The biggest sales mistake many women make is describing their product or service before clarifying the prospect’s situation. You have a real opportunity to turn every introduction into a sale by presenting five quick pieces of information in the right order. 

This is how it should go: 

5-Step Introduction to Jump Start a Sale

1. Discuss the prospect’s situation, problems, frustrations and/or goals. Here I’m not talking about asking questions. YOU lead the conversation about the prospects situation, from your perspective, knowing what you know about your target market. For example, when someone asks me what I do, I say, “I’ve noticed that women-business owners struggle to find new clients.” 
   
   
2. Talk about your outcomes and results. Here I say, “I work with women to help them gain new strategic customers.”
   
   
3. Ask them to tell you about their business, focusing on the area that your product or service supports. For example, if you have a trade show company, you’d ask them about their involvement in trade shows. In my case, I ask how they gain new customers and what their perfect customer looks like.
   
   
4. Tell a story that demonstrates how you help businesses like theirs. Here I tell a story about a client who had been struggling but gained new clients since working with me. The closer my example is to their business need, the better. Note that I don’t discuss HOW I work with clients. I just tell a story about a woman who had a problem like they have and the results she achieved by working with me.
   
   
5. Offer to follow up with them to share ideas to help with their problem.