Effective Sales Questions that get results!

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:

1. What can you tell me about your organization… and yourself?
2. What do you like about what you’re currently doing?
3. What don’t you like about your current situation?
4. What would you like to be enhanced or improved?
5. What can you tell me about your priorities?
6. What prompted you to start this project now?
7. What can you tell me about your decision-making process?
8. How do you handle budget considerations?
9. What other options are you looking at?
10. What can you tell me about the people involved in the process?
11. What obstacles are in the way of moving this forward?
12. How will you be evaluating different options?
13. How will the funding for the project be justified?
14. 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!