21 Transfer of Ownership

Always think in terms of what the other person wants.

—James Van Fleet

Have you ever applied for a job and done so well in the interview

that the hiring manager started to sell himself on your

qualities instead of making you sell yourself to him? Maybe it

began when you expressed a reservation:

You: “I’m not sure I’m right for this job, Mr. Smith.

You say you’re looking for an aggressive salesperson.

I like to go after new business, and I like

getting a good margin for my sales. But I believe

in working with customers to find solutions that

will really benefit them. That’s especially true

when I call at higher levels of an organization.”

Mr. Smith: “But Susan, that’s exactly what I want! When I

said `aggressive,’ I didn’t mean . . . . “

That’s what “transfer of ownership” looks like in a job interview.

If Mr. Smith starts telling you why you’re the right

person for the position instead of vice versa, a powerful shift

has occurred. When the same thing happens in a sales call,

you are knocking their socks off.

There is no cool brochure or terrific PowerPoint presentation

that can compare with the beauty of it. When prospects

begin to sell themselves, they are imagining all the things they

can do with what you are selling. And their imaginations are

more relevant, if not more active, than yours.

Common Problem

When prospects are selling themselves on the product, the

salesperson usually is trying to sell too. The prospect is asking

questions and listening for answers. That’s good. But this

causes stress and pressure for most salespeople. They feel like

Mount St. Helens ready to explode. They have to get a word

in—a sales pitch, something, anything about their company or

one more feature of their product. They just have to do a little

spewing . . . er, selling.

What’s the right thing to do instead? For Pete’s sake, let

them sell themselves! Switch roles. You are no longer playing

the tuba, trying to be the loudest instrument in the orchestra.

You have become the conductor. So conduct. Answer the

questions. Direct the cold call toward the next step in the sales

process.

The $64,000 question is, how do you get to a point in a

cold call where prospects will start selling themselves? Here

are two tools that will help.

Ask Questions

You have heard it a thousand times. Here it is for the 1,001st.

The best salespeople learn how to ask questions that get

prospects involved. They do this instead of “selling” in a manner

that has the salesperson doing all the talking and the buyer

doing all the listening.

You already know how the “selling” approach works:

Heck, if prospects only understood your product or service as

well as you do, they would rave about it, just like you do. But

because they don’t know enough to appreciate its glory, you’re

going to tell them as much as they’ll sit still for. And don’t

leave a single feature off the table, because, hey, you never

know what might grab them.

That’s the wrong way. The right way is to ask questions.

When you do, use a structured approach. We recommend one

called Ask/Tell/Ask:

_ Ask prospects what they need right now. What is important

to them at this moment? What is it they really

would like to have to make their jobs or lives easier, or

better, or more complete? (Remember, you’re now in

the middle of the call. They know you sell apples.

They aren’t going to tell you they want pumpkins, motorcycles,

or trips to the moon.)

_ Tell them you have heard them by paraphrasing what

they said. Just let them know what you have understood;

don’t tell them what you and your company can

do for them.

_ Ask: If they had a solution in hand, what would it

look like? What would they do with it? How would

they be using it right now?

TIP: To transfer ownership and get prospects to sell

themselves on a product, ask questions. Great

questions begin with Who, What, Where, Why,

When, or How. These magical questions are openended.

They can’t be answered with a yes or no.

They cause the prospect to think. This is good. If

they are thinking; they usually will think of questions

to ask you.

Two-Way Solution Box

We described a solution box in Chapter 11. The best way—in

fact, the only way—to construct a solution box is to make it a

two-way project.

Imagine that you and the prospect are building something

together: a bridge, a ball field, a car, a house. You are combining

your resources to obtain a desired end. Naturally, both parties

will wind up with responsibility for certain tasks that

must be accomplished to reach the final objective. But who’s

objective is it? The prospect’s. That’s the focus. When building

a solution box, there is no need to focus on your solution—

not if you want to transfer ownership to the buyer.

Sam coached a Pop Warner football team that

needed a field on which to practice and play. The

high school field the team had been using would no

longer be available.

Sam was in charge of finding a new facility. He

approached another high school that was convenient

to most of his players. He offered quite a bit of

money to let his son’s team use the field.

“Considering how badly we already need a

new field, we really don’t want anyone else chewing

it up, so thanks but no thanks,” said the principal,

declining the offer.

Far from being discouraged, Sam saw an opportunity

and jumped on it. He got donors lined up

and worked with the school and community to refurbish

the football field. The job was done in six

months. The local newspaper ran a story on the new

field. The story talked about what a wonderful job

the school’s boosters had done and how happy everyone

was about the project.

Not a word was mentioned about Pop Warner

football or the fact that Sam had been responsible

for raising almost 95 percent of the money. That’s

because Pop Warner football was not in the

school’s solution box. The school’s solution box was

full of needs to get a new field built by August, in

time for its football team, soccer teams, and band

to begin the fall season. And by golly, they made it!

But oddly enough, the field opened on the date

when the Pop Warner team needed it..

Now, the donors and the people at the school

knew perfectly well that Sam’s personal interest had

to do with his own team. But Sam focused on the

school’s needs. The school, of course, focused on its

own needs as well. That created a two-way solution

box. Pop Warner football was strictly an after-

thought, as far as the school was concerned. But

Sam got exactly what he wanted out of the deal.

And without his “selfish” interest in Pop Warner football,

the high school would not have a new field.

Focus on the prospect’s goals and objectives. Find a solution

to the prospect’s problems. Make sure everyone knows

what’s in it for both sides, but keep the emphasis on the

prospect. That’s how you transfer ownership.

