Traits of Top Salespeople

"Top salespeople are organized: they are good at managing their tasks, leads, and clients."

Day: July 10, 2022

Ask Better Questions To Close More Deals

Ask Better Questions To Close More Deals

Asking questions is one of the most effective conversation techniques for a sales call. It shows that you’re interested in the customer’s business and demonstrates your curiosity about their needs. Asking questions also gives you an opportunity to gather the information that can help you close the sale. However, it’s important to avoid asking too many questions or coming across as pushy. The key is to strike a balance between being interested and being intrusive. By using questions strategically, you can build rapport, gather information, and ultimately close the sale.

Asking questions is key to uncovering the initiatives and goals for the company during the Discovery phase of your sales process. The more that you discover with your questions, the more that you will be able to tailor your sales efforts to appeal to the various decision-makers within the prospect. You will also be able to decide if your product’s benefits are valuable enough to spend time selling to the prospect.

Not all questions are created equal. To be effective, questions should be carefully crafted to elicit specific information. They should also be asked in a way that shows genuine curiosity and concern. When used correctly, questions can help you to create a deeper connection with your prospective customer and increase your chances of making a successful sale.

In order to build rapport with a prospect and earn trust, you need to be an active listener as well as a skilled speaker. This means asking questions to get a better understanding of their business, their needs, and their goals. It also means showing genuine curiosity and interest in what they have to say. Only by taking the time to truly listen can you hope to build the foundation for a successful business relationship.

Of course, questions must be used wisely. You will come across as pushy or intrusive if you ask too many questions. But if you use them judiciously, questions can be a powerful tool for building relationships and closing deals.

Great basis for questions

You probably shouldn’t ask these specific questions but they will probably get you started in the right direction.

  • What is working?
  • What isn’t working?
  • When it works, what good things happen?
  • When it doesn’t work, what bad things happen?
  • Who is affected when it doesn’t work?
  • Who is affected when it does work?
  • How much does it cost when it doesn’t work?
  • What are their goals?
  • What challenges are they facing?
  • May I ask you some questions about your business?
  • Could you tell me about your business?
  • What happens in the world that causes you to lose money as a company?
  • You specialize in X. Why did you choose that niche?
  • What does your manager hope to accomplish in the next year?
  • How does your company evaluate new products or services before buying?
  • Why would you commit time and resources to something that’s low to medium priority?
  • Tell me about your average day. How would this solution impact your daily work?
  • What’s holding your team back from reaching your goals?
  • Was budget a barrier in solving this problem previously?
  • Why is this a priority for you now?
  • Why haven’t you tried to solve the problem before?
  • Who are you doing business with now? Why did you choose that vendor?
  • Is there anyone else you think I should speak with?
  • What is the business problem you’re trying to solve?
  • What are the priorities for your business/team this quarter?
  • What are your biggest pain points?
  • What events are you attending this year?
  • Where do you see the biggest opportunities for growth?
  • When is a good date to follow up?

Showing that you understand their needs will make it more likely that they’ll want to do business with you. By following these simple tips, you can ensure that your sales calls are more effective and enjoyable for everyone involved.

Many sales campaigns are effective because of the questions that the salesperson asks. Good questions display business acumen and curiosity, two qualities that customers respect. They also give the salesperson an opportunity to understand the customer’s needs and pain points. Asking questions also shows that the salesperson is engaged in the conversation and is truly interested in helping the customer. Consequently, questions should be a key part of any sales call.

Photo by Alex Green: https://www.pexels.com/photo/attentive-female-counselor-listening-to-male-patient-5699484/