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.
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