Dan:
I heard you talk about the importance of questioning in the context of gaining trust. Since then, I've come to think that our my team is lacking in this area. Any idea how to improve?
Debbie
Washington
Debbie:
Great "question!" Happy to assist. Let's take a look at why questions are so important. Then we will examine some questioning best practices, and we'll conclude with some mistakes sales reps make.
WHY ARE QUESTIONS IMPORTANT?
Powerful questions assist us in climbing the left side of the "Trust Triangle" by helping us gain credibility and trust. Remember, your expertise, credibility and trust will be earned with effective questioning and problem definition--NOT by making presentations.
If you agree that in any given sale the best salesperson wins, then powerful questions will differentiate you and help you become a sales superstar. You will understand that:
- Questions help you qualify and prioritize your opportunities.
- Questions help you guide your customer through his journey from no interest, to interest, to uncovering pain, to evaluating needs, to urgency, implementation and success.
- Finally, questions help you customize a winning major opportunity strategy and solution.
KEY BEST PRACTICES
There are three best practices that relate to questions:
"Just Ask Why," "COW," and "BMPPC."
"Just ask why" will remind you of a two-year-old who simply enjoys asking "Why?" to everything you say. A sales superstar can find great value in this approach. Asking a customer why she is seeking change or examining a solution can be very illuminating. Obviously, you will not ask this question repetitively, but in situations where discovery or even a challenge is appropriate. It could be that this simple question causes a client to take pause and allow you to discuss the impetus behind a major decision. You are on your way to true consulting!
The second best practice is the powerful "COW" questioning strategy. COW is an acronym for Current, Optimal and Win.
Current questions help you understand what pains and challenges your customer is experiencing. You could say, for example, "I noticed that you have a major XYZ initiative underway. How is that impacting your specific goals for your department? What challenges or roadblocks might prevent you from attaining those goals?"
Optimal questions help you to understand what your customer's "perfect world" would look like. You might ask, "If you had unlimited resources and could achieve all of your goals, help me understand exactly what success looks like for your department and your career."
Win questions help you understand the personal and business consequences of reaching a goal successfully.
You could ask, "If you could overcome these challenges, what would happen to your company's financial situation? How would you be impacted personally?"
The final best practice is something that all Trust Triangle Selling workshop attendees will recognize immediately (I have suggested that everyone tattoo BMPCC on their arms). The powerful BMPCC strategy outlines the five areas of questions that permit us to properly qualify opportunities and set a major account strategy.
B:
BUDGET
"Experience with other projects like this tells me you will need a budget. Where are you in the budget process?"
"I have found with similar projects that a strong and committed executive sponsorship is essential for success. Who is the executive sponsor and what is his/her primary goal for this project?"
P: Buying PROCESS (& Critical Event)
"Change is involved with this project. That usually involves risk and uncertainties. Why not just leave things as they are? Do you have a decision date nailed down? If not, why not? Share with me the steps that you plan to take to take to get you from today to the decision date."
"Your time is valuable. Rather than discuss all of my offerings from A-Z, I would like to highlight key tradeoffs relative to others. What other solutions are you considering?"
"If you had to finalize your decision today, what would be your top three decision criteria?"
MISTAKES:
Questions can help you gain trust, but if mistakes are made they can also erode trust. The two major mistakes made by sales representatives are poor questions and too many, too fast.
Bad questions are questions that reveal that you have not done your homework. Some reps believe that they are asking a great question when they ask a senior executive, "What keeps you up at night?"
Machine-gunning a series of questions can also spell trouble. Exactly how many questions you ask during each sales call depends on the product/service you are offering, the level and personality of your buyer, and where you are in the buying process.
Remember: "Questions are the Answers!"
Good Selling!
