I've been listening to a lot of sales rep's recordings these days while I prepare for some custom inside sales training seminars, and I can't tell you how bad I feel for so many of you! I mean, over and over I hear these reps get manhandled by their prospects. I'm sure many of you know what I mean.

A prospect will call in and start asking questions, and suddenly you've lost all control of the call, you're completely at the mercy of the prospect, and after about 5 minutes, they've drained you of all the information they need and they then leave you like an old used car abandoned in the desert. Feels pretty bad, doesn't it?

Well, here's the good news: it doesn't have to be that way! In fact, by using this one technique, you can immediately answer their question, qualify them, and take control of the call. The technique? Simply ask them a question after you answer theirs. Goes like this:

Prospect: "So how much does that cost?"

You: "Just $449. Is that what you were looking to spend today?"

Prospect: "How many leads do I get for that program?"

You: "You get 5 leads for $199 a month, and 10 leads for just $250 a month. Which sounds better to you?"

Prospect: "That's way too much money. I don't have that in the budget."

You: "How much do you have the budget for this?" or "If you did have that much, does this sound like something that would work for you?"

Prospect: "How much do I get for a trade in?"

You: "Which model were you thinking of trading that in for?"

Prospect: "I'm checking prices on the XYZ widgets. What is your best price today?"

You: "I'd be happy to match or beat anything you've found so far. What is the best price you've been quoted?"

And on and on. Do you see how much better this is? Do you see how much more control you'll have if you just start answering a question with a question? Believe me, this is one of the easiest things you can do to keep control of the call, qualify your prospect, and gain the valuable information you'll need to make a sale.

I'm sure you can see why, can't you? Then start using it on your next call, and take your control back!