Right on Target Hit the mark with prospective customers by learning how to find their hot buttons.

Wouldn't it be great if every prospective customer you hadcame right out and said "Here's what's most importantto my company--and here's what I need your product to do forme"? That would definitely increase your closing ratio.Usually, however, discovering a customer's hot buttonsisn't quite that simple.

A hot button is anything that's of major importance to aprospective buyer. To one customer, it might be timely delivery; toanother, it might be making a stronger marketing impact. If youapproached both of those prospects with the same pitch orpresentation, you'd surely miss the mark on one or the other(and maybe even both). That's why you need to seek out everycustomer's key needs and tailor your presentations accordingly.Here are a few ways to make that happen:

1. Get a conversationgoing. Ask prospects to give you a general overview of theirindustries. When they get to a point that might relate to yourproduct or service, say, "What do you mean by that?" or"Can you give me an example?" It's the old icebergtechnique: You're constantly trying to find out what'sunderneath the surface that's really causing problems for them.You do that by getting your prospects to open up so you can uncovertheir biggest challenges. You might not be able to solve all theirproblems, but there will probably be some key issues your productor service can address.