Stephen M. Haines - Tips for sales professionals

How heavy are your questions? Part 3 of Ask a Better Question is actually a question - "How heavy are YOUR questions?"  In this installment, we investigate which question you are reaching for, and what response you are likely to solicit.  Buckle in, because this topic is HEAVY! This will be the last time I write on questioning for a while, but I felt it was worthwhile to cover one more facet.  You see, we have an opportunity to filter or improve the actual answer we are seeking, and phrase it as a better question - one that actually is likely to help us towards a positive response.  Before I get specific, how about an example? Let's say YOU are shopping for a luxury item for the first time - one you are not that familiar with - we'll go with a boat.  You have made it clear that you are an amateur by the nature of your dialogue - you've asked about anti-lock braking (on a boat, really?), cruise control, and "where does the waste from the toilet go?...

This topic of questioning is so near and dear to me, I figured I'd fire up the writing machine to remind you again just how important the power of questions are.  Today, I want to remind you that you are communicating great volumes by the nature and type of questions that you ask. First, did you realize that your customers realize where you place your value by the type of questions you ask?   For example, if you begin by asking them ABILITY or QUALIFYING questions, you are communicating that you are most concerned with whether or not they can afford your product.  It doesn't matter where you are in life, imagine walking into a Porsche dealership.  The sales person gives you a once over, and immediately begins with "Hi!  Isn't this Carrera gorgeous?  So, where will YOU be driving this to work?"  On the surface, it seems harmless, but here's what he's really asking "Will I be wasting my time if I help you?" Now, if this same hypothetical salesp...

While counseling Sales Pros who have been slumping, the conversation often moves between technique and strategy.  Too many I have met focus completely on technique and ignore strategy altogether.  Oddly, they often also lack on technique!  Technique is usually focused on how you handle the interactions with a client.  How you present, how you handle concerns, and how you close.  Strategy typically is how you plan or prepare for interactions, whether for an individual client, or for your month or year in general.  Today's post is both technique and strategy.  As a strategy, I feel it is wise to always learn what you can from the client.  The customer has some pain, some problem that needs to be solved, and they have chosen to discuss it with you, the sales pro.  I have a very funny family physician with a heavy Russian accent that, whether I go in for routine checkup or a cold, enters the examination room with a so...