Sales is all about talking and sales professionals only tend to talk about the long list of benefits their product/service can offer. Today, this is one of the deep-rooted misconceptions people generally have about sales process. On the contrary, listening to the prospective client and understanding their perception is the key to engage prospects and initiate effective sales.
Asking relevant, to-the-point and open-ended questions are a great way to get prospect to open up, uncovering his needs and wants. This will not only make the prospect vulnerable but also helps in devising and suggesting potential solutions best suited to him/her.
Below mentioned is a comprehensive list of questions which can help in driving sales, without overburdening the prospect with probing:
- What are your top business priorities or goals?
Before deep diving into convincing the prospect on the whys/hows your product/service is the best, it is rather recommended to understand the client, his business, priorities and vision.
Once they reveal the solutions they are looking forward to, it becomes a lot easier for a sales professional to position a product aligned with the client’s specifications. It helps them to see a product in a different light and as a most legible resolution which they might be looking for.
- Do you have a budget in mind?
Cost and money concerns all. Money might not be the only aspect to be considered while making the sale but it still is an important question to ask. If the prospect does not have enough cash flow to provide your business with continuous revenue, it might not be worth investing time pursuing the prospect.
In such a scenario, lead tracking software can prove to be a great help in qualifying prospects who will be willing to pay for your product/service, based on their previous buying pattern.
- Could you please enunciate?
Probing further about the predicament or dilemma a customer is stuck in, can greatly help in tapping on to several new opportunities, which one might have overlooked in the first place. This practice not only gets a customer talking about the specifics but also plays a major role in establishing trust and credibility with the brand.
According to KISSMetrics, “71% of customers are likely to switch the brand because of poor customer service”. Every consumer is in a dire need of an empathetic ear who would listen to them, rather the one who is only curious to close the deal. Here, extensive use of CRM software can greatly help in going through his/her previous queries and comprehending the plausible solutions he/she might be looking for.
- What went wrong with the previous sales professional/vendor/supplier?
Identifying the problematic areas that a business faced while working with other vendors or suppliers provides a bigger picture into understanding of client requirements. It offers a broader perspective on what the client must be looking in the next organization which comes on board and what services they are expected to sign up for.
Weighing the pros and cons of the previous suppliers/vendors and taking hints from past experiences will also help in presenting sales pitch in a way which interests the client, further helping in providing improved and refined services.
