What Your Customer Is REALLY Thinking During a Sales Call
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Brooke Greening:
Scott Greening: There are two conversations happening in every sales call: the one that you're having, and then the one that's going on in your customer's head, and the interesting part is that buying decision is always made in the half that you never hear.
Brooke Greening: That's exactly what the SERVICE framework helps you to prepare for, and we have been doing this all along.
And we're so focused on what we're saying that we are completely missing what's going on on the other side, and especially the types of questions that they're having inside of their head. And when we miss 50% of the conversation, it's going to be really hard to close sales.
So even if you have a referral, everybody is just, like, geared up if they think it's going to be a sales conversation. And so you have to realize that is what everyone is thinking.
Scott Greening: the first problem is almost never the reason that people will actually buy from you.
Brooke Greening: But it needs to be all about the client. It literally needs to be about them, not about me, not about how many people I've been able to help, not about how great I am and how much their ROI is coming back to them.
That is not where I'm doing this at, and we need to remember that. They are not wondering, "Hey, have you helped this, solve this problem for 100 other people?" No. They are really trying to figure out, "Can you solve my problem?"
Scott Greening: hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Sippin' Matcha and Helping You Make More Sales. I'm Scott, your host, and I'll be joined by Brooke, our resident sales expert. And while you enjoy your coffee or matcha break, she gives us some great advice on how to help our sales conversations. Because if you have to talk to people to make sales, how well you lead those conversations is going to make or break your revenue.
And Brooke, today we are talking about, uh, this other half of the conversation, and this is an experience that we all have in life, whether it's sales conversations or not. Often when you're, like, married and have a family and business, a great example is, like, when we have occasional disagreements with one another.
And that, that happened last week a little bit.
Brooke Greening: Oh, my word, we had a banner of a week last week. But yes, that, that did happen last week.
Scott Greening: Yeah, it didn't make probably our top 20 weeks of- ... of marriage, but it's all good. And but what happens is, like, there's two, maybe three conversations that are happening, right?
So there's the conversation, the words that are being spoken, and then there's the conversation that's happening in my head, and there's the conversation that's happening in your head.
Brooke Greening: Yes.
Scott Greening: And
Brooke Greening: then- And we have the other expectations that are coming in as well. And so even though we're talking to each other, it is not clearly communicated-
Scott Greening: Yeah
Brooke Greening: to be able to be all on the same page and move things forward.
Scott Greening: Yeah, and truth and trust and moving things forward, even within- Mm ... an awesome, loving relationship like ours- ... like, happens when we uncover some of those unspoken things. And that's- Yeah ... definitely happening in sales conversations.
So Brooke, we've spent the last 21 episodes walking through the SERVICE sales framework, and we've talked about tactics, we've talked about what not to do, we've talked about why each part of it is really important.
And we could sort of like finish things off just by recapping and reviewing that, and that's sort of what we're doing. But really we're trying to get to this idea that there's something bigger that is connecting all of this. there's another conversation that's happening.
Brooke Greening: Yeah. And the reality is that a lot of times we're so focused on, well, what do we say next?
Like, as the person leading the sales conversation, what do I say next? How do I respond to this? And we're so focused on what we're saying that we are completely missing what's going on on the other side, and especially the types of questions that they're having inside of their head. And when we miss 50% of the conversation, it's going to be really hard to close sales.
On top of, that is where the buying decision is made. It's being made in the part of the conversation we can't even hear. And so you have to learn how to listen for that. And that's where the sales framework comes into play because it gives you this framework, these guardrails. It's not a script. It's helping you to give space to be able to, one, learn how to listen for what they're thinking and feeling, and also how to be able to continue to guide that conversation without talking the whole entire time
Scott Greening: Yeah. And we've talked all along, we've re- used words like authentic and all of that but basically we're saying the framework isn't designed to make you sound robotic.
Brooke Greening: Mm-hmm.
Scott Greening: It's not just a checklist to go through
Brooke Greening: No, it should be absolutely the opposite. The framework is giving you enough structure to be able to be present.
We hear hey, we always need to be able to buy people from who we know, we like, and we trust. And I don't disagree with that, but you can't have it both ways. You can't say, "Hey, I'm trying to cr- I'm trying to have this relationship where they know, like, and trust me, but I'm not leading a conversation that is resulting in those pieces," especially the trust aspect of it.
