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One salesperson at the bank closed a $2.7 million piece of investment management business two days after the training. The salesperson had identified the customer's situation in the pre-workshop assignment and created the call plan during the workshop. Scribner says he uses Socratic Selling himself when he's working with internal colleagues and is consulting with a manager about what kind of training should be provided. He supplements the information in the project's specs by asking questions that clearly establish what the objective is, why it's important and other critical facts.
Typically, in the beginning of a sales call the salesperson does most of the talking. The salesperson doesn't actively engage the customer or prospect. In the Socratic Selling process you begin with what is called the Socratic Opener, or how you move beyond the small talk to engage the customer in the business part of the meeting. You share how you're prepared to discuss the topic the customer expressed interest in but you first want to learn what's most critical in regards to the topic for the customer right now because you want to make the best use of the customer's time. Here, as in all stages of the Socratic Selling process, the star of the show is the customer, not the salesperson or the offering.
When you let the customer begin this part of the meeting you'll zero in on the customer's current concerns, which may not be the same as they were during your last conversation. You'll show you're prepared to talk about what is most relevant to the customer. You'll also demonstrate that you recognize these concerns and care about them, understand the customer's way of thinking, and value the customer's time. You'll begin building the trust that's essential for making the sale.
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