{"id":350,"date":"2006-10-09T08:24:38","date_gmt":"2006-10-09T13:24:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/?p=350"},"modified":"2006-10-09T08:24:11","modified_gmt":"2006-10-09T13:24:11","slug":"its-all-about-the-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2006\/10\/its-all-about-the-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s All About the Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here’s a Monday morning thought: There are many facets to successful selling, but none of greater importance than asking the right questions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

In the end, qualifying a prospect through the right questions<\/em> is a salesperson’s most powerful tool for closing deals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"bgseo_title":"","bgseo_description":"","bgseo_robots_index":"","bgseo_robots_follow":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sales-management","category-sales-techniques"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5Oho-5E","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3199,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2016\/06\/positive-prospects-are-trouble\/","url_meta":{"origin":350,"position":0},"title":"Positive Prospects Are Trouble","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"June 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Prospects have many moves they learn at prospects\u2019 school, but one of the most lethal is the positive move. \u00a0The positive move is when the prospect appears to be eager to purchase your solution, especially early in the sales process. Don\u2019t get me wrong, there are always \u201cblue birds\u201d that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sales Techniques"","block_context":{"text":"Sales Techniques","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/sales-techniques\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Positive-Sign.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Positive-Sign.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Positive-Sign.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5020,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2017\/05\/best-salesperson-traits\/","url_meta":{"origin":350,"position":1},"title":"Best Salesperson Traits","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"May 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Two crucial salesperson traits that rarely get discussed. Ok, not my list but Bill Golder\u2019s article on LinkedIn:\u00a0 Top 5 traits of the best sales people I've ever seen The list hits on two traits that I believe are crucial to sales success.\u00a0 The first is curiosity.\u00a0 This trait sounds\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Assessing"","block_context":{"text":"Assessing","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/hiring\/assessing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Toolbox.jpg?fit=273%2C228&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":56110,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2019\/10\/gathering-giving\/","url_meta":{"origin":350,"position":2},"title":"Gathering > Giving","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"October 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"This statement is going to sound blunt, but gathering information is always more important than giving information in a selling process. \u00a0This truth may sound counterintuitive to the stereotypical sales process. \u00a0However, it is crucial to understand this approach. The stereotypical thought is that good talkers make good salespeople. \u00a0I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sales Techniques"","block_context":{"text":"Sales Techniques","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/sales-techniques\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Listening.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Listening.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Listening.png?fit=560%2C315&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1582,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2008\/05\/12-strategies-for-asking-questions\/","url_meta":{"origin":350,"position":3},"title":"12 Strategies For Asking Questions","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"May 20, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"This article from Selling Power offers suggestions for salespeople when questioning prospects.\u00a0 The author makes some excellent points with one that stands out - number 9.\u00a0 I have edited the content for length. 1. Qualify prospects You can quickly establish if this \"suspect\" is a qualified prospect with a few\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Communication"","block_context":{"text":"Communication","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/communication\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":594,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2007\/01\/the-fine-art-of-stalling\/","url_meta":{"origin":350,"position":4},"title":"The Fine Art of Stalling","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"January 22, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Let me think it over.\" \"I'll get back to you.\" \"We'll take a look at it.\" If you have been in sales more than a day, you are familiar with these sayings. They are the prospect's attempts to \"stall\" a buying decision. These comments are trouble for any salesperson who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Hiring Salespeople"","block_context":{"text":"Hiring Salespeople","link":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/category\/hiring\/hiring-salespeople\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1399,"url":"http:\/\/selectmetrix.com\/blogs\/2008\/01\/qualifying-is-in-the-questions\/","url_meta":{"origin":350,"position":5},"title":"Qualifying Is In The Questions","author":"Derrick Moe","date":"January 31, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Successful selling is far more than being a smooth talker.\u00a0 It requires the ability to listen attentively and move within the conversation.\u00a0 This principle is discussed in a ManageSmarter.com commentary titled Build Sales Relationships: Consultative Questioning. 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