What is the most frequently asked question that is never asked aloud? You guessed it, "What is in it for me?"

How many times have you been in the middle of presenting a proposal and get the sneaky suspicion that your customer is not listening to you? It is because your customer is too busy wondering when you are going to answer the unspoken question, "What is in it for me?"

As the account representative for your company, you should try to anticipate some questions that might be on your customer's mind. Try to have a counter for the following questions your customer may be thinking, but not asking.

1. What is in it for me?

2. How much time, money, and resources will this cost, or save?

3. How much will this cost up front?

4. What is my return on investment?

5. How will I look good if we purchase this product or service?

6. What happens if this purchase fails? What safety nets are built in?

These questions seem rather obvious on the surface, but most sales people, during the process of a sales call, tend to forget to answer these questions. Feed and speeds are nice, but benefits close the deal. Remember, your customer is already drowning in a sea of cost. How is your product or service going to save time, money, and people power in the quickest amount of time? If at all possible, reduce your proposal down to its lowest common denominator. Put it into a dollar amount, or a time saved, or whatever is your industry standard. Then factor it out for a full year. Little improvements can escalate returns on investments, which in turn will help you answer the question, "What is in it for me?"

Remember, you are dealing with a me-minded society. Why don't you tell customers what they want to hear?