Here’s a Monday morning thought: There are many facets to successful selling, but none of greater importance than asking the right questions.
Think about this, there is nothing prospects like to hear more than their own voice. They have good reason for this – they believe the salesperson is there to talk them into buying something. A fair assumption for sure. The best approach for a salesperson then is to ask the right questions and let the prospect talk.
Two critical items underscore this approach. First, the person asking the questions is in control of the conversation. They can direct the topics which leads to the second critical item.
The salesperson’s primary role is to qualify prospects and they do this by gathering information. Lesser skilled salespeople tend to assume a deal. What I mean is they assume the prospect has a need, the money seems to be in the right range or the deal should close shortly. None of these items are qualified, but they may keep the sales manager off their back for a while. The critical step here is to gather information from the prospect…directly. No assuming and no guessing. Ask the right question and do not make assumptions beyond what was said.
In the end, qualifying a prospect through the right questions is a salesperson’s most powerful tool for closing deals.