The Questions We Avoid Asking

No one likes rejection.  We don't always want to know the truth, do we?  We never really expect someone to say "yes" when we ask: "Do I look fat in this?" We are more comfortable asking questions when we can anticipate the answer especially when we anticipate the answer will be positive.

How does this relate to a sales process?  I believe that in order to be proficient in sales you must understand your comfort level in asking tough questions.  Example:  Do you routinely ask each prospect why they wouldn't decide to partner with you?  Do you ask how likely it is that they will implement a solution within a certian timeframe?  Do you ask what other options they are considering?  Do you ask if they have heard any negative feedback about your company or solutions?

If you aren't asking tough questions: ask yourself why.  Don't you want to know the answers to these questions?  Could a negative answer make you feel discouraged?  These are tough questions but as sales representatives, we have to know the answers.  If we don't understand the complete picture we can't increase our changes of winning a deal.  We have to understand where the prospect is in THEIR sales process so we don't waste our time.  For example, if you never ask when they would put a solution in place you could be working on a sales process that just needs to be repeated in 12 months. 

Revert back to your 5-year-old curiosity: ASK WHY!

As a Solutions Consultant, I am a huge fan of the discovery/needs assessment part of the sales process.  I get to ask all kinds of questions to determine how I can help fill in gaps to allow my clients and prospects to succeed.  There is one question that I get the most mileage out of:  "WHY?"

The Power of WHY:

Revert Back to your inner child:  Remember when you were a little one asking WHY after every answer?  You just weren't satisfied with a quick response were you?  You KNEW there HAD to be more to it.  Revert back to this frame of mind on sales calls.  Remind yourself of something very important:  People say things for a reason. See the example below to understand what I mean.

Example:  You hear a CFO say, "I have to find a better way to control my labor cost."  Ask:   WHY?  Why does he have to find a better way to control labor cost?  Why does he need to reinvest those dollars in another project?  What happens if he can't reduce labor cost and reinvest into a new market segment?  What time frame is he working with?  What impact on his personal career and the organization will it have if he doesn't do this correctly?

Your result in asking why is a complete picture of what the CFO has to gain by reducing labor cost, what the organization has to gain by doing so AND what the impact will be if things stay the same.  Now you enter the picture with the ability to ask even more questions to find ROI dollars with your solution.  Your business case is directly tied to the CFO/organizations ability to succeed and you can show how many dollars they are wasting every day they don't partner with you.





* The contents of this blog are my opinions only and are not a reflection of ADP, inc.

A Salute to Common-Sense Selling ….

We answer 500 million emails a day.  We find new exciting contacts to befriend on LinkedIn.  We mail thought-provoking whitepapers.   But, do we ask ourselves, “What am I trying to accomplish by doing this?”  I wish I would have started asking myself this question years ago.  I would have spent time on the right activities at the right time.  I may not have been less busy, but I would have been a lot more productive.

I have learned a few things over the years that have really helped me.  They are not ground-breaking, they are not going to be published in a book, but they are to me the difference between winning a new partnership and just wasting time.

My little tidbits:

1)  Put your all into it! If it is worth doing it is worth doing correctly.  Trite I know but so true. 

2) Never say no to something just because it is outside your job description if it is something your client or prospect needs, you can provide it and of course it is within your company’s guidelines.  Example, putting together a PowerPoint of screenshots or a “boring” one pager of detailed product specifications may not be glamorous but if the client/prospect needs it to move forward then it is within my job description.

3) It’s the little things that close deals.  I can talk for hours about the “little things” sales representatives and I have done that have made a deal close: deciding to email a third party for help, bringing in an internal implementation partner to reassure a prospect, picking up the phone and having a conversation versus sending an email.

4) Let them shine!  Although clients and prospects need to understand they are partnering with a great resource (you) and a great company, they also want us to recognize THEIR achievements and future accomplishments.  So, take the time to customize your presentation or live demonstration and talk about all the great things they told you they will do with their new solution.  Talk about how they are the right people and the right company to get the job done and you are there to help make that possible.  When you customize your solutions to look like your client/prospect they see themselves in an even BETTER light.  It’s like test driving that fancy new car, admit it you look really good behind the wheel, don’t you?

I told you these are not ground-breaking concepts.  But, they have allowed me to win deals over the years and for that I salute good ‘ol Common-Sense selling!

Now … go ask yourself why you are sending out that whitepaper!  Oh, and get that deal signed too while you are at it!

*The content in this blog entry and all content on this blog are my opinions only and do not reflect the opinions of my employer, ADP, Inc.