Revolutionary Ideas: Ask Fewer Questions In Your First Meetings

Question With Care!

Salespeople have been told to talk less and listen more. In this way they can gain a better understanding of the needs of their customers and prospects. That means salespeople are arming themselves with more and better questions aimed at qualifying the prospect, understanding his needs, eliciting information regarding the buying process, the budget, etc.

However, like any technique that is overused it can become ineffective, even dangerous. This is particularly the case where salespeople have an unrealistic expectation as to the number or type of questions they can ask at early stages of the relationship with the prospect.

To Ask or Not To Ask, That Is The Question!

Just how many questions can you answer on an initial call, either by phone, or face to face? To this question most sales people say.

Just how many questions can you ask in a:	Most sales people typically answer:
first meeting	4-8.
telephone call	2-3

Are these numbers right? Well they seem fair, but perhaps talk of numbers misses the point. It is not just how many questions are asked, but what is asked, how it is asked, when it is asked, and most importantly why it is asked.

Why Buyers Are Weary of The Seller’s Questions.

One thing is certain buyers are increasingly weary of salesperson’s questions. That is a good place to start with a word of warning – when buyers hear questions they fear closing. So, salespeople must question carefully.

There is a reason why buyers sit back and let sales people do all the talking, that is because that way they feel more in control. When the salesperson stops talking, he generally starts asking questions that the buyer may not want to answer for any or all of the following reasons:

· Political, or other sensitivities (somebody’s nose will be out of joint, or I don’t want to look bad)

· Genuine information gaps (we don’t have that information)

· Issues of confidentiality (I don’t want our competitors finding out)

· Issues of trust (I don’t know you)

· Perceived relevance, or appropriateness (why are you asking that)

· Issues of competitive fairness (if I tell you I will have to tell all the others competing)

· Fear of being sold to (if I tell you, you will use that to sell to us)

· Don’t want to prejudice your response (we want to hear your suggestions, not just a regurgitation of our answers)

In particular buyers are weary of questions designed to: box them buyer in, to prequalify them, to uncover and accentuate pain, to hastily pin-point a solution, or create tension for change.

Buyers are right to be reticent in answering questions, after all information is power and by asking questions the salesperson is in effect looking to share the buyer’s power. Take for example, one sales methodology, employing what it describes as the ‘Progressive Questioning Control Technique’.

In the use of questions to control the buying process the salesperson must exercise great care. So question with care and ask questions that show that you care.

Timing is Everything.

Sales people must be careful about asking questions that are inappropriately; invasive, and undiplomatic, or direct. This is principally a factor of the timing. Just as in telling jokes, timing is essential to asking good questions. Even good questions asked in the wrong manner, or at the wrong time, can make a bad salesperson.

Why is this important? Well, inappropriate or simplistic questions highlight to the buyer a deficiency of knowledge, interest, empathy, or understanding on the part of the seller.

The questions depend on the stage you are at. Asking the wrong questions at the wrong time can present problems for both buyer and seller. With this in mind we here is a summary of some of the questions that are relevant at the different stages of the buying cycle (note we use the term buying cycle as opposed to sales cycle).

Stage	Contact	Meeting	Cycles	Orders	Repeat
Objective	Nurture	Explore	Engage	Business Case	Client Success
Questions	Should we be in contact? Do they fit the profile? What needs might they have? What information do they find useful? Should we meet?	Should we be talking? Is this of interest? What else might be of interest?	Should we engage (can we help)? How to engage (help)? Who else should we engage with? What is the need? What is the ideal solution? Who is the ideal supplier? How and when will the decision be made? Is there a budget allocated, etc?	What is the business case? Is it compelling? What are the costs, benefits, risks and constraints?	How are we impacting on your business? What are the metrics? Will you recommend us to others? Can we help you tell the story of your success? How can we help you further?

Is there a Universal List of Questions? Well, no. just as there is no universal sales script, at least not an effective one. Anyhow it is less about the questions than the consultative process and that must be tailored to the client and his, or her specific situation.

