“Curiosity is as much the parent of attention, as attention is of memory” Richard Whately

Would you like to know why?

Would you like to know why we are so confident that the techniques in this book will work for your business, that we offer an unconditional money back guarantee? That got your attention didn’t it? You just had your curiosity stirred... You have just been exposed to another one of the many selling strategies and techniques that fill this blog.

The question “Would you like to know why…” is one of the most versatile and powerful sales methodologies that you as retail sales professional can use to increase yours sales. “Would you like to know why…”, employs curiosity as leverage to gain the customers attention, generate interest in what you have to say and it is also a very effective technique to deal with objections.

The dictionary describes “curiosity” as a desire or inquisitiveness to know more. Don’t we wish our customers would have the desire or inquisitiveness to know more about what we sell, instead of just looking at the price label and using that as their basis for judging value?

“Dad” my youngest son excitedly asked me a few weeks ago on picking him up from school, “I bet you I know what you are going to say next?” Like a million other parents who had heard this age-old quip, I responded “What?” “See I told you I’d know” he said with glee. The fact is that my son was using a very powerful selling technique when he asked me that age-old gag. He was applying the power of curiosity.

Let me show you how this works. What is the very next line that comes out your mouth when faced with the question “Do you know what?” “What?” is your most likely response? By responding with “What?” you have given me the right to tell you all about ‘the what” and “the why”. This is the power of generating curiosity. Now think of this powerful question being used to sell on the shop floor.

Consider the following examples of powerful interest building questions.

• “Would you like to know why those jeans are the price they are?”
• “Would you like to know why that particular matress has been endorsed by both the Chiropractic and Osteopathic community as their first choice?” 
• “Would you like to know why XYZ Magazine has rated that…xyz as the fastest abcd…made to-date?” 
• “Would you like to know how you can afford the complete package?”
• “Would you like to know how using that …….you could save yourself over $5000 
• “Would you like to know why those XYZ have a lifetime guarantee?” 
• Would you like to know why we at XYZ Company offer a 6-month unconditional money back guarantee on those ABC’s?

Advertising agencies have been using this powerful engaging strategy for years to hook us into finding out more.

Look at some of these attention-grabbing headlines below: 

• "If the unexpected happened to your computer data today... Would it still be "business as usual" tomorrow? 
• "Do you qualify for an all expenses paid week-long ski vacation with 5 of your best friends?” 
• "Would you like to know why doctors are astounded by the possibility of flaxseed to fight cancer?" 
• Would you like to know at least 3 reasons why you should purchase Osbam 5885 before May? 
• Would you like to know why we will guarantee to help you complete projects on time, on budget and on target?" 
• Would you like $5000 dollars worth of diamond jewellery for less than $300? 
• Would you like to know why customers are buying the Alpha brand, even though it’s a little more expensive?

Would you like to avoid hearing the dreaded words “I want to think it over!” ever again? You see I did it again, I hooked your attention. From now on use a powerful “Would you like to know why?” question to grab your customers attention. Try it and you’ll be amazed, only promise not to laugh when the respond the way you want them to.