Scott Greening: Yeah, and the, the structure gives you the freedom to listen so that you can be known, so they can like you, so they can trust you, and you can do the same for the potential customer.
Brooke Greening: Right.
Scott Greening: So I think our strategy today is we're going to go through the seven parts of the framework, and it's kind of going to be like rapid fire, and I want you to highlight, I'll remind the people what the different parts are, um, but I want you to kind of highlight what are the questions, what are the internal monologue thoughts that people are having?
And obviously, this is based on, like, your 90,000 sales conversations and your master's in counseling and that type of thing, so you sort of have a unique experience of-
Brooke Greening: Yep
Scott Greening: ... uncovering this. are you ready? Let's, let's-
Brooke Greening: I'm ready. Let's
Scott Greening: go. Let's go. So the first one is the set expectations, the S, and that's where we let the customer know what's happening so that they can relax and engage.
So at the beginning of a sales conversation, what is our potential client or customer thinking about that they're not saying yet?
Brooke Greening: Yeah. The big one is they're just trying to figure out, like, what is going to happen. Are we going to end up having... Like, are you going to pitch at me? Do I have to get on another call to try to find out what the investment is?
How long is this going to take? Are you able to help me? But the biggest piece in this exact moment, and why we tell you to set the expectations, is 'cause they're literally trying to figure out, how is this conversation going to go? And if they don't know, walls are going to start going up. And I just want to encourage you that sometimes people will push back a little bit and they'll be like, "Oh, no, no, I understand that, but that's like for a cold call.
I have referrals." They still have those questions. I can't tell you how many times I have helped people, and they haven't necessarily paid me. I'm just trying to be helpful, supportive, whatever. And then if they think, and they're good friends of mine, if they think we're going to go into a sales conversation, then they start getting nervous.
So even if you have a referral, everybody is just, like, geared up if they think it's going to be a sales conversation. And so you have to realize that is what everyone is thinking. And then absolutely, if they don't know you very much, they are absolutely on the train of, what is going to happen in this conversation?
W- what are we going to be doing? What are we going to be talking about? That's literally what they're gearing up for
Scott Greening: Yeah, and the, the good news is when we set the expectations, like, people can... They listen differently. They'll be more receptive-
Brooke Greening: Mm-hmm
Scott Greening: ... to having the conversation when they know what to expect.
And then when they can engage they'll feel safe to do that, and, and- Yeah ... they need to do that. So the next one then is establish rapport. That's the E. That's where we create connection and relevance to the customer's business, not necessarily small talk. We're creating connection relevance to the customer's business quickly.
So we've set the expectations. What are they thinking now?
Brooke Greening: The biggest one that they're beginning to think is, do they understand me? Like, is this, can I trust them? One, they're trying to figure out can I trust them? Are they going to be honest with me? But then two, they're trying to figure out do they understand me and what's happening?
Even before we've even talked about the problems, they are now in that mindset of, "Oh, okay, well, I can now know what this conversation is going to be." So now the walls are starting to come down. Now their questions are starting to be, are they going to understand me? Do they understand my business? And so just as a little pro tip, if you start things out like, "Hey, tell me about your business," that clearly tells them you don't.
You have no idea who they are. You have no idea what they're doing, and that is not a good way to establish rapport. You need to be able to do some homework, and we talk about that in our other episodes, but it's just really important in this moment. Those questions that are going through their head is do they understand me?
Are they going to be able to help me? And am I trusting them enough to get ready to start talking about my problems or the things that I need? And they may not think these things exactly word by word, but it is either happening consciously or subconsciously, but this the track of where their mind is going.
Scott Greening: Yeah, and so at the beginning stages of the conversation, you're, you're wanting to create enough connection where people can feel comfortable telling you the truth.
Brooke Greening: Yes
Scott Greening: Not just what is polite or the expected at that. So the, the next step is recognizing the problem, the R. That's we're discovering the customer's true motivations and desires for buying.
So this is a big s- part where we talked a lot about the internal conversation and that. Remind us what's supposed to be part of it
Brooke Greening: So in this regard, we are trying to understand what is that problem that's driving and motivating them to be able to buy, to be making this buying decision? And so the thoughts that are beginning to go into their head as we've been doing this correctly in regards to setting expectations, establishing rapport, now they're starting to think, "Okay, well, I'm really frustrated with having to deal with this problem.
I've worked with somebody else, and it didn't work." That's a huge one, where they may not even share that with you, but you just need to know that if they're talking to you, then something has probably gone on. Either the person they have worked with before is moving on or it didn't work. Something is causing them to have the conversation.
