Ever had to work with a rep who was 100% convinced their “communication skills” were exceptional? You know the type… typically hired for their outgoing personalities and infamous gift of gab, these folks are fun to be around and are great at telling stories.
My concern? Sometimes they are not very good at connecting on a deeper level and creating real dialogue.
Talking comes easily for these reps, but getting them to listen is a bigger challenge—and as you know, this is a critical element to long-term success.
When you talk about what you’re interested in your customer quickly loses interest. Their eyes turn dull as the conversation turns towards budget, timeframe or decision making process. These topics may be of great interest to you, but not to your customer. They have problems to solve and that’s the primary reason you’ve been invited to the conversation.
Experience tells me customers want you to understand … customers want you to care … customers want you to help. And it’s impossible to understand, care, or help unless you you’ve asked the right questions.
What’s Stopping You From Asking Better Sales Questions?
Asking better questions sounds easy enough – but there are many obstacles that get in the way. Here are the three most common “traps” I see reps fall into:
“I can’t ask lots of questions because I’ll look stupid or uncertain.”
Get over it! Trust me — the sales world could use a lot more humility. If the customer says something you don’t understand, ask them about it. It demonstrates that you’re truly listening and not just waiting anxiously to make more statements. I’ve always believed that the more you get them to talk, the better they end up liking you. Be genuinely interested, ask more questions and watch the dynamics of your interactions begin to change.
“Busy customers just don’t have time to answer questions.”
There is always enough time … even if you only have 10 minutes. What are the chances that you can talk for 10 minutes and all your ideas will be on target and accepted? Why not demonstrate your expertise and competence by asking well thought out, stimulating questions that get them to think in new ways?
“But wait!” you scream. “What if they insist that I just do my pitch?” Then politely share your concern that a generic presentation might not hold as much value for them. Let them know other clients prefer hearing tailored ideas rather than the standard 10 minutes of marketing fluff. Asking a few key (and POWERFUL) questions lets you diagnose before prescribing and ensures that you maximize the value of their time. If they still resist, then you need to ask yourself if this is the kind of customer that you really want to develop a relationship with.
“I didn’t prepare.”
This is the number one reason why most sales people fail to ask great questions. Without proper preparation you are choosing to wing it, and when you wing it you ask narrow, mind-numbing questions.
Don’t believe me? Listen to a recording of a recent customer phone call. Play it back and analyze how much time you spent making statements versus listening (dead air is the goal!). Then pay particular attention to the quantity and quality of questions you asked. Are they open or closed? Did your questions get the customer to think differently or were they the same questions every other rep has asked them? Did they explore need, budget and timeframe, or were they designed to stimulate thinking around your specific benefits?
Ask Sales Questions Like A Sales Pro
Asking great questions is a skill that top performers master. They refine their questions every week and benefit from increased insight, opportunity and bottom line sales.
It takes courage to admit you could be a better sales rep and confidence to believe you can change; it takes nothing to create excuses.
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Referral Selling
Ladies and gentlemen for the past couple of days I’ve been spending some time catching up on some reading, and I’ve been focusing my energies on this area known as referral selling.