Build sales with insightful questions
If you’ve been in sales or marketing for any length of time, you’re skilled at creating strong questions to ask. Many are probably deep, probing questions. You know it’s important to ask open-ended sales questions, too. You want to determine precisely what the person needs so that you can offer the proper solution.
And added benefit is that these questions reflect the research you’ve done, and show that you have at least a basic understanding of the client’s business and industry. Customers and prospects appreicate that.
While many prospecting meetings go smoothly, occasionally the person throws a curve ball at you. It goes like this: The customer announces that he’d like to buy a certain product (down to the product number and details).
In some cases the request makes sense. You’re excited to get the deal done, but you pause. You’re a professional salesperson, and you want to know more. Remember that as the salesperson — and, therefore, the solutions provider — you need to make sure the customer gets the right product.
Insightful question identifies true need
While working in the ad agency business, I would occasionally get a call from someone interested in a brochure or other piece. Though excited about the prospect of a sale, I had to restrain myself. I knew there was more to the story. That came from following up with a great sales question.
Using the question would always ferret out the need — that is, the purpose of the piece — which allowed us to suggest the proper course of action. It could be a simple trifold brochure, but sometimes the final product was a bit more involved. Either way, we may not have taken the proper route if we had merely filled the customer’s request.
I learned this powerful sales question years ago, and I use it to this day:
“What are you trying to accomplish?” (Variations include “What do you need it for?” and “What are you going to do with it?”)
An open-ended sales question gets to the heart of the client’s need(s). It forces him or her to open up to you. By knowing the client’s objective, you are better equipped to recommend an effective solution.
In the agency business, for example, a client might say that he’s preparing for a trade show. A trifold brochure, written specifically for the event, might be all that’s needed. (And is relatively inexpensive to produce.) It’s the objective — how the product is to be used — that fully identifies the need to you.
The next time you’re speaking with a customer about a new project, make sure you ask this great sales question. See what a difference it makes in your decision-making process.
What powerful sales questions do you ask your customers? Feel free to comment below. And if you found this column valuable, could you do me a favor by sharing it with others? Thanks, and good luck in your business.
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For related reading, see “How to use visualization before a presentation or sales call” and “Don’t let a communications breakdown cost you customers.”
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