It is no secret that listening is the key to sales.   There is a little deeper secret to the listening side of selling. And that secret is the artful development of questions. It’s not only the ability to listen that separates the super sales winners from the rest, it is the ability to develop the right questions that will elicit the answers to which you will want to listen!

There is also a little known and often overlooked corollary to the power of questions. And that corollary is this: Never ask a question unless you’re reasonably sure of the answer. The secret here is Pre-Call Planning. The artful act of preparing for the call. A key part of that is to anticipate things like:
 

·         What questions will I need to ask to elicit interest?

·         What problems does this person want to solve?

·         What questions are they likely to ask me?

·         What will they find most or least attractive about my product? Company? Delivery? Service?

·         Why would they be interested now? Not interested now?

Here’s the secret. Never, ever call on a prospect until you have become reasonably confident of the (a) questions they are likely to ask you and (b) the questions you need to ask them. Then, and only then should you proceed with the call.

Questions you should ask during your sales presentation should never sound like the interrogation of a suspect by Sergeant Joe Friday of Dragnet fame, either. Instead, they should be preceded by phrases such as:

·         Explain for me if you will…

·         Let me ask you this if I might…

·         Could you help me with…

·         Could you expand on that for me…

·         I’m interested in learning about…

Phrases such as these will enable you to soften your approach to questions, gather your thoughts and empower you to ask questions that are thoughtful and appropriate.

As a general rule try to avoid questions that start with the words “Do,” “Could,” “Would,” or “Are.” The common problem here? All of these questions can be answered with a simple (and, therefore, limiting), “No” or “Yes.” Instead, try to ask questions that get the prospect reflecting and discussing issues, problems, challenges, opportunities, time frames, intentions, goals, impediments and desires.

Do your best to ask questions that contain the classic “who, what, when, where and how.” Ask for permission to record your prospect’s answers. Wait and record what you hear. Make it obvious you are interested and captivated…that you are prepared to maintain a permanent record of the things you have uncovered.

Ask questions related to the needs your product or service might meet for your prospect. Ask questions related to the benefits they might seek from your product. Ask questions related to their position on the most common stalls or objections you encounter. Ask questions related to buying cycles, current suppliers, time frames, delivery demands, and budget ranges. Ask questions that reflect your understanding of what your prospect has said. Do that by making the following types of statements and end the statement with a rhetoric question like, “Is that correct?”
 

·         What I heard you say was…

·         My impression of your problem is…

·         As I heard you say…

You can never ask enough questions. But the secret is to ask the right questions of the right people at the right time. Be sure you’re with a qualified prospect by asking the right questions. Work hard at developing your battery of questions. In fact, I’ve got three that I use all the time. They are my favorites…let me give them to you as my special gift to you for being smart enough to live here in the Triad! Here they are:
 

·         What would you like someone like our organization to do for you?

·         What, if anything, are you looking for that you haven’t found?

·         Who else, other than you, of course, is involved in making this type of decision?
 

©2000 Bill Brooks, The Brooks Group, Greensboro, NC. All Rights Reserved.

For almost two decades Bill Brooks has been one of America’s most in-demand sales speakers.   The reason behind Bill’s tremendous popularity is that he has successfully accomplished what other sales speakers merely talk about.   He enjoys real-world, legitimate sales success, executive experience, in-depth topic expertise, academic preparation, as well as the highest speaking and consulting accreditations.   Bill has been a sales executive and marketing manager, an international sales award winner, CEO of a 300 million dollar corporation and successful college football coach with a 70% winning record.   He has managed a national sales force of 4000.   Bill is author of over 100 video and 200 audio programs, and 9 books.   He has hosted over 300 satellite television shows.   For more information about Bill Brooks’ speaking, training and consulting services; or learning tools, call 800-633-7762 or e-mail sales@thebrooksgroup.com or visit his website at www.brooksgroup.com.