In my continuing series on the Sandler Rules, let’s talk about Sandler rule number five, “Never answer an unasked question.”
There are two reasons why you shouldn’t answer unasked questions:
1. Salespeople will give prospects information that does not help with the conversation, that was not asked, and that the prospect did not need to know. Some people believe that it is good to bring up all available information to a prospect, but that’s simply not true. Some information will not affect your business with the client, but by bringing it up it seems like you’ve been holding back information. This can lead to the sale falling apart. Don’t elaborate on something your prospect hasn’t asked. If they wanted to know more about a certain topic, they would have brought it up.
2. If the prospect doesn’t ask a question, what are you answering? It’s in our nature to provide answers, and we often do it when the prospect hides a question in a statement. For example, when I hear, “your price is too high”, I simply respond with “which means”. I stop talking and wait for their response. There are several ways to interpret that statement and I don’t know which way the prospect is thinking. So I ask him a question to gain clarity on what was meant. Answering the statement blindly could box me in a corner, potentially dooming the sale.
If you learn anything through this post, I hope it’s this: Don’t answer unasked questions and wait for them to ask the questions.