And so we need to realize these are the types of things that are going on in their head. "Can I trust them to be able to help me with this? Is this going to be just like last time where I spend a bunch of money and I don't get what I need back in return?" These are the types of things that are happening.
And if they've talked to a competitor, they already have in regards to what's happening with the conversation they've had with the competitor as they're getting ready to talk to you. And they're trying to remember also what's happening with the competitor 'cause they're going to start comparing really quickly
Scott Greening: Yeah, and I, the, I think the key that we shared before, and that is that the first problem is almost never the reason that people will actually buy from you. And what you're trying to do is uncover what's underneath. Yeah. So then once we've done that, we move on- Yeah ... to verbalizing the value, and this is how we connect how we help, how you help with the problem that the potential customer just shared.
So what, what are the p- the people have heard it, you've uncovered, you've built trust, they've shared what you think is the real problem. How do you share what you do?
Brooke Greening: Yeah. This is where it's now our turn to be able to talk, but we still need to be understanding that they have questions going on in their head.
So recognizing the problem is the most important thing, 'cause if you get the problem wrong, everything is going to start falling apart. You can go listen to those episodes to know how do you do that, how do you know if you've been doing that correctly. But when we are at this point and we said, "Okay, yeah, we have recognized the real problem that's happening," then
we want to be able to verbalize that. And what they're beginning to think is if they've trusted you enough to be able to truly share what's driving and motivating them, those underlying problems, not that first problem, but the ones that are keeping them up at night. If they're sharing those with you, these are now the thoughts that they're going to have.
Can they help me? How is this going to work? What does this investment look like? Now they care if you can help them. I just want to encourage you, so many times we think they're trying to figure out, can you help me, in the very first, like, two minutes of the conversation. But they're not. Because if they don't trust you, they're not going to have those thoughts.
It has to follow this flow in regards to, okay, now I'm trusting you enough. I've shared something with you that I need help in or support in, and now I'm beginning to wonder, can you help me?
Scott Greening: Yeah, and I think the, the key there is words like me and my. So people are- ... wondering okay, I get that you help people generally, or you've helped other people.
Are you going to help me?
Brooke Greening: Yes. And this is where it's not where we want to be sharing with a bunch of other examples of how we've helped other clients.
because they don't
care. And I know I'm probably stepping on toes, and I know there are sales trainings out there where they're like, "And share this, and share this, and share this."
I am not saying there is not a time for that, but in this regard when we are trying to verbalize our value, I just, I have this, like, '90s worship song in my head where it's like, "It's all about you, Jesus." not talking about Jesus in this moment. But it needs to be all about the client. It literally needs to be about them, not about me, not about how many people I've been able to help, not about how great I am and how much their ROI is coming back to them.
That is not where I'm doing this at, and we need to remember that. They are not wondering, "Hey, have you helped this, solve this problem for 100 other people?" No. They are really trying to figure out, "Can you solve my problem?"
Scott Greening: Yeah.
Brooke Greening: And that
is what we want you to focus on
Scott Greening: Yep. And so if you're playing Sippin' Matcha and Helping You Make More Sales- bingo. Just, we've talked about family drama. You can check that box off, and then now we've made a reference to- ... late '90s worship music. So you're well on your way to bingo. All right. And the next letter is I-
Brooke Greening: Mm-hmm
Scott Greening: ... identify objection. Understanding what's stopping your customers from buying right now.
Brooke Greening: Mm-hmm.
Scott Greening: Uh, we talked about actually asking for the objections. What, why is that important? What is, what are our potential customers thinking about when we get to this part of the conversation?
Brooke Greening: Because everybody has an objection. Everybody has objections. And if you want to argue with me, I'll be like, "If, did they buy from you?"
'Cause if they didn't buy from you, in that moment there is an objection. And it doesn't have to be a bad one, but the reason it's so important to, to know this, and we talk about how to be able to ask for objections, how to be able to walk through that, all of those in our previous episodes, you have to understand that they have objections.
So they're literally thinking of the objections in this moment. They're trying to figure out, "Okay, can I do this investment?" They're trying to figure out, "Is this a good idea?" They're trying to figure out, "Is this the right time?" They're trying to figure out all of these things. They have these different objections because now we're not just talking theoretically about how you helped other people.
