In talking with sales managers over the past month or so there is one reoccurring statement that I am hearing – their sales cycle has been extended in this economy.  It isn’t that they are not closing sales, it is just taking a bit longer.  Buyers are certainly more deliberate, but as we discussed some of their opportunities, it was clear that their sales people are not asking the difficult questions that lead to a qualified deal. 

I came across this article from Kelley Robertson quite some time ago and passed it on to one of these sales managers – it is worth bringing it up again.  The article provides a few simple questions to ask of clients and prospects to advance the sales cycle.  Kelley makes this point:

Most sales professionals understand that effective qualifying can lead to more sales. Unfortunately, these same salespeople are too often focused only on the outcome of their own process (closing), and as a result they fail to ask effective questions of their prospects and customers.

He also points out that too often sales people focus on quickly closing the sale and lose focus of what matters to the client.  They try to hurry the process along and, in the process tend to cut corners.  Whether your salespeople are cutting corners or they are just afraid to ask the tough questions, here are some effective questions Kelley supplies for your sales people:

• What are you trying to accomplish this quarter?
• What challenges do you face right now?
• If you had a magic wand, and could use it to create the ideal supplier, what would that supplier provide?
• If there was one thing you could improve about your existing situation, what would it be?

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