You are on the first sales call and a prospect starts the conversation with, "So, what can you do for me?"

How do you respond without presuming to know what this person needs? You may have been taught not to start blathering on about all of your product's features and benefits, or not to "spill your candy in the lobby." And because this rule makes sense in some situations, you might answer something like: "That's a good question, but at this point, I'm really not sure." "Would it be OK if I first ask you a few questions to get a better sense of situation, then I can share with you some aspects of my products that might be relevant to you?"

What's wrong with this example? The response appears to be a "textbook" example of reversing -- answering a question with a question. But there is one problem with the example: Reversing is a technique best used for gathering information, getting clarification, and finding out the "real" question or the intent of a question; it's not intended to be used as a way to avoid answering questions.

In the above example, the prospect's question is truly "what can you do for me?" and even the best-executed reverse can leave a prospect feeling manipulated. After all, they've asked a question, didn't get an answer and the question was deflected.

"Reversing" isn't always necessary and it's often appropriate to answer a prospect's general questions. We should answer a question when it can help us, or it can't hurt us to do so.

So, why do some salespeople avoid giving any direct answers and feel compelled to "reverse" every question? They're afraid that every question is a trap and fear that by answering them they'll give a prospect a reason not to do business with them.

A safe and effective way for salespeople to answer the "what can you do for me?" question is to share examples of how similar companies have come to you, the problems they came with, and how you have resolved them. You can then follow with a question like: "Does this sound like the situation you're in?" and find out if your third-party story struck a nerve. This approach creates little risk of "un-selling" the prospect because even if you haven't hit a nerve, you now have a productive conversation going and you can ask them what challenges they face with the use (or non-use) of your kind of product or service.

While this approach won't always perfectly answer the prospect's question, at least the prospect won't feel like you avoided or deflected the question. In the worst case, the prospect might think that you didn't understand the question. In the best case, your response provides the prospect with some "food for thought" to help them to begin to discover how your product or service could help them.

Here is an example of how I might respond in my business to the "What can you do for me?" question posed by a prospect:

"That's a good question, well, my clients come to me when they've gotten sick of giving elaborate presentations to prospects that just can't seem to make a decision, or they are frustrated having 'prospects' use their proposal as a stick to beat down the price of their current supplier.

"They're thrilled when we help them develop and implement different selling approaches to avoid falling into those traps, and they achieve new higher levels of sales performance. I don't suppose your salespeople have to regularly deal with these kinds of traps, too?"

In this example, sales training (my product) is described in terms of the problems it addresses, or the problems it helps someone avoid. Using this third-party example confirms in the prospect's mind that you have a "real" product that someone else is willing to pay for, and lets you brag about your product using the more credible voice of your customers.

And finally, asking if the prospect can relate to your customer's situations puts the ball back in their court and changes the interaction from a one-sided inquisition to a conversation.

So, the next time someone asks you what you do or how you can help, don't be afraid to: Answer with a third-party (customer success) story.

2010 Marr Professional Development Corporation

Joe Marr is a public speaker, sales and management consultant and trainer, and runs the Sandler Sales Institute at 501 Avis Drive in Ann Arbor. To reach him call: (734)821-4830 or visit his website at: www.sandlerannarbor.com