As you know, magnets have two sides to them. If you take two magnets and put them together, they will either come together or resist each other.
As the old phrase goes, opposites attract and the only way to get two mag- nets together is to make sure those magnets are lined up correctly.
In a sales call, you and your customer are two magnets and only one of two things is going to happen when you meet. You are either going to come together or you are not. Before you speak, think about which side of the magnet you want to use. Your magnet has two sides. One side is made up of statements and the other is made up of questions. If you want to con- sistently and magnetically attract your customers, then you must use the
“question” side of the magnet more than the “statement” side.
Questions Get Them to Tell You What They Want and Need
Average salespeople tell customers what they should want and need. The PRECISE salesperson asks customers what they want and need, and then delivers PRECISE presentations focused only on fulfilling those wants and needs.
Questions Reduce Resistance
Word: resistance Function: noun
1a: the act of standing firm against a person or influence
How do you feel when you are being sold? Do you stand firm and keep your walls up? Do you have a tendency to be skeptical of what the sales reps say to you? I know I do, and I teach sales reps every week. Hell, I am a salesperson and I have a tendency to despise the very people that do what I do every day. The truth is that most of us are resistant to the state- ments that salespeople make. Statements cause resistance, but questions allow the customer to feel more in control of the selling situation.
Questions Reduce Risk
Consider the following two approaches:
Risky statement: “The best feature about the unit is that it is small and portable.”
Contrarian response: “I don’t like small and portable units. They have a tendency to get stolen.”
Risk-free question: “Do you like units that are small and portable, or would you prefer a stationary system?”
Risk-free response: “I usually prefer stationary systems that won’t get stolen, but if there is enough value packed into a portable unit, I might be willing to give one a look.”
Can you see how wording something in the form of a question removes any risk of saying something the customer does not agree with? Before you make a statement on anything, ask a question.
Questions Make Customers Feel in Control
Customers feel in control when they are talking. When you ask questions of your customers, you are inviting them to talk. The more they talk, the more in control they feel. The more in control they feel, the more comfort- able they are, and the more willing they will be to bring down the defenses that make it difficult for you to do your job.
Questions Give the Salesperson Control
Lawyers are notorious for manipulating their witnesses with questioning techniques. Turn on Court TV, watch for twenty minutes, and you will see just how good some attorneys are at subtly “leading” a witness. The key word here is subtle. The most successful attorneys are ones that empathet- ically question their witness, get them to share information, and then help lead them to the attorney’s predetermined conclusion.
While it pains me to have to compare our noble vocation to the law pro- fession, there are some likenesses. The most successful salespeople, like the most successful lawyers, use questions to help control and lead their customers to a conclusion. Of course, that conclusion usually means the salesperson has an order in his hand. An example of this type of question follows.
Let’s say you just did a presentation on how your product is the smallest and lightest on the market. You hand it to the customer and his eyebrows and lips give an approving look of agreement. Try a leading question such as, “There is quite a size and weight difference from the product you are used to using, isn’t there?”
The agreement that follows is fueling the progress of the presentation.
Questions Get Them Fired Up
When great leaders, speakers, and motivators want to get their audience fired up, they do it by asking a question that demands a response. Evangelical min- isters are masters at using questions to stir emotions in their congregations.
If you ever have attended one of these services or have seen one on TV, you know that when the pastor asks, “Can I get an amen?” The response is usu- ally a resounding, “Amen!” And if that pastor wants to stir just a little more emotion, he will ask again. “I said…could I get an amen!” And if he has to ask twice, watch out, that second amen will blow the doors off heaven.
Questions, Questions, and Questions 33
When looking to stir similar emotions from your clients, use those leading questions with emotion. Sound excited when you ask, “There is quite a size and weight difference from the product you are used to using, isn’t there?” While the content of the question is important, the way you ask it is just as critical. Do it well, and you too will “blow the doors off ” of your presentation.
Questions Allow Customers to Sell Themselves
Salesperson: “How do you think the product will make your life easier?”
Customer: “Well, I really think it is going to save me tons of time and . . .”
Prospects can sell themselves even better than salespeople can. So use questions to get prospects to do your job for you. Ask them a question that forces them to tell you why they think your solution is so great.
Questions Prepare Them to Sell to Others
In today’s complex selling environment, there are often many tiers of decision-makers. Gatekeepers are often successful in putting up road- blocks that prevent you from getting to the person or people that can pull the trigger. Sometimes the best you can do is to turn your lower-level decision-makers into fine-tuned selling machines by asking them questions that will better prepare them to deliver your message.
Salesperson: “Mary, what part of our solution do you think will resonate most with the CEO?”
Customer: “Well, I think he will love the added efficiency the system will bring, as well as . . .”
When customers start thinking, they start talking. When they start talking, they are practicing to sell your solution up the chain of command.
Questioning Yourself Will Give You Confidence
Confidence is essential in sales, and the first person that needs to be sold on any product or service is you. So before you ever enter your first call on any new product or service, ask yourself the questions that your potential customers might ask you. Play devil’s advocate in as many ways as possible.
If you don’t have the answers to your own questions, find them. Once you are able to answer most of your own questions, you will then feel more
certain in your early sales calls. When an area of concern comes up, you will not look like a deer in headlights.