The main point to be gleaned from this table is that there is no universal list of questions. The questions asked depends on the stage that you are at with the prospect. Thinking this way is very important. Let’s take an analogy.

Imagine asking how much a person earns on the first date? That is a question for the 5th, or 6^th if even that. Not for the first time buyers are advising us as salespeople to slow down.

What is the objective of the questions?

Another word of caution, don’t spend precision time with the prospect gathering information (e.g. number of employees, product range, etc.) that can be gathered in other more efficient ways (such as the company’s web site).

Similarly, limit the time spent on form filling type questions, as opposed to build and demonstrate understanding, interest or empathy. That is the questions of a salesman, as opposed to a consultant, advisor, or expert.

Earning the Right to Ask Questions.

Remember the buyer owes you nothing, and that includes answers to your questions. The sales person has to earn the right to ask questions and build the trust that will enable buyers to answer freely and in detail. How to do this? Well, by focusing more on how you can help and in particular the information you can share, rather than the information that you want.

In other words the salesperson who shows up at a meeting with a standard product led sales pitch and a list of questions to determine needs and facilitate his, or her sales process prequalification will be seen by buyers as self serving and worthy of being left waiting in the hall. Clearly buyers have preference for dealing with the salesperson that has relevant insights, experiences and ideas to share.

At the early stage of the relationship, salespeople must place more emphasis on the information you give and less on the information you want.

Questions for Early Stage Meetings.

The greatest challenge salespeople seem to face is in respect of questions to be asked in early stage meetings. This stems from the fact that salespeople are trying to achieve too much in their initial customer encounter. They are aiming, somewhat unrealistically, for the one meeting qualification and even close.

However, the salesperson’s rush to elicit needs, propose a solution and prequalify the opportunity is not shared by the buyers. As we have said elsewhere salespeople are having to cut back on their expectations and slow down to the speed of the buyer.

The objective of the first meeting is to share some useful information with the buyer, that is an insight with respect to what his counterparts, or competitors are doing, the challenges they are facing and the results they are achieving. After all that is the most powerful way of communicating the benefits of your solution. Here is an example:

We have worked with a,b,c, to achieve x,y and z, and based on these projects we have… noticed an important trend… identified a range of key success factors… identified a number of factors that are often overlooked… employed a new way of… achieved some surprising results…

So, the questions you ask logically relate to that insight shared, to those challenges, benefits and trends discussed. For example:

• Do you think this (insight) is relevant? Have you seen this trend yourself?

• Who does it affect in your business? How does it affect them?

• Is this something that you would be interested in exploring a little more? What aspects of it in particular?

• How important do you think this could be? Do you think it could be a priority? For when?

• Other companies have faced challenges in implementing (budget, time, other priorities, etc.) do you think these would apply here?

•  Has this issue been examined before?  If 'yes', What was the outcome?   If 'no', is there a reason why this issue has not be address before?

• What would you like to do next? Is there anybody else that would be interested?

Getting Real About Prequalification.

Clearly, this is quite a leap from the traditional Budget, Authority, Need and Timing questions and prequalification that has traditionally been employed in a time of buoyant demand. We are not saying that these are no longer relevant, we are saying that by necessity they must be employed rigorously to real sales opportunities not to early stage conversations.

It is time to get real about prequalification. In a market with more supplier than buyers, it is the latter that is prequalifying the former and not the other way around. During the boom years salespeople had justification and indeed pressure not to waste time selling to those that did not have a budget. Today they don't have a choice. They have to sell to all those that could represent potential customers, regardless of whether they are ready to buy next quarter, or 3 quarters out.

Rather than being focused on prequalification – have they got a budget to spend? - the focus is on answering the question ‘Should we be talking?’ and ‘Is this of interest.’ Of course, when a potential sales opportunity emerges and the process of engagement begins then a very different set of questions are required.

