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| Preparations for World Premiere of Skyfall just a few hours before the opening |
So with today's professsional sales person who work in a VUCA world of business
YOU CHALLENGE
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Effective
questioning in Sales requires a subtle mix of empathy, listening and understanding
body language
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to identify the strongest need or benefit
perceived by the prospect relating to the product/service being offered by the
seller
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| 007 Skyfall Window Display at Harrods |
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questioning
must also discover how best way to develop the relationship and the sale within the client's
organisation - how the organisation decides: timings, authority levels, the
people and procedures involved, competitor pressures, etc.
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good
empathic questioning also builds relationships, trust and rapport - few
want to buy anything from a "sales person" who's only interested in their own
product or company - they want to buy from somebody who gives the time and
skill to interpreting and properly meeting our own personal needs beyons mere Google information
· prepare a list of questions o rtopic
headings before the sales discussion
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apart from complex variations, there are two main sorts of questions: open questions
and closed questions
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broadly
open questions gather information and build rapport; closed questions filter,
qualify and seek commitment
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open
questions invite the other person to give long answers; closed questions invite
the other person to say yes or no, or to select from (usually two) options, for
example red or blue, or mornings or afternoons, etc
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Open
questions help gather information - typically Who? What? Why? Where? When?
and How?
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The use of TED ( Tell Me, Explain to me, Describe for me) to make the question more conversational and less interregotive e.g.
"Can you tell me about how..." if you are questioning a
senior-level contact - in general the more senior the contact, the bigger the
open questions you can ask, and the more the other person will be comfortable
and able to give you the information you need in a big explanation ( areas on Startegy, attitudes, Opinions, Feeeling , Wants and Needs)
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'what...?
and 'how...?' are the best words to use in open questions because they provoke
thinking and responses about facts and feelings in a non-threatening way
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A
powerful Challenge Sale Question 'why?' to find out reasons and motives beneath
the initial answers given, but be very careful and sparing in using 'why'
because the word 'why?' is threatening to many people - it causes the other
person to feel they have to defend or justify themselves, and as such will not
bring out the true situation and feelings, especially in early discussions with
people when trust and rapport is at a low level. Here the TED phrases are particularly helpful e.g. Tell me, why....
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listen
carefully with rapport, maintain good eye-contact, gently nod to convey understand, and show
that you understand - especially understanding what is meant and felt, not just
what is said, particularly when you probe motives and personal aspects
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interpret
and reflect back and confirm and rephrasng what you have understood and what is being explained, and
if relevant the feelings behind it
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use
closed questions to gain decisions and confirm your understanding - a
closed question is one that can be answered with a yes or no, eg Can, Do , May,
Will, Are, Is Could, May , Does etc.
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when
you've asked a question, you must then be quiet - do not interrupt - allow the
other person time and freedom to answer
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the
other person (your 'prospect' in selling language) should be doing 80-99% of
the talking during this stage of the sales discussion; if you are talking for a
third or half of the time you are not asking the right sort of questions
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do
not jump onto an opportunity and start explaining how you can solve the problem
until you have asked all your questions and gathered all the information you
need (in any event you should never be seen to 'jump' onto any issue)
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all
the time try to find out the strategic issues affected or implicated by the
product/service in question - these are where the ultimate decision-making and
buying motives lie
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if
during the questioning you think of a new important question to ask make a note so you don't forget it
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when
you have all the information you need, acknowledge the fact and express your thanks,
then take a few moments to think about, discuss and summarise the poignant issues/requirements/priorities from your prospect's organisation's (and
personal if applicable) perspective
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| Prop model air fighter at Chirsties 50 years of Bond auction |
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questioning
is traditionally treated by conventional sales people and conventional sales
training as a process to gather information to assist the sales person's
process bualso to extract the issues, net effects and solutions .
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questioning
is an important part of selling - techniques being increasingly
developed and refined far beyond early selling techniques)
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