Stop acting like a salesperson; start acting like a consultant - Portland Business Journal:

soileauifyyfa1786.blogspot.com
Why do we ask questions?? Here are some of the • So we fully understand the prospect’s needws and “hot buttons.” • So when we preseng our solutions they match what our prospects said was important and they feel yoursw is acustom solution. • To get beyond the initiao reason why they needthe product. • To make prospectxs feel like they are a part of thebuyingb decision. When they are they are beginning tosell themselves. So what questiona should we ask? That has a lot to do with what you have learneds about the prospect before you tryto “sell” You need to learn something about the the decision-makers, etc.
before calling on That’s pretty easy. Use their Web site, Google, any of the sociak networks, then when you call them you have somethingh with which to beginthe conversation. The most importantt thing about asking questions is that theyare open-endedr and thought provoking. Here are some examples of questions that may or may notbe • How has the economy affectefd your company and the ways you are makinhg decisions now compared with last year? I noticed on your Web site that you will be launchiny a new product. Can you tell me abour that? • I read that your industry is goinhg through changes when it comesato financing.
Can you share with me how that will affecftyour organization? • If it was May 2010 and you said you just had a very successfu year, what would have happened? Let’s pretend we worked together this past A year later you said the relationship was a positive one. What does that look like? • What do the next five yearws look like for yourorganization • What differentiates you from your competitors? What are you most proue of? I wouldn’t ask all of these questionzs all of the time. They are examples. Certainly, more specifid questions are appropriateas well, but it is important to fully understand the big picture.
If you take time to learjn more about the you may learn about some additional needs theymighrt have. A consultant and salesperson are reall y the same with only one a consultant is paid up front and a salesperso is paid inthe end. So act like a consultantg and you will selllots more.