Over the years of working with salespeople I have found that their most common weakness is asking questions. Most sales people are so keen to make the sale they forget to ask the customer what they really want or need. They simply don't engage the customer and force feed them the products and services in their sales kit.
In most cases the products and services a salesperson is selling are needed or wanted by the customer, but they don't get the sale. Why? This is simply due to the fact that they haven't spent the time to find out more about their customer and tie in their products and services to address their pain points.
Don't ask a question. Don't get an answer.
Ask the wrong question. Get the wrong answer.
Ask the right question. You:
Qualify the buyer;
Establish rapport;
Differentiate yourself from the competition;
Build Creditability;
Learn about the customer and their business;
Identify their needs;
Find the pain points to address;
Get personal information; and
Close the sale.
So what are the right questions to ask? Well they are called "Powerful questions". They will lead you to getting the information outlined above. So how do you formulate a Powerful Question? Simply, ask a question that makes them think and respond in relation to you and the opportunity at hand. Although this is simple many salespeople struggle with this concept so the 7 strategies where developed.
These strategies have been used by many salespeople with much success. The salespeople that I have introduced these strategies have been able to completely transform their sales achievements, and become leading sales executives. This did not occur overnight but over time the salesperson become to realize the effectiveness of powerful questions and it became second nature to them.
So the 7 strategies to successful questioning are to - Ask questions:
1. That makes your customer qualify their needs;
2. About their business and it issues;
3. About their personal and company goals;
4. That separate you from your competition not compare you to them;
5. That makes the customer think before they respond;
6. That creates a buying atmosphere not a selling one;
7. And LISTEN and write down the answers.
Use these strategies to improve your sales techniques. You will not only become a better salesperson but you will also gain the rapport and the respect from your customers. These are the traits of a good salesperson.