We're talking about how I can help you, and so when we talk in that way, then they are beginning to think, "Okay, well then, what does that mean for me, and what are the objections that I have?" Before we start moving forward. So they have objections going around in their head. That is literally what they have.
It's too expensive. I'm trying to figure things out. I'm not sure exactly how this works. I have a couple of questions. Some of these things were unclear. I don't know about what my business partner is going to think about this. Like, all of these I'm going on vacation. Is this a good time to start?
These are the things that are going on in their head at this point. and you cannot just skip past this
Scott Greening: Yeah. And sometimes, like you said, like, they're, it's not always bad. So-
Brooke Greening: No ...
Scott Greening: they, if they're thinking about "I need to get my business partner, or my spouse's input," or whatever- Mm-hmm ... that's a, actually may be a good sign because they're like, "I think this is going to help.
I think I want to buy, I just gotta get the right people on board," um- Mm-hmm ... in that. So we're, objections aren't bad. They're information. No, not
Brooke Greening: at all. Mm-hmm.
Scott Greening: And customers need to know that it's safe to share them.
Brooke Greening: Yes. Yes.
100%.
Scott Greening: That takes us then to the urgency. So the C is create urgency. We're motivating action with direction and hope.
We- we're heading towards the end of the sales conversation. We've identified the problem, we've verbalized the value, we've talked about the objections. Now, what are people thinking?
Brooke Greening: Okay, now they're trying to figure out, "Well, what does this mean? When can we start doing this?" Now they want to know, like, the details of how this is all going to come together.
And I want to share with you, this is why we don't create urgency if, in regards with the handling the objections and verbalizing the value, that has not happened yet. In a lot of sales training, they're always like, "Well, you gotta create the urgency," and they use it to try to convince them to move forward.
No, no, no, no, no. We do not do this unless we know this is, we are moving forward. They want to move forward. These are now the things that they're thinking about. When is this going to happen? How can this happen? What do I need to do? Those are the types of things that are coming into play,
and that is, we only bring urgency into the sales conversation when we know they're wanting to be able to move forward.
And I, that is a big distinction, because a lot of people just use urgency to try to manipulate or try to convince them that they need to buy. We don't use urgency until we know that it's going to benefit them, and now we're going to help them know how we can start to do this sooner rather than later. Yeah, I- And it, it serves them.
Scott Greening: Yeah, and for some people, they just, they may be thinking like, "Okay, this is great. I know I need to do this, but-
Brooke Greening: Mm-hmm
Scott Greening: ... do I need to do it right now?" And-
Brooke Greening: Mm-hmm
Scott Greening: ... we're saying, like, "Here are some great reasons why," not in an unethical way, not in a, like, just cutthroat, make a sale at any cost way. But there's legitimate-
Brooke Greening: No
Scott Greening: reasons why, for direction and hope, and accomplishing what they've been talking about now might be the great time.
Brooke Greening: And we would've uncovered those things when we were actually recognizing the problems and verbalizing the value. So you're not winging it. You're not trying to come up with, like- Urgency that might mean- Yeah
something to them. Yeah. It's directly connected to what we've just uncovered.
Scott Greening: All right, so then that brings us to the last part of the framework, E- Mm-hmm ... explain next steps. We're ensuring that our customer knows exactly what to do next. Mm-hmm. Th- this is the rubbers meet the road. There's going to-
there's going to be a contract, there's going to be a next step, there's going to be a sale- Yeah ... there's, what is the customer thinking at that point?
Brooke Greening: At this point they're like, "Please make this easy for me. Please." There are so many things that are going on, like I said, subconsciously or consciously, that is literally the thought that's happening at that point.
Because we've gone through, and they're like, "Yes I am doing this. I would like to do this." We're not meaning that we're signing the contract right then and there on the call. You can, depending on what it is that you're offering. But we want to make the next step incredibly easy for them to say yes to and for them to get excited about.
Because that's literally where they're at at this point. They're just like, "Okay, so how... I really hope I don't have to get onto another call. I really hope we don't have to, like, draw this out. I really hope we can just keep moving things forward." Those are the things that they're thinking about.
Because we, and we'll talk about this in a little bit, but by the time someone is talking to you and having a c- sales conversation with you, that is a big buying signal. A long time ago it might not have been, because they might have had to talk to you to get information. They don't have to do that anymore.
They can pretty much find whatever they want, wherever they need to, about you, and if they can't, then they're not going to have a conversation with you. So if they're having a conversation with you, they're usually not tire-kicking. There is something that's going on. And so this is where we want to make it just incredibly easy for them to be able to move forward.
