When it comes to sales, "The day of the canned presentation is over."

"If you really know your customers and have listened to them, and found out all about them, you're more likely to be able to provide them with what they want and need, and to keep them coming back," added Lee Richardson, a professor of marketing at the University of Baltimore.

But questioning a prospect is an art that requires subtlety and skill.

For example, when Rush Burkhardt pitches his sales training seminars to local business people, he steers clear of Wimp Junction.

That's the point where a client wrests control of a sales call from the salesperson, often by getting him to talk at length about his product.

"Whenever [a client] asks me a question and I answer it with information, he becomes less likely to buy from me, and more likely to go off and make an intellectual decision," which is bad news for any salesman, said Mr. Burkhardt of The Burkhardt Group, a sales training organization that is affiliated with the Baltimore-based Sandler Sales Institute.

To avoid falling into that trap, Mr. Burkhardt turns the tables on sales prospects, drawing out information from them rather than answering inquiries.

Only after learning why they are interested in his product and what they are hoping to gain from it does Mr. Burkhardt sketch the prospects an outline of his seminars.

Apart from helping the salesperson maintain control, asking questions can cut down on wasted time, said Mr. Burkhardt, who trains local salespeople to use this technique. If you realize after a few answers that the prospect doesn't need what you're selling, you'll be able to end an unprofitable interview quickly.

Mr. Burkhardt isn't the only person who's discovered the value of listening. The stereotypical image of the salesperson as a fast-talking loudmouth is fading as more and more sellers learn the value of the open ear.

Coming on too strong might scare away your prospect. Inquire about his needs in a soft, non-threatening manner.

If he starts to try to pry information from you before you're ready, respond by saying something like, "That's a good question, can you tell me why you're asking me that now?"

Mr. Burkhardt also recommended trying to stir up emotion in clients by focusing on whatever problem is prompting him to consider your product.

"As long as I can keep going into your personal problem, the more likely it is that you will develop an emotional attachment to ++ that problem," Mr. Burkhardt said. "And the more attached you are to that problem, the more likely it is that I can sell you my product."

The technique has worked for Matthew Kolb, a stockbroker with Alex. Brown & Sons. After questioning a prospect, for example, Mr. Kolb might discover the client's biggest fear is of losing money -- and subsequently looking foolish in front of others. From there, it's easy to make the case to him that by keeping his money in the bank, he's often risking that it will be eaten away by inflation, and could do much better by investing in stocks.

"If I can make them understand that by leaving their money alone, they're losing it, that's playing into their emotional fear," Mr. Kolb said.

Once he's reached that point with a client, Mr. Kolb can begin to talk about specific securities that will suit him.

"Once you get to the stage of getting the client or prospect to describe his problem, it's easy to get him to agree that you have the answer that fits that prob- lem."

Other pointers for improving sales include the following:

* Find group support. Low morale is common among those who sell for a living, particularly in these difficult economic times when rejection is almost constant.

So it's important for salespeople to find a forum where they can express their negative emotions, as well as discuss ways to improve their techniques.

Training companies, such as Mr. Burkhardt's, offer support groups for salespeople. But it's also possible to provide such a service within your business.

Every day at 4:30 p.m., for example, the eight-person sales staff of Premier Design Systems Inc. gathers for a special session.

Each salesperson with the Owings Mills-based company, which sells automated, computer-aided design systems, brings a customer problem to the session. The entire group brainstorms on ways to solve the problems, which might range from how to create a sense of urgency within a customer to how to offer products as a cost-reduction tool during recessionary times.

Apart from helping the salespeople sharpen their strategies,the sessions also function as pep rallies, said Bob Bernstein, sales manager.

"If I have one person who's had a successful day, it motivates the rest of the people," Mr. Bernstein said. "Everyone wants to participate, to come, and to be successful, so it's elevated the quality of the group."

* Don't back off. When a customer raises price objections, many a salesman will react by apologizing, or saying he'll try to work out a better deal with his company. But those moves can diminish your clout with a customer -- or, worse, create suspicion in his mind, said John Davis, president of QUOTA, a Baltimore-based sales and management training organization.

"When someone tells me that they'll try to get a lower price for me, I always wonder if I'm really getting the best deal, or if they're giving a better deal to someone else," Mr. Davis said.

If a customer tells you that your prices are high, admit it, Mr. Davis said. Follow that up by emphasizing the reasons why so many customers do business with you.

"You have to really know your product and have serious business reasons to do this, but what you're doing then is elevating yourself above the herd," he said.

* Get feedback. Few salespeople will contact a client after a sale's completion to find out whether he is pleased with the product, said Spencer Johnson,co-author of "The One-Minute Sales Person."

"People are afraid they'll become aware of a problem, and they don't want to know about it," he said. But often a phone call or two can bring more benefits than harm.

If there isn't a problem, you're giving your client a pat on the back for choosing your product and, possibly, obtaining some referrals from him. If something has gone wrong, you can work to correct it before it becomes serious. Either way, you're developing your relationship with the client.

"This is an extraordinary way to build referrals and repeat business," Mr. Johnson said.

Another frequently overlooked technique is eliciting feedback from prospects who haven't panned out as customers.

Whenever Patrick Bennett failed to close a deal as a restaurant equipment salesman in the early 1970s, he always returned to the prospect a week or two later and asked him what went wrong. He felt that doing so would enable him to learn from his mistakes.

Now executive vice president of Communications Electronics Inc., a Timonium-based mobile communications company, Mr. Bennett encourages his 15-member sales force to take the same action.

"This is effective in teaching the salesperson where he can improve," said Mr. Bennett, who noted that many past contacts offered honest assessments of his performance. "If we analyze our failures, we can grow a lot more quickly."

* Be candid. If after listening to the prospect talk about his needs, you realize you can't fulfill them, end the conversation, said Mr. Davis of QUOTA.

If you're not honest, you'll give the rest of the sales profession a bad name, because you'll be hurting the customer, he said. "He may not know it initially, but he'll find it out in the long run."