Traditional sales models focus on the salesperson's ability
to interrogate the potential client with open-ended questions. The
theory is, if you're able to find out what someone really
needs, you can fill that need with your product and service.
What's scary is that most salespeople still don't bother
with this step--they pitch whatever they're selling to whomever
will listen.
One of the earliest books that outlined this approach was Neil
Rackham's SPIN Selling. SPIN selling suggests you ask
open-ended questions that determine the potential customers'
SITUATION, the PROBLEM they have, the IMPLICATION of that problem
and, finally, what product/service they NEED to fix the
situation.
When the customer is qualified, the salesperson presents all the
logical reasons why their solution would fix the problem and
fulfill the need. If done correctly, the salesperson feeds exactly
what the customer asked for right back to him.
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So if all your customers know who you are, trust you and have a
deep rapport with you--ask who, what, where and how questions
before you present your perfect solution.
The beauty of open-ended questions is that they supply an
explanation, so you can fully understand what that customer needs
fixed. And the trouble with open-ended questions? Even if you have
a deep rapport with someone, you rarely get a straight answer to
your questions. There's a hidden meaning or context to the
responses you receive. As a salesperson, you can't take any
response at face value. You need to dig deep and clarify
things.
Your Steps
When designing open-ended questions, remember your goal is to
find out:
- What the customer NEEDS
- What the customer WANTS
- Where the customer HURTS
- If the customer has the AUTHORITY to buy today
- If the customer has the access to MONEY needed for your
solution
The way to clarify a response is simple. Follow up your
open-ended questions with a "why" question.
For example, to find out what someone needs and wants, ask,
"What are the most important things you look for in a
widget?" When he answers, ask "Why is that?" or
"Why is that important?" You can then follow up with,
"If you did have that, what would that mean to you?"
Alternatively, to find out where people are hurting, ask,
"What are the most important things you aren't
looking for in a widget?" Then use the "why"
question.
Be aware that the customer has questions as well. In fact, while
you use open-ended qualifying questions to decide if you should
continue the sales call, he's deciding how much time he wants
to spend with you.
Customer's Steps
Before any customer will even agree to answer your questions
honestly, he must recognize he has a problem and then decide to do
something about it.
By default, customers are loyal. Given the chance, they'll
repeat their last purchase. Once they've decided to fix a
problem and know they can get what they need from existing vendors
or suppliers, they return to those businesses, because they know
what to expect. If they can't find an adequate solution with
their existing supplier, they'll be forced to evaluate their
options. This is typically the time people "shop."
Moreover, during that shopping process, they analyze their
options, make some choices about where they want to get the
solution and how much they want to pay.
Each party in the conversation has a different set of questions
and different agendas. It's a selling process vs. a buying
process filled with opportunities for the sales conversation to
come to an abrupt halt.
Take the time to recognize where you are in the customers'
buying cycle. Ask yourself the questions they're asking
themselves. Do they recognize they have a problem and really need
to do something about fixing it? Who's their existing supplier?
Are they happy with their service? Do they have a standard
evaluation procedure when considering a new purchase? How do they
like to buy, and how much money do they have to spend?
So while questions are an important part of any sales call, in
the end it's your customers questions and where you qualify in
their decision that determine how long the sales conversation will
last. And your skill in finding the reasons why someone would want
to do business with you today will determine how efficient you can
make each sales conversation.
Save yourself and your customers' time by qualifying your
sales conversations. Remove "salespeople are a waste of
time" from your customers' vocabulary, and "I spend
too much time with customers who don't buy" from
yours!
James Maduk is one of North America's leading sales
speakers. He is the creator and publisher of more than 80 online
sales training courses, and he broadcasts daily on VirtualSelling
Radio. You can reach James at (613) 825-0651 or visit his Web site
at www.jamesmaduk.com.