For now, we can create one simple rule that is the foundation of successful salesmanship, the reason why selling is

from that of every other human being; happiness will be relative to him. His resources (time, energy, knowledge and property) are limited; so he must choose constantly between the many alternative courses of action he sees. And he does this by placing values on everything he sees. These values lead him to prefer one thing more than another.

If the secret of selling is to appeal to this prospect’s motivation, your first task must be to find out what that motivation is.

Unless you can demonstrate to others that your service is in their self-interest, they are not going to give up their resources to you.

You’ll have to develop the questions yourself – based upon your industry, your product and your market. But to give you an idea of the kinds of questions that are useful, here are a number of examples. These are questions you would ask the prospect, organized by the type of product being sold. Read all the examples, no matter what the nature of

Second, you’re expressing an interest in his business – a genuine interest.

ever buys a product.

Now take another look at the people around you. Do they take on a new light in view of what we’ve just recognized? Each one of these human beings is seeking his own happiness – and he is doing it in a way that is uniquely his own. He seeks to live his life as he want it. He is not living for you – or for me – but for himself. But they are the keys

any sales interview should be to discover the prospect’s motivation.