4 QUESTIONS EVERY SALES PERSON SHOULD BE ASKING
3/10/10 Sales Training Update: THE 4 QUESTIONS EVERY SALES PERSON SHOULD BE ASKING
When I work with a sales team, a sales person or a business owner we focus on a style of sales that is often called Relationship Selling. It is also called Consultative Selling, Question-based Selling or a phrase I like to use, Supportive Selling. There are a couple of aspects that are characteristic of this approach to selling. This first is the ability to build rapport. There is a true effort to create a personal relationship with the customer. The second is the quantity and quality of questions that the sales person asks. The central theme of Relationship Selling is that it is about asking, not telling.
How do you actually put this into practice? First, always start your meetings with some personal rapport-building questions. Ask customers about themselves. But make sure you are sincere in your interest. People will appreciate the sales person who takes some time to make a personal connection with them. Too many sales people still launch into their agenda way too quickly. If you’re looking for a good way to get this part of your meeting started, ask the other person how long they’ve been in their current business or position. Then ask them how they got into that line of work, and follow that line of discussion.
After some discussion about the other person, you can transition into asking questions to determine the needs of your customer. During this part of the discussion, ask the following 4 questions, organized into 2 main areas:
IMPACT QUESTIONS
1) What are the negative outcomes if action is not taken to change the current situation, and what positive things could happen if the issue is fixed?
2) Who will be affected by these potential negative and positive outcomes?
ACTION QUESTIONS
3) What has been done in the past, and is currently being done, to address the current challenges?
4) What research has been done to look into potential future actions to take, and what is the result of that research so far?
There are many reasons why this line of questioning works – far too many to discuss in a short blog entry. Suffice it to say that when you organize your questioning in this sequence, and along these lines, you end up gathering the exact information you will need to make a recommendation that will be viewed by your customer as being tailored specifically for them. You will be able to demonstrate that you have listened to your customer, you understand their situation, you respect their knowledge, and you are truly interested in collaborating with them to solve their problem.
Give it a try. Take those exact 4 questions above and reword them so that they are comfortable for you and the way you speak. Then, the next time you’re in a sales call early in your sales cycle, use them to guide your sales inquiry. I would love to hear back from those of you who decide to try this. I know it works because I use it every day, and so do my clients. It always creates success. And remember, strong closers are just people who have asked the right questions in the right way prior to asking for the business.
Peter Bruening is a professional sales coach, trainer, speaker and author. He helps his clients increase their passion for sales, and in the process, their sales performance and revenue. Please visit his web site at: http://www.sellingpointsgroup.com
