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Traditional sales models focus on the salesperson's abilityto interrogate the potential client with open-ended questions. Thetheory is, if you're able to find out what someone reallyneeds, you can fill that need with your product and service.What's scary is that most salespeople still don't botherwith this step--they pitch whatever they're selling to whomeverwill listen.
One of the earliest books that outlined this approach was NeilRackham's SPIN Selling. SPIN selling suggests you askopen-ended questions that determine the potential customers'SITUATION, the PROBLEM they have, the IMPLICATION of that problemand, finally, what product/service they NEED to fix thesituation.
When the customer is qualified, the salesperson presents all thelogical reasons why their solution would fix the problem andfulfill the need. If done correctly, the salesperson feeds exactlywhat the customer asked for right back to him.
So if all your customers know who you are, trust you and have adeep rapport with you--ask who, what, where and how questionsbefore you present your perfect solution.
The beauty of open-ended questions is that they supply anexplanation, so you can fully understand what that customer needsfixed. And the trouble with open-ended questions? Even if you havea deep rapport with someone, you rarely get a straight answer toyour questions. There's a hidden meaning or context to theresponses you receive. As a salesperson, you can't take anyresponse at face value. You need to dig deep and clarifythings.
Your Steps
When designing open-ended questions, remember your goal is tofind 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 yoursolution
The way to clarify a response is simple. Follow up youropen-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 awidget?" 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'tlooking for in a widget?" Then use the "why"question.
Be aware that the customer has questions as well. In fact, whileyou use open-ended qualifying questions to decide if you shouldcontinue the sales call, he's deciding how much time he wantsto spend with you.
Customer's Steps
Before any customer will even agree to answer your questionshonestly, he must recognize he has a problem and then decide to dosomething about it.
By default, customers are loyal. Given the chance, they'llrepeat their last purchase. Once they've decided to fix aproblem and know they can get what they need from existing vendorsor suppliers, they return to those businesses, because they knowwhat to expect. If they can't find an adequate solution withtheir existing supplier, they'll be forced to evaluate theiroptions. This is typically the time people "shop."
Moreover, during that shopping process, they analyze theiroptions, make some choices about where they want to get thesolution and how much they want to pay.
Each party in the conversation has a different set of questionsand different agendas. It's a selling process vs. a buyingprocess filled with opportunities for the sales conversation tocome to an abrupt halt.
Take the time to recognize where you are in the customers'buying cycle. Ask yourself the questions they're askingthemselves. Do they recognize they have a problem and really needto do something about fixing it? Who's their existing supplier?Are they happy with their service? Do they have a standardevaluation procedure when considering a new purchase? How do theylike to buy, and how much money do they have to spend?
So while questions are an important part of any sales call, inthe end it's your customers questions and where you qualify intheir decision that determine how long the sales conversation willlast. And your skill in finding the reasons why someone would wantto do business with you today will determine how efficient you canmake each sales conversation.
Save yourself and your customers' time by qualifying yoursales conversations. Remove "salespeople are a waste oftime" from your customers' vocabulary, and "I spendtoo much time with customers who don't buy" fromyours!
James Maduk is one of North America's leading salesspeakers. He is the creator and publisher of more than 80 onlinesales training courses, and he broadcasts daily on VirtualSellingRadio. You can reach James at (613) 825-0651 or visit his Web siteat www.jamesmaduk.com.
