Use Questions to Uncover Needs

We have all been victims of sales people who were so intent on convincing us to buy their product that they completely failed to find out what we really wanted.  Many sales reps have not learned that the customer’s concerns are far more important than a list of reasons why people should buy, or perhaps the methods some so-called sales manager said he or she should use.

Developing good questioning skills is the primary way to have success in sales.  It’s simple; to find out what is important to your prospects, ASK THEM!  A recent study of top sales achievers uncovered this fact: Top salespeople listen more than talk on sales calls. They invest most of their time in the needs analysis stage, discussing buyer needs, wants and concerns.

It’s important to know what questions to ask.  Many people will just start probing; randomly asking whatever comes immediately to mind.  You can have some success winging it like this, but the real power of questioning happens when you are very focused with a plan or a flow of questions you want to ask.  This does not mean that you go the other extreme and ‘give them the third degree’.  It does mean that you should at least give some thought to the types of questions that are most likely to elicit information that will assist you to assess their needs.  Then you will be able to provide a real, practical solution that they will spend money on.

Here are some hypothetical examples.  In applying them in your business, it will be important to not use them verbatim, but to employ the ideas in a conversational style as you seek ways to help prospects:

- What is the single most important thing you want from a supplier?
- What is the one thing that keeps you awake at night?
- What can we do to make your life easier?
- If you were in my business, what would you offer customers like yourself that no one does?
- What is most critical to you in this project?
- Considering your needs, how would you describe the ideal supplier?
- What would you like to be able to do tomorrow that you cannot do today?

You'll notice that the focus of these questions is on the customer. None are trial closes like: If we did this would you be interested? They are designed to help the customer express where they need the most help.  Effective questions require the customer to think. They foster involvement. They encourage the other person to share more information and become more involved in the sales process. 

Demonstrate your expertise by asking effective questions.

"A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place"

That enduring reminder often aimed at kids -- "a place for everything and everything in its place" -- can also find a target in the lives of plenty of adults, business training coach Kimberly Medlock believes.
And practicing that time-honored adage can make a big difference for small-business owners who frequently find their days filled with more tasks to complete than time allows, Medlock said recently.
Medlock said the first step is realizing that perfect organizational systems don't exist. So, instead of waiting for one to be invented, dive in and start taking care of business now.
"The busier you are, the more organized you have to be," Medlock said. "There's not enough time to do everything, so decide what's important to your business and find a system that works for you."
Steps include making "to do" lists every day (toss out the old ones and start fresh every morning), clearing clutter from work stations (piles of papers signal postponed decisions) and turning off those pesky mail alerts.
"What if you got ten pieces of mail every day and the postman delivered them to you one piece at a time? Think how disruptive that would be to your efficiency and productivity," Medlock said. "Most of the time, just because you get an e-mail, it doesn't mean that you have to acknowledge it right away. It's the same with the phone. It's OK to let voice mail pick up if you're busy working on something else."
Taking time to plan and organize each day's actions should be first on the agenda for every small-business owner.
"If you're not focused on the most important things, then it's easy to get bogged down by minor issues".
You may want to consider engaging the services of a professional organizer. The stress relief, and cost savings in personal productivity often more than compensate for the minimal financial investment.