It’s one of the most effective but overlooked sales techniques. It’s the key to success for many legendary brands, but can easily be replicated into our industries.

It’s curiosity.

One of my wine consulting contracts is for a successful privately held restaurant group. Three locations, over $1 million in wine sales. They specialize in burgers (really damn good burgers), and have a killer wine list that I help curate and train the staff on.

For the month of December, we decided to bring in 2013 Opus One (James Suckling’s Wine of the Year), and pour it by the glass using a Coravin system (Model Two, to be exact).

We are selling the wine for $65 for a six ounce pour. No messing around.

And the first weekend we sold four of them. All through curiosity.

The manager was showing the Coravin to the bartenders. A customer twenty feet away asked their server what that thing was. The manager brought it over, showed the Coravin and its functions, and explained why we were using it. The customer said “Hell, I’ll have a glass!” After confirming they knew what they were getting into price-wise, the manager poured it. Twenty minutes later they ordered another one, leading to another customer seeing the unit being used, inducing curiosity and continuing the process. Before you know it, four glasses were served in different corners of the restaurant.

Look around in your world. If you set a goal of inducing curiosity with your customers, you open the door to having them ask questions. The moment a customer asks a question, you have a magical and powerful moment in your possession, a moment you can build business with through helping them. 

That’s what true sales look like. Problem solving.