Ask the Tough Questions

The more you know about a prospect, the easier it is to sell. Asking questions is a great way to learn what you need to know and avoid wasting time talking about your product or solution to people who can’t or won’t buy your product. .

So, what should you be asking? Of course, there are the basic question which kick off the conversation. Why did you call me? What are you hoping we can do? What kind of time frame are you looking for?

Why now? This is my favorite question because it helps me understand what has changed or what their pain point is. I use this information to match the right points in the service presentation to what they need.

Beyond the basics are the tough questions salespeople are reluctant to ask because sometimes the answers make them uncomfortable. But these questions are the best way to know if you are talking to a qualified prospect, someone who has the resources, motivation, and authority to buy from you.

Here are some tough, but important questions:

Do you have a budget for this project?

Many of us don’t like to talk about money. ?It is a cultural thing. We were brought up to feel it wasn’t polite to talk about money. If you fall into that category (and I do) get over it. If someone is calling to hire you, they know there is money involved. Asking this upfront?may provide some surprising responses, including discovering they expect to pay significantly more than you might have quoted. ?In other cases, they may have no idea, and this gives you an opportunity to give them a price range so see if you are in the ballpark before you spend a lot?of time.

The next two questions deal with how important the issue is. ?Critical issues with serious bottom line consequences are more likely to get resolved sooner. ?If your product or service isn’t on the critical list, you will need to work harder to keep buyers engaged and move them toward a decision

If you can’t decide by the date you mentioned, what happens?

Connecting consequences with inactivity will give you a chance to talk to the customer about the cost of indecision and possibly create a sense of urgency around the decision

What priorities are higher than the one we are addressing today

It would be wonderful if what you sold was the most important thing in your customer’s life. ?However, that is rarely the case. A new website or a new roof is important, but it may not be the most important thing. Understanding your customer’s priorities will give you valuable insight into all the areas of their business or their life where there are pain points. Again, if you can help them solve the problem with a referral or perhaps a different product or service you offer, which they might not be aware of, it will make it much easier to get them to decide to buy.

Who else are you talking with about this project?

It is easy to hide your head in the sand and delude yourself into thinking you are the only game in town, but you aren’t. ?It is hard for me to ask this question because I don’t want to bash competitors, but the information allows me to talk about relevant points of difference.

How will you choose or what criteria will you use to evaluate proposals?

If price is number one on their list and you know you aren’t the low-cost provider, you have some extra selling to do. ?Many times, potential customers?don’t really have criteria in mind. When this happens, you have a terrific opportunity to steer the decision focusing the conversation on your strengths so the potential client will evaluate your competitors on the standards you have set.

What might prevent us from doing business together?

I know what you are thinking, why would you encourage potential clients to think about why they wouldn’t hire you, but you need to know. If the owner has a brother in the business or there is someone who has done their work for years, you need to know that sooner rather than later.

These are my top questions.? What are yours?