No Questions - No Sale - Improving the closing ratio
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A good sales rep relates the product or service features to true business situations. If you are quick to answer the customer’s problem before understanding how the problem impacts their business, you are sabotaging your own sale. Don’t tell what your service or product can do, let them discover through asking relevant questions digging into the deeper issues. Question asking is the key to a Customer Aligned Selling approach and is integral to an effective sales process.
In Jill's blog the reason the rep was sabotaging himself was probably because he had focused more on learning what his software product does than learning and practicing to effectively ask questions. You can sell faster easier and with less stress by asking effective questions. Practicing asking questions, i.e. role play, makes you feel comfortable asking questions. Learn to ask follow up questions: "Why is that important?" "How does that impact your revenue?" "Where does your risk increase by not addressing this particular issue?" "Are you facing an increasing cost of the sale by not solving this problem?" "Share with me how solving this problem or achieving that goal will help you achieve your annual goals?" Ask 3 to 4 questions per topic.
CONCLUSION:
Most people ask two questions then go to solving the prospect's problem with their solution. The prospect then thinks you are a "Know it all." But, if you ask more questions, it allows the decision maker to discover how you can meet their needs. Asking questions builds trust and the foundation of all sales is trust.
To create effective role play scenarios, contact me for a free consultation on how to integrate role playing into your sales meetings. Ten minutes of role play can change someone's perspecitve and skill in asking questions.
