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A question that truly depicts a terrible sales approach that any sales person could ask, but you need to focus on being not just any sales person but the exceptional one.

That was a very abrupt start but it’s true and it’s also very common with us and generally sales people, why? It’s easy and it doesn’t involve too much effort in trying to decipher the words that we don’t actually hear.

We hear the term ‘Smart Money’ quite often but we need to think about the ‘Awesome Approach’ to truly get to the depths of any potential deal or even client.

Boredom Sucks!

The situation is one that everyone has been in at one point or another, someone trying to sell their product or even explain it, the boredom kicks in and by that point the fast and furious decision maker is wondering how he got into this situation.

A list of example questions that should be avoided when you’re selling a product (should be avoided even on a first date) and trying to keep the attention of the person opposite are:

•             How many employees work here?

•             What is your position in the company?

•             What’s the MD’s name?

•             How long have you been in business?

•             What system(s) do you have in place?

•             Are we in with a good chance here?

•             What do I need to do to win your business?

We are all bored just reading that, maybe even skipped passed the last few? So those questions are what we avoid at all times as the information gathered from those questions can easily be found scouring the internet and then you can get to the nitty gritty of sales.

Excitement is Awesome!

So we get to the good part, the exciting part that will lead us to all sorts of new roads in what the client wants and needs to suit. These questions are there to help generally qualify the client, understand everything about the offer on both parts and consider the validity of it all.

This is why it’s key to avoid the soul sapping questions mentioned above so that the coming answers and thought through and give you enough of an insight.

So here goes:

•             Who’s responsibility is...?

•             Why change now?

•             How much of a problem is that to you?

•             How will this effect your business?

•             How do you think ‘x’ would react...?

•             Who do you have in mind for…?

•             Will this work for you?

•             Who / what (else) was affected...?

•             Who’s driven that in the past...?

•             Who’s involved in the decision...?

•             What’s the managements view towards...?

•             What was behind that choice...?

•             When do we need to have this done by?

•             When can we do that...?

•             How do you think you should go about it...?

(Tactical Tip: Be confident in your approach, some of these questions require it.)

The answers you receive will be surprising as they will paint a better picture or even a billboard canvas of what the client’s plans actually are. These questions may look intimidating and borderline arrogant but if the client is serious about the deal then they will answer with no problems.

Keeping the client on their toes means they will have to guess the question and offer a good answer, they program themselves over time to answer the same script that they get played back to them so it’s essential to change up the script, so to speak.

Adapting yourself to ask these will take time but once it happens ist burned into you it’s a lot easier to decide there and then if the client will mess you around or are a legitimate customer.

Obviously you will have to suit to the situation e.g. offer, client, deal etc to fully maximize the potential answers you receive. But remember the questions mentioned should be used as a blueprint, these questions will become the only questions you know to ask and will always thrive on receiving the best answers.

By: John Perrin