Why 90% of Sales Is Just Asking Better Questions
I'm convinced that a big part of sales just boils down to asking better questions.
This affects the interactions you have with people you meet, your friends, dates, or as I found out yesterday...while flat hunting.
Here's the scene:
I meet with a 26 y/o guy who's looking for a roommate. Lovely house, right next to my new job that I start in a couple weeks.
Soon as I see the place, I know I WANT IT. BAD.
Anyway, I sit down with the guy and without any prep beforehand, start subconsciously running him through a set of 'discovery' questions.
Note: For the unversed, discovery is an initial stage in a sales process where you sit down with the potential buyer to understand their needs, pain points, motivations, decision criteria etc.
After the admin stuff- like how do you find the area? how's the landlord, etc- ?I asked him about his lifestyle which told me a lot about what kind of room-mate he's looking for.
Shared a bit about myself here too. We bonded over our introverted nature and desire to maintain a calm, neat household.
I asked him when is he looking to make a decision by- and he replied end of this week and that he'd love someone who can move in latest by mid-Dec.
I asked why- to which he answered his roommate was leaving end of Nov and he'd have to foot the entire rent till a new tenant arrived.
Finally I said- "Listen, looks like you and I match well personality wise. I hope to move in ASAP so that shouldn't be an issue. Can I ask, how many people are you currently considering?"
To this he goes- "Good question. Yourself included, there's two more I liked. I have a few more coming in tomorrow and day after and will make a decision afterwards"
I thanked him for the viewing and left.
Later on I sent him a text, saying if it helped make his decision easier, I'll be more than happy to move in ASAP and asked him what kind of move in dates the other two people had mentioned to him.
How does this tie in to sales?
1. I understood the decision criteria- personality fit + move in date.
2. I understood the cost of indecision- he'd be paying ~￡300/wk for every week he doesn't have a roomate
3. I made a tailored offer to him basis #1 and #2
This may seem like a silly example but these tactics form the basis of many deals that I've closed in the past.
To put it even more concretely, asking better questions has been the #1 skill that sales helped me develop, that has in turn impacted adjacent areas of my life significantly.
Be it making friends, strengthening existing relationships or finding flats.
Tim Ferris tweeted about this a while back too and mentioned how most of his success can be attributed to asking better questions:
I may not get this flat. But eventually, I know I'll get a place I'm happy with because I don't leave anything to chance.
That applies to sales, as much as life.
PS: I’m planning to write more stuff specifically around my learnings from sales in a new weekly newsletter I’m launching “The Quiet Seller”. If interested, please sign up here.