Probing For The Sale (1981)

Revolves around a writer, Claire, and a salesperson discussing the art of selling. Claire expresses interest in understanding how sales work, particularly how to identify customer needs. The salesperson explains the importance of establishing rapport, asking various types of questions (general, specific, probing, and leading), and understanding the customer’s objectives before pitching a product. They discuss the systematic approach to sales, emphasizing the need to explore the customer’s real problems and how to guide them to articulate their needs. The dialogue concludes with Claire realizing she has inadvertently become a potential customer for the salesperson’s product.

**Keywords:**
wedding, writing, selling, customer needs, rapport, questioning, sales process, probing questions, leading questions, objectives, product pitch, conversation, sales techniques, customer problems, decision-making, business expansion, service contracts, sales strategy.