How to Maximise the Success of Your Sales Calls

In the present environment, salespeople are delighted with the opportunity to meet with anybody who expresses an interest. But, what exactly is the purpose of that first meeting and how to maximise its success? For example, how speedily can you qualify the opportunity?

To help you we have pulled some of the key points from Miller Heiman's NEW CONCEPTUAL SELLING which in the words of the authors describes 'the most effective and proven method for face to face sales planning'. And it is a refreshing read, bring us back to the basics, that are so easily overlooked in the complex sale.

The purpose of this book is clear. It is spelt out in the opening sentence of Chapter One: ‘This book shows you how to stop selling.’ So, you are immediately confused, just how is it going to help me as a salesperson then? Well, Miller Heiman want us to focus instead on how the customer buys and on making that easier. That means adopting what they call a partnership approach to mutually exploring needs and solutions with our customers.

Partners in Exploring Options

So, how to you begin this partnership process? Well, state it as your objective, for example starting your customer meeting with something like this: ‘I am really not try to ‘sell’ you anything. Instead, because we are not for everyone, I would like us together to explore whether or not we have a match here. I know exactly where we fit and where we don’t, so I would like to ask you as many questions as you would like to ask me… Is this ok with you?’ The end result a more relaxed buyer, as well as a more relaxed salesperson and a more effective process of interaction.

Note the salesperson is immediately suggesting a process of two way communication, or dialogue as the approach. They remind us what we all know, but can easily forget – that is ‘show and tell’ sessions are not effective. We need to have conversations instead. For too long salesperson have been telling customers what they need, but now those same customers have stopped listening, after all they have real business decisions to make.

Joint Venture Selling

The first step on the path to joint venture selling is to scrap the assumption that the prospect needs your solution and that by showing it he, or she will immediately recognize that need. Here is the fundamental point – ‘people buy for their own reasons not yours!’ In a similar vein, people don’t resist their own ideas, but will resist those foisted upon them.

So, the task of the salesperson is to understand his, or her needs and the decision making process by which they will be met.

Life beyond the product pitch.

Let us revisit selling complex solutions 101 - ‘nobody buys a product, or service per se. What is bought is what the customer thinks the product, or service will do for him, or her.’ This is encapsulated in what what the authors refer to as the customer’s own personal ‘solution concept’.

For example, two organisations may require a CRM system, but for totally different reasons. The salesperson who sells the same way to each, pitching their and highlighting its feature set, is missing the point. Each customer has a unique and individual concept of the solution for his, or her business. Knowing exactly what that is the vital first step to a sale.

'Customerized Selling'

The salesperson’s job is not just discovering the customer’s solution concept, but helping shape it too. This process of adapting what you have got to the unique needs of each customer and the ideas that they want expressed, is what the authors call ‘customerized selling’. Key to this process is addressing the following questions:

Why am I here? This requires defining the sales objective for each meeting, or call. This goes hand in hand with effective sales meeting and sales call planning.

What do I want the customer to do? That is the ideal, or at least the minimum commitment that you expect from the customer as a next step following your meeting – after all it is a joint process, or no process at all. Before the meeting you will confirm with the prospect that this step is an appropriate next action, in this way ensuring agreement and commitment.

Ensure that people are with you on the journey – testing on an ongoing basis their level of interest, engagement and commitment. Measure the pulse of the relationship, as well as the opportunity, by regularly checking for commitment on the part of the customer.

If the customer does not take, or complete a specific next action following a meeting then perhaps he, or she does not clearly see a personal win and work in this area is required. Otherwise perhaps this is no win-win to be had at this time and you should look elsewhere.

Why should the customer see me? This relates to what the authors call a ‘valid business reason’ for the customer, or prospect to want to allocate time to meet with the salesperson. Clearly agreeing this in advance will warm up your call (if it is a cold call) and set expectations for the meeting, including who should be present and increase its effectiveness. If it is simply meeting a prospect for a sales call and there is no ‘valid business reason’ in the eyes of the prospect then it is not a sales call.

