QUESTIONS ARE THE KEY TO SALES SUCCESS

The question-answer game in sales is vital not only to find, qualify and close deals, but also to offer the best possible solutions to your prospects and customers. The key in asking the right questions is to keep them open-ended.

Statements that begin with "tell me about" or "please describe" work well in allowing the prospect to describe in detail his or her needs with respect to the solutions you provide. Try to limit questions that begin with "are you," "do you," "will you," "would you," "could you" or "should you," as they are close-ended in nature and encourage yes or no answers from your prospect.

You want your prospect to do most of the talking during your initial meeting. Asking open-ended questions will allow that to happen naturally. Questions you ask your prospect should begin with the words "who," "what," "why," "when" and "how." After the initial rapport-building portion of the meeting, ask some of the following open-ended questions. That way you'll learn as much as possible about the challenge your prospect is having, build rapport by engaging in conversation and, ultimately, understand the solution you can provide to best solve your prospect's problem.

1. Please describe the challenge you're having now.
2. Please tell me about what you're doing now in order to try to resolve the problem.
3. How does this challenge affect your overall business strategy?
4. Who is affected the most by the challenge you are experiencing? (Customers, internal employees or departments?)
5. How are they affected?
6. What will happen if you don't solve this problem?
7. Who else are you considering to provide a solution?
8. Why are you considering my company to provide a solution?
9. What criteria are you considering in order to make your final decision?
10. How will the vendor be chosen?
11. What is the process you will follow in order to determine the best provider of the solution needed?
12. Who in your company is involved in making the final decision for vendor selection?
13. How much budget have you allowed for the project regarding the solution to this problem?
14. When would you like to have the solution in place? (Or, what is the timeline for making your decision?)
15. What will a successful solution look like to you?
16. How will you know the solution provided is working?

The best way to start the conversation is to use the "tell me about" or "please describe" phrases since they are the most open of all the questions and statements provided above. Also, "What is it you're trying to accomplish?" is a great question to ask because it allows the prospect to get right to the heart of the matter and describe how the ideal solution you might provide will impact the bottom line. Sometimes, if you begin the conversation this way, you don't have to ask the rest of your questions.

By allowing your prospect to answer open-ended questions, you do three things. First, you ensure that the prospect tells you in his own words the challenge he is having, allowing him to focus on the key points that are important to him. Second, you will begin to understand the solution you need to provide. Third, you allow the rapport-building process to happen naturally by engaging the prospect in conversation.

Lorin