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Always think in terms of what the other person wants.

—James Van Fleet

Have you ever applied for a job and done so well in the interview

that the hiring manager started to sell himself on your

qualities instead of making you sell yourself to him? Maybe it

began when you expressed a reservation:

You: “I’m not sure I’m right for this job, Mr. Smith.

You say you’re looking for an aggressive salesperson.

I like to go after new business, and I like

getting a good margin for my sales. But I believe

in working with customers to find solutions that

will really benefit them. That’s especially true

when I call at higher levels of an organization.”

Mr. Smith: “But Susan, that’s exactly what I want! When I

said `aggressive,’ I didn’t mean . . . . “

That’s what “transfer of ownership” looks like in a job interview.

If Mr. Smith starts telling you why you’re the right

person for the position instead of vice versa, a powerful shift

has occurred. When the same thing happens in a sales call,

you are knocking their socks off.

There is no cool brochure or terrific PowerPoint presentation

that can compare with the beauty of it. When prospects

begin to sell themselves, they are imagining all the things they

can do with what you are selling. And their imaginations are

more relevant, if not more active, than yours.

Common Problem

When prospects are selling themselves on the product, the

salesperson usually is trying to sell too. The prospect is asking

questions and listening for answers. That’s good. But this

causes stress and pressure for most salespeople. They feel like

Mount St. Helens ready to explode. They have to get a word

in—a sales pitch, something, anything about their company or

one more feature of their product. They just have to do a little

spewing . . . er, selling.

What’s the right thing to do instead? For Pete’s sake, let

them sell themselves! Switch roles. You are no longer playing

the tuba, trying to be the loudest instrument in the orchestra.

You have become the conductor. So conduct. Answer the

questions. Direct the cold call toward the next step in the sales

process.

The $64,000 question is, how do you get to a point in a

cold call where prospects will start selling themselves? Here

are two tools that will help.

Ask Questions

You have heard it a thousand times. Here it is for the 1,001st.

The best salespeople learn how to ask questions that get

prospects involved. They do this instead of “selling” in a manner

that has the salesperson doing all the talking and the buyer

doing all the listening.

You already know how the “selling” approach works:

Heck, if prospects only understood your product or service as

well as you do, they would rave about it, just like you do. But

because they don’t know enough to appreciate its glory, you’re

going to tell them as much as they’ll sit still for. And don’t

leave a single feature off the table, because, hey, you never

know what might grab them.

That’s the wrong way. The right way is to ask questions.

When you do, use a structured approach. We recommend one

called Ask/Tell/Ask:

_ Ask prospects what they need right now. What is important

to them at this moment? What is it they really

would like to have to make their jobs or lives easier, or

better, or more complete? (Remember, you’re now in

the middle of the call. They know you sell apples.

They aren’t going to tell you they want pumpkins, motorcycles,

or trips to the moon.)

_ Tell them you have heard them by paraphrasing what

they said. Just let them know what you have understood;

don’t tell them what you and your company can

do for them.

_ Ask: If they had a solution in hand, what would it

look like? What would they do with it? How would

they be using it right now?

TIP: To transfer ownership and get prospects to sell

themselves on a product, ask questions. Great

questions begin with Who, What, Where, Why,

When, or How. These magical questions are openended.

They can’t be answered with a yes or no.

They cause the prospect to think. This is good. If

they are thinking; they usually will think of questions

to ask you.

Two-Way Solution Box

We described a solution box in Chapter 11. The best way—in

fact, the only way—to construct a solution box is to make it a

two-way project.

Imagine that you and the prospect are building something

together: a bridge, a ball field, a car, a house. You are combining

your resources to obtain a desired end. Naturally, both parties

will wind up with responsibility for certain tasks that

must be accomplished to reach the final objective. But who’s

objective is it? The prospect’s. That’s the focus. When building

a solution box, there is no need to focus on your solution—

not if you want to transfer ownership to the buyer.

Sam coached a Pop Warner football team that

needed a field on which to practice and play. The

high school field the team had been using would no

longer be available.

Sam was in charge of finding a new facility. He

approached another high school that was convenient

to most of his players. He offered quite a bit of

money to let his son’s team use the field.

“Considering how badly we already need a

new field, we really don’t want anyone else chewing

it up, so thanks but no thanks,” said the principal,

declining the offer.

Far from being discouraged, Sam saw an opportunity

and jumped on it. He got donors lined up

and worked with the school and community to refurbish

the football field. The job was done in six

months. The local newspaper ran a story on the new

field. The story talked about what a wonderful job

the school’s boosters had done and how happy everyone

was about the project.

Not a word was mentioned about Pop Warner

football or the fact that Sam had been responsible

for raising almost 95 percent of the money. That’s

because Pop Warner football was not in the

school’s solution box. The school’s solution box was

full of needs to get a new field built by August, in

time for its football team, soccer teams, and band

to begin the fall season. And by golly, they made it!

But oddly enough, the field opened on the date

when the Pop Warner team needed it..

Now, the donors and the people at the school

knew perfectly well that Sam’s personal interest had

to do with his own team. But Sam focused on the

school’s needs. The school, of course, focused on its

own needs as well. That created a two-way solution

box. Pop Warner football was strictly an after-

thought, as far as the school was concerned. But

Sam got exactly what he wanted out of the deal.

And without his “selfish” interest in Pop Warner football,

the high school would not have a new field.

Focus on the prospect’s goals and objectives. Find a solution

to the prospect’s problems. Make sure everyone knows

what’s in it for both sides, but keep the emphasis on the

prospect. That’s how you transfer ownership.

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