Have you ever worked really hard on a deal that never closed?
Sure we all have. Here’s the harder question to ask, have you ever worked really hard on a deal you should have never been working on in the first place..?
Hindsight is always 20/20 but what if we could ask some key questions early on. The kinds of questions that give us the insight we need to help make a more accurate prediction of what will happen next.
Here is a list of 5 great question you can ask that will highlight the opportunity, build a sense of urgency, create a list of all the reason they should buy and bring you into the conversation as the professional they need as their go-to person.
As professionals we have the right to know the answers to these questions but often don’t ask them. Sometimes it’s because we simply don’t think to ask other times it’s because the idea of asking makes us feel uncomfortable. - If we don’t ask because we don’t think of them… We’ve got you covered. - If we don’t ask because the idea makes us uncomfortable, think of it this way… You’re going to find out eventually, why not find out sooner rather than later. Good Selling, Bob
What What else have you looked into so far? This simple question can give you an idea where they are in the sales process.
If for example you know most prospects are required to get several bids on any given project and your prospect says you are the first call they’ve made or they have 20 quotes on their desk now, when do we want to know this?
Why Why not just keep what you have now? On the surface, asking why not just keep what you have now makes amateur sales people shake in their boots. They honestly believe that if they ask the question that the prospect will suddenly come to their senses and say “Oh my gosh you’re right!”
Here’s what we know, there has to be a reason for making a different decision than the one they’ve been making. Let’s ask, you’ll be astonished with how much you learn.
How How will you know when you found the right one? What do they need to see or know in order to feel like they are making the right decision? Just because the last 2 or 3 prospects wanted to know about something specific doesn’t mean those things are important to them. People buy for their reasons, not necessarily the right reasons and never for the salespersons reasons.
Who Who else is involved in making this decision?
Amateur sales people if they ask at all will say… “Are you the decision maker?” Everyone you talk to is a decision maker even if they only have the authority to say no. Who else is going to be involved in the making the decision? Does it make sense to get them involved in the conversation?
When When were you hoping to have this all taken care of? Is there a real target date? What happens if that date comes and goes? Is there an option of doing nothing?