So really the only thought at this point is they're just like, "All right, I hope we can get this taken care of- ... and I hope it doesn't take forever."
Scott Greening: Yeah, they just need to know who's doing what, how do we do this, what's, what happens, and, and- Yeah ... let's make it as simple as possible.
So Brooke, the, the SERVICE sales framework isn't meant to be a checklist of seven boxes that you just tick off as you go through the conversation.
Brooke Greening: No, it's not meant to be a checklist, and if you use it as a checklist, then we're missing the point. The framework is helping you to know where you're at in the conversation.
So it's doing two things. It's helping you know where you're at in the conversation, and it's giving the potential client the freedom to be able
to share.
It helps you to be able to listen to, okay, where did they hesitate? When did they start changing their tone? What's exciting them? What were they answering really carefully when I asked that question?
That's the type of thing that it's allowing you to be able to do. If you just use it as a checklist, you're missing the whole point.
Scott Greening: Yeah, and I, I think it's helpful. The framework helps you, helps me, so that you can know what to do next so that you can pay attention to what your customer actually needs next.
Brooke Greening: Yes, absolutely. And I think a lot of people assume becoming better at sales means being more persuasive, and the, I don't think that's it at all. At all. I think that's really bad advice, actually. I think you need to be more curious. I think you need to be more present.
and then when you're able to do that, then we can guide the conversation. And that's the goal, to help them, to guide them to a decision that is going to benefit them and you.
Scott Greening: All right. So thinking about the SERVICE sales framework as a whole, you've been helping by having people sort of reflect and ask themselves questions along the way. If we're going to do the whole thing, what should people be asking questions of themselves at this point?
Brooke Greening: Yeah. If I could only ask you one question for your sales call, I would just ask, who are you paying attention to? Are you paying more attention to yourself and what you're saying and what your next line is and what your deliverables are, or are you paying attention to your potential client, what they're saying and what they're not saying? That is the biggest difference between having like a pitch and actually having a real conversation that's going to build trust that can result in more sales.
Scott Greening: Yeah. So we're asking like, are we more worried about what we're saying or more worried about- Mm-hmm ... listening to what our customer is saying or maybe not saying as they have this conversation?
Brooke Greening: Because if you're still spending most of your energy trying to remember what you're supposed to say there is probably a gap going on in your sales process and that's exactly the kind of thing I love being able to help people work
Scott Greening: All right, everyone. We've found out this reality today that the buying decision happens in the convers- the half of the conversation that you may not even be hearing or listening to. And the reality is, is if you're not hearing your customer right, you're probably not saying the right things, and it's hard to correct that all by yourself.
And that's where Brooke, with her 90,000 sales conversations, her master's in counseling, is so good at helping you know how to have these conversations in a better way. So if you're ready to start making more revenue with your sales conversations, I encourage you to schedule a call with Brooke. You can set that up at a time that works with your schedule at buildingmomentum.info/meet.
And if you're ready to start making money, give Brooke a call
All right, Brooke we've made it to the end.
Brooke Greening: Yay.
Scott Greening: We've done it. It's a celebration. I know you'll be having an extra matcha- ... to mark this momentous occasion. What's s- kind of your parting wisdom for us?
Brooke Greening: I want you guys to remember that sales is a conversation. It's not a performance. It's not a pitch.
It's having a conversation, and our SERVICE framework allows you to be able to have a great conversation, where you're able to lead it but not talk the whole entire time, and guide them to be able to make a buying decision. That is what I want you guys to remember.
Scott Greening: Yeah, and your SERVICE sales framework helps us do exactly this.
While this is the end of this extended series that we've done, this is not the end of the Sippin' & Matcha and Helping You Make More Sales podcast. So we're actually headed in a neat direction, ex- one that we're excited about. Things are changing. There's so much information that's available on the internet and through AI that customers can find out about us, and we need to think through as service-provided businesses, like, how does that impact the sales conversation?
And so we're going to talk about that for another five episodes or so in the future, and headed that direction. If you want to listen to these conversations, be part of it, we encourage you to like, to subscribe. Leave a review, would be awesome. You can find all the, the links and how to do that at buildingmomentum.info/matcha.
That's the home base for this podcast, and we hope you'll check it out. So until then, we hope you make some great sales.
Brooke Greening: Bye-bye.
