The Right Questions Lead to Sales Success
The Right Questions Lead to Sales Success
Facts Don't Lie
In the book SPIN Selling, author Neil Rackham, discusses traits of the most successful sales people. Rackham observed 35,000 sales calls over a 12-year period and analyzed why some sales people succeed and others fail. He found that the best sales people are highly skilled at matching the needs of their products and services with specific, customer-defined benefits. This is easier said then done. Many sales people can claim to understand this concept, but only a very small percentage can pull it off. It is the art of asking the right questions and listening for solutions.
Types of Questions to Ask
Rackham found that top producers in sales ask four types of questions: situation, problem, implication and need-payoff, thus the title of the book S.P.I.N. Selling. The book reviews what the best sales people do when qualifying prospects. They use probing questions to best meet customer needs and add real value.
Situation Questions
These questions are used to gather the facts and data. They are concerned with the specifics of the situation and the customer. Examples of good situation questions include: What is your budget and time-frame? How many employees do you have? How long have you been in business? How many children do you have? Other than yourself, who are the key decision makers? What do they do? What are you looking to do? What are your greatest challenges and goals? What is your vision for your business? What is your level of commitment? You get the idea; fact and data collection. Most sales people have very little difficulty in this area. However, the problem is most go no further in their question asking process.
Problem Questions
Problem questions are used to uncover the pain experienced by the prospect. This is step one in getting a handle on how you might actually help the prospect. Understanding why they need to buy your product or service is connected to what they are looking to change or fix in their lives. This can be described as the pain you are going to take away from them when they buy from you. Experienced sales people generally have a handle on these questions, however the real pros realize that before the sale can be closed, there must be a direct connection between the pain experienced by your prospect and the solution you are recommending. Examples of these questions include: Where are your problem areas? What would you like to fix? What is your current problem? What kind of obstacles are you facing in this area?
Implication Questions
These questions are very important, as they determine the consequences of the pain and how it is unique to your prospect. Implication questions include: Why is solving that problem important? What would it mean for you? What are the implications of fixing that problem? How do you see this moving forward?
Need-Payoff Questions
The final set of questions reveal how the product or services offered can add real benefit. These questions bring it all together so your solution makes sense to your prospect and they are ready to buy. These questions include trail closes and here are a few examples: How can I help you reach your goals? Why is this important? How would that help? Where do you see returns? How can my product or service help them/you do it better? Would it be useful ifÉ? Is there any other way this could help you? What kind of benefits would you like to see?
Don't let the title fool you, SPIN Selling is an excellent book and a must read for all professional sales people. Use these questions, be a great listener and read SPIN Selling.
The Right Questions Lead to Sales Success - To learn more about this author, visit Thomas Young's Website.
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The best salespeople are like expert detectives searching to find the exact needs of their customers and prospects. These needs are not exactly clear, so the detective looks for clues and puts the pieces together to better uncover the potential customer's hot buttons and close the sale. The best method for uncovering clues and needs is to ask the right questions. Here are a few ideas to help you understand how questions can separate great sales people from those that are average.
Facts Don't Lie
In the book SPIN Selling, author Neil Rackham, discusses traits of the most successful sales people. Rackham observed 35,000 sales calls over a 12-year period and analyzed why some sales people succeed and others fail. He found that the best sales people are highly skilled at matching the needs of their products and services with specific, customer-defined benefits. This is easier said then done. Many sales people can claim to understand this concept, but only a very small percentage can pull it off. It is the art of asking the right questions and listening for solutions.
Types of Questions to Ask
Rackham found that top producers in sales ask four types of questions: situation, problem, implication and need-payoff, thus the title of the book S.P.I.N. Selling. The book reviews what the best sales people do when qualifying prospects. They use probing questions to best meet customer needs and add real value.
Situation Questions
These questions are used to gather the facts and data. They are concerned with the specifics of the situation and the customer. Examples of good situation questions include: What is your budget and time-frame? How many employees do you have? How long have you been in business? How many children do you have? Other than yourself, who are the key decision makers? What do they do? What are you looking to do? What are your greatest challenges and goals? What is your vision for your business? What is your level of commitment? You get the idea; fact and data collection. Most sales people have very little difficulty in this area. However, the problem is most go no further in their question asking process.
Problem Questions
Problem questions are used to uncover the pain experienced by the prospect. This is step one in getting a handle on how you might actually help the prospect. Understanding why they need to buy your product or service is connected to what they are looking to change or fix in their lives. This can be described as the pain you are going to take away from them when they buy from you. Experienced sales people generally have a handle on these questions, however the real pros realize that before the sale can be closed, there must be a direct connection between the pain experienced by your prospect and the solution you are recommending. Examples of these questions include: Where are your problem areas? What would you like to fix? What is your current problem? What kind of obstacles are you facing in this area?
Implication Questions
These questions are very important, as they determine the consequences of the pain and how it is unique to your prospect. Implication questions include: Why is solving that problem important? What would it mean for you? What are the implications of fixing that problem? How do you see this moving forward?
Need-Payoff Questions
The final set of questions reveal how the product or services offered can add real benefit. These questions bring it all together so your solution makes sense to your prospect and they are ready to buy. These questions include trail closes and here are a few examples: How can I help you reach your goals? Why is this important? How would that help? Where do you see returns? How can my product or service help them/you do it better? Would it be useful ifÉ? Is there any other way this could help you? What kind of benefits would you like to see?
Don't let the title fool you, SPIN Selling is an excellent book and a must read for all professional sales people. Use these questions, be a great listener and read SPIN Selling.
The Right Questions Lead to Sales Success - To learn more about this author, visit Thomas Young's Website.
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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