Hardwood Floors February/March 2017

BONUS QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU GIVE YOUR CUSTOMER THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO TOMORROW THEY CANNOT DO TODAY?

3. FAST FORWARD TO THE END OF THIS PROJECT. WHAT DOES THE IDEAL OUTCOME LOOK LIKE?

When making a purchasing decision, most buyers want the best long-term solution. Yet, they get hung-up on short-term issues like the price. To effectively sell your value-added solution, the buyer has to think long term. When a buyer thinks long term, they are less focused on price because they focus on outcomes. This a logical but underutilized question. Salespeople assume they understand how a buyer is solving their problems or satisfying their needs. This question reveals your competition for the business. Your competition could be another supplier, provider, or the status quo. For your solution to stand out from the competition, you have to know your competition. 4. HOW ARE YOU CURRENTLY MEETING YOUR NEEDS? 5. WHAT DO YOU LIKE AND DISLIKE ABOUT YOUR CURRENT SOLUTION? The response to this question will reveal the customer’s level of dissatisfaction with their current method or solution. The more dissatisfied the buyer, the more likely they are to change. If the buyer is dissatisfied with their current solution, probe deeper to understand their pain. Bring that pain to the surface so the buyer is aware of how that pain impacts them. 6. IF YOU WERE GOING INTO OUR BUSINESS TOMORROW, WHAT WOULD YOU OFFER CUSTOMERS THAT NOBODY IS OFFERING? This question allows the buyer to dream. Their answer reveals what is missing. This could be a point of differentiation for your solution. When the buyer answers this question, they are fundamentally telling you that they are not completely satisfied with their current solution. They are also revealing your window of opportunity. The goal of this question is to highlight a gap between the buyer’s needs and their current solution. The larger the gap, the greater your window of opportunity. 7. IF WE COULD PROVIDE THE IDEAL SOLUTION, HOW WOULD THAT IMPACT YOU? The answer to this question reveals the downline impact of your solution. The buyer is telling you what they stand to gain. When the buyer answers this question, they are restating the value proposition. By answering this question, the buyer experiences an “ah-ha” moment. They discover that your solution will help them achieve their goals or solve a problem.

This powerful sales question isn’t answered by the customer, it’s answered by you. To help you prepare for your next sales presentation, ask yourself this question. The answer to this question is why the customer should choose your alternative. Questions are powerful selling tools. The right questions, asked the right way, can expose a need that the buyer is unaware of. Questions also help us build rapport with the buyer. When the buyer is talking, and we’re listening, they feel more comfortable. Questions give us the opportunity to listen and reveal our customers’ needs. These are great questions to get the conversation started with the customer. When you ask the customer the right questions, self-discovery will compel the buyer to act. Remember, those who listen are more persuasive than those who talk.

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Paul Reilly is president of Reilly Sales Training. Reilly Sales Training is a St. Louis-based, privately owned company that specializes in training sales professionals, sales managers, and service professionals. Reilly Sales Training offers public seminars, in-house sales training programs, and hiring and training assessments. For additional information on training programs, call or email Paul at 636-778-0175 or Paul@ReillySalesTraining. com. You can also visit www.ReillySalesTraining.com and sign up for his free newsletter.

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