BY DAVID GEE

How you attract customers , build relationships , drive referrals , and get results requires a new set of skills , a new depth of motivation , and a strong dose of resilience to deal with constant disruption .

We all know boat buyers have changed how they buy . So doesn ’ t it stand to reason that boat builders and dealers need to change how you sell ? Assumptions and axioms once held to be universally true need to be reassessed . And sales skills need to be updated and realigned to meet the new journey and expectations .

Out with the old , in with the new

Today the most successful salespeople aren ’ t engaged in solution selling or consultative selling . They ’ re engaged in problem finding . And when done well , it elevates the salesperson from product peddler to trusted advisor .

For several thousand years , or so , there has been relative scarcity around a particular product or service until a salesperson entered the scene to provide information and nurture a sales process . That is no longer the case .

Facts and information have never been so widely available and easily accessible . The internet , social media , and now A . I . have ushered in yet another new paradigm .

In a matter of minutes , a prospect or customer can know all about you , your company , your products and services , your pricing , your competitors , and what people are saying about you .

That ’ s why today ’ s prospects and customers don ’ t just enter at the top of the funnel ; instead , they come in at any stage . Furthermore , they often jump stages , stay in a stage indefinitely , or move back and forth between them .

As a result , the last thing our audiences need from a salesperson is a bunch of product features and specs . And besides , that ’ s not the way our brains are wired to make a decision anyway .

You can ’ t reason your way to a sale . That ’ s because reasons lead to conclusions , while emotions lead to actions . And every single decision we make , including every buying decision certainly , is rooted in – and driven by – emotion .

Problem finding process

So how do you ensure this problem finding process is taking place ? By using sales techniques informed by neuroscience and human psychology . Precise , strategic questions asked at just the right time that take the prospect or customer through a discovery process .

Your role is to first help the prospect identify what problems they have in their lives . As a problem finder , the prospect will come to trust you . They don ’ t want to be told what they need . They want to be asked – and heard .

It meets the prospect or customer where they are by understanding their goals , intentions and needs through a series of questions such as the ones below .

How long have you been considering ( fill in the blank )? What about us attracted your attention ? What other brands attracted your attention

- and why ? What are you hoping for today ? Is this what you have in mind ? Can you see this as a solution to what you want and need ?

“ Salespeople who have learned what are called neuro , emotional , persuasion questions will naturally deliver well above a buyer ' s expectations because their dialogue will uncover pertinent you can ' t reason your way to a sale . That ' s because reasons lead to conclusions , while emotions lead to actions . and every single decison we make ... is rooted in – and driven by – emotion .

problems the prospect is not even aware of ,” says acclaimed sales trainer Jeremy Miner who authored Neuro-emotional Persuasion Questions ( NEPQ ). “ That ' s called problem finding .”

And it means listening more than talking , as in 60 % -80 % of the time .

When I go to car shows and boat shows and trade shows I am always astonished at how onesided many sales interactions and conversations are . The prospect or customer wants to participate ! And you need them to .

Salespeople often get overly focused on their own specific objectives and outcomes when instead they should all be laser focused on the objectives and outcomes of our prospects and customers .

Think about truly helping people instead of just completing a transaction . And you just might find more people feeling “ emotionally compelled ” to become a buyer .

David Gee is a professional keynote speaker and consultant and the former editor-in-chief of Boating Industry . He also hosts Boating Industry Insider podcast .

14 february 2024 www . boatingindustry . com