How to avoid 'true but useless' questions...

After watching hundreds of sales calls, what I’ve learned to quickly spot are the ‘True but useless’ questions.

What do I mean?

This is a question, or a series of questions, that become irritating to the buyer because there’s simply no value in it for them. It’s self-serving and it’s only the seller that gains information from the answer.

The '3 Ps of Questioning'

In order to avoid this friction and irritation, we have to make sure our questions help the buyer to feel that we’re making PROGRESS, that there’s a clear PURPOSE to our conversation, and it leads to uncovering what’s important — the PRIORITY.?

We call this The 3 Ps of Questioning.

If we’re doing our job correctly these conversations should help the seller and the buyer understand if there’s a good fit — they're not simply about collecting information.

Here’s a specific example that will highlight the difference between a ‘true but useless’ question, and how to turn it into something that leads to progress and value for the buyer.

Let’s look at it.

"How did you hear about us...?"

“How did you hear about us?”?is a common question a seller will ask, and on its own it’s a poor question, and generally ends up being self-serving — an excuse to talk about ourselves.

In a case like this where the first question on its own is poor, it’s the follow-up questions that will increase the value of the conversation. We call this?The Law of 3, where the heart of the matter is found beyond the third question.?

The key is to hold off going into a monologue and stay curious for longer.

Let’s look at an example:

?

Seller:?“How did you hear about us?”

Buyer:?“We found you online”

Seller:?“Where specifically did you read about us?”

Buyer:?“It was on a review site”

Seller:?“What did you read about us that gave you a sense that we might be a good fit?”

Buyer:?“I was reading about how you are experts in designing websites using HubSpot”

Seller:?“How important is that to you?”

Buyer:?“It’s critical since HubSpot is a big part of our tech stack”

Seller:?“That’s great! What are some other factors that are critical for you in choosing an agency to work with…?”

?

And so, from an initial poor question, you are now into the conversation that you really need to be having with your buyer — are we a good fit for each other?

Notice that the seller is asking questions, and the buyer is doing the talking. In doing so, we’re making the conversation all about them, while at the same time getting a clear understanding if we’ll be a good fit for each other.

If we do our job right — ask good questions, lead with curiosity — we won’t have to ‘pitch’, or spend much time, if any, talking about ourselves.

Now it’s over to you:

• What questions are you asking that are interesting for you, but aren’t valuable for your buyer?
• What questions are you asking where the first answer could be used to have a better and more transformative conversation?
• What questions are you asking that are truly useless?

DFTBA!

Chris

PS.?If you'd like a weekly letter and more coaching resources/tips from me, go ahead and?subscribe to my weekly letter?that lands in your inbox every Thursday.

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

#selling #communication #questionfirst