Ask More Questions
Opportunities
are often missed because we are too busy broadcasting when we should be
listening. - Anonymous
Our day
began with small talk as Bill Green closed the car door. Another
day in the field with an experienced salesperson, I thought to myself. Man,
am I looking forward to this! (Anticipating what I’ve heard about Bill)
Then, as he started the car and we were both buckling our seatbelts I asked; “So Bill, what questions are you going to ask our first customer?”
Bill
hesitated for a moment and replied: “I usually start by asking some qualifying
questions, and then move to more needs based questions. And see where the
conversation goes from there.”
“Sounds good to me,” confirming his
plan, “Let’s go get ‘em.”
Definitions (Wikipedia)
Questioning is a major form of human
thought and interpersonal communication. The thinker employs a series of
questions to explore an issue, an idea or something intriguing.
Active listening is a
communication technique that requires the listener to feed back what they hear
to the speaker, by way of re-stating or paraphrasing what they have heard in
their own words; to confirm the understanding of both parties.
The Customer Visit
After the usual greetings and business
card exchanges, Bill took out his notepad, placed it on the corner of the
customer’s desk and clicked his pen.
Leaning forward, he starts to learn
more about Mary’s situation, while sticking to his predetermined plan. Here are
the questions he asked (less Mary’s responses):
“So Mary, what do you know about
the [XYZ] Company and our [#1234] system?"
“Well, it sounds like you’ve done
your homework. But before I tell you more about our system, would you mind if I
ask a few questions about your particular situation?”
“Thanks. On the phone you said you want
to have it installed by the end of next month. Why is that date important to
you?”
“And how do you plan on handling
the transition to the new system?”
“Great, tell me a little about the decision
process here at [ABC]?”
“Ok, how are you currently [doing
what was relevant to this situation]?"
“And why is that not working for
you? What else would you like to improve upon?”
“So your existing model is [problem,
problem]. All of which is costing you time and money. Is that a correct
assessment?”
“Now I understand your situation
better. Our new system is designed to [benefit, benefit]. Is that what you had
in mind?”
“At the risk of asking an obvious
question; that will save you time, money and frustration. Is that right?”
“Mary, is your heart set on our
[#1234] system? Because I’d also like to show you our [#999] options. How does
that sound?”
Your Questions List
I always ask myself – how prepared and
skilled is this salesperson in the art of questioning and listening? Does
he/she focus more on his/her products/services (likely to talk too much) or the
customer’s situation (ready to be inquisitive)?
The first step of preparation is to
create a list of open-ended, industry specific questions. Including ones that
qualify each sales opportunity and identifies the needs, pains, or desires of
each customer. The list can get quite long.
The second step is to practice
asking those questions (using a mirror or role-plays) and listening to the
customer’s responses. Think about your favorite athlete – how many times has he/she
practiced the situations he/she is going to face in a real game? Why can he/she
practice so much, yet as sales professionals
we don’t?
Lastly, learn how to paraphrase or
re-state back to the customer – what you think you just heard them say. This
also takes practice, that’s why I like role-plays about non-selling topics. Ask
a coworker to practice with you; ask them questions that are not sales related.
Then you can switch to a mock customer situation.
Sales Call Outcome
Bill walked out of Mary’s office
with a confirmed 2nd meeting, the business cards of the Production
Manager, Chief Financial Officer and of course Mary’s. The meeting lasted an
hour and forty-five minutes, and included a plant tour and a visit to the CFO’s
office (who had to hang up a call when Mary motioned to him.)
The second meeting will be a
contract meeting which will include drawings and specifications for their new [#1234]
System.
Bill executed his plan flawlessly.
He was well prepared, professional and maintained control of the sales call.
Even when Mary was unclear about the cost of the new system, Bill circled her
back to the production costs to help her understand the value of the upgrades.
Not only was Bill excited about
advancing the sale, but Mary was clearly satisfied with the decision. She
thanked Bill numerous times before we left her office.
*Step 1 - Create open-ended questions that are relevant to your selling situations
*Step 2 - Practice (memorize) those question in advance
*Step 3 - Listen intently while the customer answers your questions
*Step 4 - Repeat (paraphrase) back to the customer what you think you heard
Conclusions
Customers expect a needs based
sales approach. They want salespeople to push products less and understand their
situation more. They want partners that listen rather than talk.
The challenge comes when a sales
rep has an exciting new product/service, or is worried about overcoming his/her
higher price.
Remember to ask good questions, more
questions, and customer specific questions. Then make recommendations based
upon your customer’s unique situation.
Skillful questioning and listening
techniques are a sure-fire way to establish a professional tone, maintain
control, and support a needs based sales approach. All of which will build
value and separate you from the competition.
Michael
J. Galante, The Sales Coach is an
award winning speaker and recognized expert on sales, sales management and
marketing strategies. He has conducted hundreds of workshops for thousands of
sales professionals worldwide. His clients include Fortune 500 companies and
organizations of all types and sizes.
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