results include:
- Receiving referrals from current customers that would turn in to new business
- Offering other products that resulted in unexpected add-on sales
- In the mattress business, I would ask that my products be moved to higher visibility areas of stores to increase exposure
A couple of “fun ones” include:
- I have about a 95% success rate of returning products outside the return policy time frame and/or without a receipt
- I rented a beer sales representative a vehicle many years ago, and asked if I could sample some of his product upon return of the car. I was more joking than anything. To my surprise, he brought me back a case of beer on a Friday of a long weekend.
Two events happened recently that got me thinking about this topic again:
- I went to pick up 3 pizzas and new the restaurant owner quite well. I said, “Oh is it buy 2 get 1 free night?” He laughed and said “yeah right”. As I was about to walk away with my order he put a free order of garlic bread on top
- I was out for lunch with friends, and one of the guys got married over Christmas. The owner of the restaurant knew him, and when he walked over to say greet us, I mentioned the recent nuptials and how his meal show be free. It was a total joke, but the owner ended up taking care of his meal.
So what does this all mean?
The real “ah-ha” moment as I reflected back on these events was….
I planted the seeds to get the results that I wanted.
If I had not taken the time to ask questions with confidence and in a casual way, I would have never achieved the desired results.
When you are in sales, you need to get used to hearing the word “NO”. That is an occupational hazard of this line of work. If you can’t handle the rejection you are in the wrong industry. But a few tweaks to your mindset like I have illustrated can give you more positive results than you ever imagined.
So next time you are predicting a “NO” why not just ask anyways for the fun of it?
You may like the answer!
Posted on October 3, 2013, in Sales, Success and tagged Asking questions, Blogging, Confidence, Negotiations, Rejection, Sales Tips, Selling, Wordpress. Bookmark the permalink. 9 Comments.
Sell, Lead, Succeed! 
Great post, Tim. Reminds me of the line I heard once: “Never deny a person their right to say No.”
Hey Broc! Love that line. I think I will write it down. The answer may be “no” but at least you asked. Great point.
Simply brilliant Timmy, Love it! And knowing you personally, I can add that your infectious smile probably had a lot to do with your success. Rock on my friend.
Thanks buddy! The smile never hurts. It is part of my “All-That-Is-Tim-Mushey” strategy! Chat soon.
Excellent suggestion and examples, Tim!
It’s so true, regardless of your prior experience or current feelings about the situation, you can never be truly certain of someone’s answer until you ask them the question… I hope your post will inspire sales professionals (especially experienced ones) to continue asking, just in case 😉
Hey Robyn! Nice to see you here. It never hurts to ask. The answer may surprise you. I am optimistic that the post will inspire others. If even one person gets a response that they were not expecting that is a good thing. Stay well..
So very true. Some times the greatest and most surprising opportunities present themselves, just by asking. Great post Tim!
Thanks Chris! If you don’t ask, you will never know 🙂
Tim, interesting post. I have even done the same thing in department stores and hotels, and have gotten better prices. Some may call it negotiating. People are amazed, but when you do it in a light hearted manner, and have nothing to lose, why not?