C-Level, Relationship Selling Blog

C-Level Selling - Asking Sales Questions Is Easier Said Than Done

Like you, I've been selling all my life and what I've learned is, asking good questions and listening effectively are the most powerful selling skills.  Unfortunately, the dynamics between sales people and prospects/customers, coupled with tension and old habits makes asking questions and listening very difficult to execute consistently. Yes, many of you will say, you ask questions and listen. However, I contend that most of you ask only cursory questions, listen superficially, and can’t wait to give their pitch.

 

Questioning has levels -- simple, intermediate and advanced. To reap the benefits of questioning one must be able to easily transition from the simple to the more advanced.

Effective listening involves understanding, which requires probing to truly comprehend what a person means by the words they speak.

 

So here are 5  tips on how to pull off these difficult tasks.  C-Level Selling - Asking Sales Questions Is Easier Said Than Done

C-Level Interviewing - How to Handle Lying Customers and Prospects

Customers and prospects will act not-interested, keep information close to the vest, play coy or surprised, overplay comparisons, and prefer to be "just looking" unless you know how to get them to reveal the truth.

Learn to uncover their pain and desires in this article C-Level Interviewing - How to Handle Lying Customers and Prospects

C-Level Selling - The Most Powerful, Yet Least Used Sales Questions

Statistics show that more than 75% of sales calls end without the sales person asking for commitment. Believe it or not most customers buy rather than sales people asking for the order. 

Now commitment doesn’t mean only asking for the order. It is much broader than that. Commitment can be for the next meeting, the prospects support, and/or getting back to you within a certain time, etc. Commitment is the essence of moving the sale forward.  Conversely, refusal to give commitment is the biggest signal that the sale is in distress. Yet, asking for commitment is a rarity.

 

What's rarely said -- in any combination of words – is,

 

Read the article at C-Level Selling - The Most Powerful, Yet Least Used Sales Questions

Lead with “You” for Proactive Relationship Selling

What do you say when you call on potential buyers or the top executives of your clients organizations? If you’re like most, you’ll do some chit chat and then say something similar to, “I just wanted to check on how we’re doing with the XYZ project.” Then probably before you leave, you’ll say, “Are there any new projects coming up that we can help with or participate in?”

                                          

Both questions are self-centered, reactive questions.  Yes, reactive.  Even though in the second question you’re asking about future business, you’re not causing change.  You’re waiting for the person to tell you what he’s going to do and hopefully allow you in.  That’s reactive.  Self centered because you’re asking how “we” are doing or how “we” can help.  This is all about you even though it relates to his world. 

To become more effective on your visits (that is leave with something tangible), get into your clients worlds, as if you were just trying to learn about it.  Ask questions that will reveal their current state of mind relative to their job or the project - not as it relates to you or your company.  Once you understand their concerns, you can determine if you can fit and if so you’ll be able to offer suggestions to help create the desired changes.

See if you understand the difference between the following questions from the questions in the first paragraph. 

“How’s the XYZ project going?” vs. “I just wanted to check on how we’re doing with the XYZ project.”

The difference is it lets the person think of the XYZ project as it relates to him rather than how it relates to you.  As he answers you’ll get a broader understanding of this person’s mindset beyond your participation.   If you use the “we” then he’ll start thinking of you’re involvement, which narrows his focus.  Then to minimize time and to spare your feeling he’ll be brief, “You’re doing fine,” or “It’s OK, but I wish we had something.” 

In other words you won’t learn much, not even about you’re participation.  However, if you just ask about the project, using the “you / your” focus, his mind is free to go anywhere related to the project and you’ll get more information about his feelings.  And this information can be useful later to sell him more of your other services.  You’ll also get a better understanding of your position relative to his bigger picture.

“What are some of your issues and concerns with upcoming projects?”  vs.  “Are there any new projects coming up that we can help with or participate in?”

The difference here is it gets the person to reveal what’s on his mind about his job as it relates to the upcoming project, etc. If you listen, he’ll say what’s bothering him or what needs to be done in the future (changes).  These may be areas where you can offer ideas and solutions before he finalizes what he’ll do.  And if you’re prepared to pepper him with other ideas you can get him thinking beyond his original boundaries into other services (that you offer) he hadn’t thought about.  Now that’s proactive.

Based on his answers, you can decide if you want to participate, and if so, you’ll be seen as a consultative sales person rather than a vendor.  You’ll be able to offer solutions to a broader area of pain, which enables you to sell more.  You’ll also be able to determine if he’s a looker or a doer.  That is, willing to exert the effort required to produce the changes.  If he’s not, you’ll get out quickly.  But if he is, you’ll be the resource he’ll want to use.

The differences in the questions are subtle, but profound.  Most people genuinely feel they are asking the other person to talk about themselves and their situation.  Yet the way they ask the questions, unconsciously limits the responder’s answers.  Once you put the “I” or the “We” into your questions, the other person feels it’s all about you wanting to sell him and consequently becomes guarded with his answers. 