Do I have credibility? Before you prospect can talk about needs or explore your solution, he, or she had to be comfortable regarding your credibility, and that of your company. So, pay attention to the nature of the questions the prospect is asking, are they about your solution, or your credibility?

Present the prospect with evidence of your credibility which is based on your confidence, appearance and approach, as well as what you communicate about your experience, knowledge, associations, accreditations, etc.

What Information am I missing?

As salespeople we have the dominant gene for talking. However, we need to stop talking and start listening. To help us we need good questions that will fill in any gaps in the information that we have about our prospects and their needs, solution concept, buying process, etc.

It is important to prepare a list of the right questions and asking them in the right way, including how they are phrased and sequenced. Then afford silence to the answers. These questions are not just aimed at eliciting facts, but also building understanding and in particular exploring soft areas such as attitudes, emotions, culture, etc.

So, the sales person is no longer in control.

The salesperson has to let go of the notion of control. He, or she must stop assuming that the customer needs what he, or she has got and start listen intensively to what the customer actually wants. He, or she is no longer the 'ring master at the sale', to use the authors words, but merely a facilitator and communicator.

The salesperson’s new job is to get information, give information and build commitment through what the authors call a ‘joint venture’ approach to selling. And the founding principle of that approach is a win-win, where buyer and seller create the environment and conditions for a mutually beneficial relationship.

Arriving at a win-win situation.

Win-win is a genuine situation where neither the buyer,

or the seller seeks to steal a short term win over the other. For the seller this win-win mentality is key to ensuring repeat business and enthusiastic referrals for the customer. Something similar applies for the buyer, who does not foist unreasonable terms on the seller that would result in a one sided deal that would cut the cost of the solution, but might also impact on the suppliers ability, or commitment to deliver.

The win-win mentality is the ultimate expression of joint venture selling, with parity of needs and esteem. It means that the seller does not adopt a ‘cap in hand’ mentality and is prepared to walk away if the relationship cannot be mutually advantageous.

Praise for this book:

THE NEW CONCEPTUAL SELLING by Miller Heiman is not new, in fact it was first published as far back as 1987. However, it is still the gold standard as regards sales methodology for the complex sale. This book provides the fundamentals that will always be important, regardless of any trend, or fads in selling.

Always give the customer a chance to say No!

The golden rule always was 'don't give the customer a chance to say NO'. That is don't ask any questions that could result in a 'NO' answer and consequently sabotage your sale.

For example, don't ask the customer 'is this something that you might be interested in' if there is a chance he/she could say 'NO'. The logic was keep listing the benefits, the features and with persistence and charm you will eventually get the sale.

Now, if you are selling door to door, or over the phone that logic is fine. But, if you are selling complex or high value B2B solutions you will want to hear a 'No' as much as you will want to hear a 'Yes '. That is because the nature of the answer is irrelevant in terms of prequalification and consultative selling.

With sales cycles lasting months, you had better find out as early as possible if what you have could be of interest to the customer. If it is not, then either you need to go back to the drawing board and find another solution, or go back to your prospect list and find another potential customer.

Getting a 'NO' in week 2 is much better than getting it in week 22, after multiple futile sales calls, presentations and even a proposal. Your sales time is precious so make it easy for the customer to tell you if you are wasting your time, or at least going in the wrong direction.

Here are some of the questions you want to ask, regardless of whether the answer is YES, or NO:

· - I am not sure if this is something that you might be interested in?

· Is now a good time to talk?

· Is this the right time for you to consider this option?

· Is this a priority for your business at this time?

· Do you have a budget for this?

· Do you have decision making responsibility for this?

· Is there a reason why you are talking to us, given that you have been a customer of our competitor for so long?

If 'NO' is the answer then how will it help you advance your sales process, or does it suggest that your sales efforts would be better invested elsewhere.