skill
The RIGHT Questions to Engage Prospects STEVE ATLAS
Cautious prospects may be reluctant to share information with a salesperson. In that situation, asking the right ques- tions may prove critical to moving the sale forward. But just because salespeople want to ask questions to uncover needs doesn’t mean potential buyers will openly share their thoughts, feelings, or concerns. “This creates an interesting dichotomy,” says one sales consultant. “Salespeople are being sent into their territo- ries to probe for needs, but prospects and customers in today’s marketplace don’t want to be probed. As a result, prospects have become more reluctant to share informa- tion with a salesperson they don’t know or trust. Perhaps it’s time to change focus from what questions we should be asking – to what causes prospects and customers to want to share valuable information.” If potential customers don’t want to share information with you, it doesn’t matter what questions you ask – they will simply hold you at arm’s length. On the other hand, if prospects do want to share important information about
6 | JULY 2015 SELLING POWER © 2015 SELLING POWER. CALL 1-800-752-7355 FOR REPRINT PERMISSION.
their needs, then asking questions isn’t so difficult. What makes prospects and customers want to engage in
a productive sales conversation about their needs and your value? The consultant points out that sellers wanting to ask questions must first earn the right to probe for needs. In the consultant’s opinion, sellers earn that right by ac- complishing certain prerequisite steps in the sales process. The first prerequisite for uncovering needs is the cus-
tomer’s curiosity. If prospects aren’t curious about you or your potential solutions, you won’t have much success when probing for needs. On the other hand, as your pros- pects become more curious about how you can help them, they tend to open up and share more information. The consultant also points out that reps’ ability to un- cover needs is directly related to their perceived credibility with the customer. A sales rep who is perceived to have lots of credibility will have tremendous latitude when prob- ing for needs, while a rep without credibility has to fight an uphill battle. “Therefore,” says the consultant, “the focus
SERGEY NIVENS /
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36