Test yourself. Next time you leave a voicemail, play it back before you hang up and see if you are “I” oriented or “you” oriented.

So keep it all about him.  Start all you questions with the word “You”.  This will be extremely difficult at first.  Just try it. You’ll quickly see it is not easy to just focus on the other person.

For more selling insights go to www.sammanfer.com and review other articles.

The One Question to Set Yourself Apart from Competition

Part 3/4

Recently a trade magazine interviewed me and the questions they asked and my answers were excellent reminders of what sales people and managers need to practice to take their sales volume to the next level. 

Question 3:

What is the one thing a sales person can say to a prospect or client to set himself apart from others?

Answer 3:

After the hello and pleasantries, ask what the issues /challenges /expectations the person in front of you is facing as it relates to the solutions you provide.  For example, I sell my consulting and sales training services to help sales people and companies make more sales.  So when ever I’m in front of someone, I will ask something like, “What are the issues you’re facing as it relates to revenue generation?”  I then sit back and wait for the person to tell me his or her story - all of it.  Most sales people, after the hello, want to tell their story.   For example, “Let’s talk about me and when we’re finished, you can talk about me.”

For more on this topic see my selling article “Differentiating Your Company To Your Customers”

Social Results Are Killer Selling Pitfalls

One of the biggest traps sales people fall into is to believe what people say about the wants of other people especially their bosses or significant others.  This cripples B2B as well as B2C sales.  I call it “social results.” For example, suppose you’re selling commercial real estate or widgets and you do you’re presentation and the prospect is lukewarm.  You ask for his or her concerns and as much as s/he likes it, s/he is afraid it’s too something - expensive, slow, extravagant, etc.  If you dig deeper, you’ll usually learn s/he knows it will never sell at the next level - the boss or other higher ups.  That’s usually when prospects start putting you through the hoops.  Get the price down.  Give us more for less.  Do this.  Do that.  Send me a proposal.

What’s happening is the prospect is very concerned about the bosses’ desires.  Unfortunately, the prospect’s impressions of what the bosses’ want is incorrect or misjudged.  And if you go along with it, you’ll be drilling yourself into the ground. What you have to realize is the prospect is telling you his or her interpretation which is usually slanted to his or her buying mentality.  What s/he is really saying is, “I feel the boss should want it this way because that’s the way I would want it.”

So to move forward with the sale and to meet the boss, you will have to make the person believe you can give the boss what the prospect thinks the boss should want (or what s/he thinks the boss meant when he explained it) or else you’ll never get pass this person.  If you don’t give the impression that it’s possible it’s seen as a big loss for this person and s/he will die before s/he lets you see the boss.

What you have to do always, when going into a prospective sale, is say to yourself, “I will get to the higher levels,” and make that point clear if the prospect shows any interest in your presentation.  You have to get from the bosses what each wants, especially the top boss.

Now once you get to the bosses, you’ll usually find a big difference between what the subordinate was ranting about and what the boss really wants.  That’s why you’ve got to get upper level confirmations before you start jumping through hoops.  If you don’t all you efforts may win the battle but lose or never get you to the war.

To learn what to do about other key selling triggers and roadblocks sign up for my Advanced Sales Training Tips “Selling Wisdom’s” Ezine

Get Your Calls Returned and Get an Invite to Come Back

When I call on CEO ’s, Sales SVPs and Sales Managers they invariably say they wish their people would get in front of more prospects to “Tell Their Story.”  Just think, if they tell that to me, how many hundreds of times do they tell it to their people.  So guess what?  When the sales person gets his or her foot in the door, what does s/he do?  You guessed it - tells their story.

So what’s wrong with this, you ask.  Well first, when you’re telling, what are you learning?  That’s right - not much.  So how do you know how to strike a nerve with a prospect?  Well, what most people do is give them the whole 43 page presentation with the hopes that something they say hits pay dirt. 

Secondly, prospects care more about their story than your story- even if they ask you "Tell me what you have."  So, if you don’t get into their story first, as soon as you start you’re commercial / pitch, they are looking for a way to change the channel or get rid of you.  This is why you don’t get calls returned and invited back.  “You bored me to tears once.  You will not do it to me again.”

Now supposed you talked to a prospective customer about something s/he was really interested in.  Then you become an insightful documentary with no commercials.  Your prospect will be glued to your every word.

So if you’re a manager, tell your people to get in front of prospects and learn their story as it relate to your business rather than tell your story.  If you’re a sales person with a manager similar to the above, ignore him/her, send him/her this article or try to explain this concept to him/her.

However, as a salesperson if you do what I’ve suggested, your sales will increase 2 times, 3 times, even 4 times what you’re doing now.  And when this happens, you’re sales manager will be saying nothing, except for singing your praises.

Here is your chant going forward:  You will only be able to talk with someone until s/he loses focus, which is pretty much what talking to a prospect is like.  So what will you say to keep them engaged? 

See my Selling Reference Manual for 370 ideas and suggestions.