Hi readers,
This blog follows the other topics on which I have written about in the past weeks.
During the training programs that I attended and conducted over the last 18 years, I was often asked, and I myself asked of my trainers- which are the best questions to ask your clients/customers, so that the response meets your key objectives in the sales process?
By compiling elements that I learnt through class room training, numerous Rank Xerox PPS (Professional Selling Skills) programs and field sales experience I have come up with the following questions that I believe are effective , cutting across domains and verticals.
While these questions are primarily derived from my experience with B2B clients, I suspect that they will prove to be just as effective in the B2G ( Business to Government) business eco-systems. ( Let me have your views as I have no understanding of this space)
Here are the fourteen absolutely indispensable questions ( power tools) that should be in every sales rep’s bag of tricks:
- What can you tell me about your organization… and yourself?
- What do you like about what you’re currently doing?
- What don’t you like about your current situation?
- What would you like to be enhanced or improved?
- What can you tell me about your priorities?
- What prompted you to start this project now?
- What can you tell me about your decision-making process?
- How do you handle budget considerations?
- What other options are you looking at?
- What can you tell me about the people involved in the process?
- What obstacles are in the way of moving this forward?
- How will you be evaluating different options?
- How will the funding for the project be justified?
- How much support does this have at the executive level?
According to me –
Get the answers to these questions, and take action based on those answers, and you’ll get the sale. It’s that simple.
This is based on the KISS principle- Keep it simple and sweet!