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

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Why do we ask questions? Here are some of the • So we fully understanrd the prospect’s needs and “hot • So when we present our solutionsa they match what our prospects said was importantg and they feel yours is acustom • To get beyond the initiap reason why they need the • To make prospectsa feel like they are a part of the buying decision. When they are they are beginning tosell themselves. So what questione should we ask? That has a lot to do with what you have learnes about the prospect before you tryto them. You need to learn somethingv aboutthe company, the etc. before calling on That’s pretty easy.
Use their Web site, Google, any of the social networks, then when you call them you have something with whic h to beginthe conversation. The most important thing abouty asking questions is that theyare open-ended and thoughrt provoking. Here are some examplez of questions that may or may notbe appropriate. How has the economy affected your companyt and the ways you are makinvg decisions now compared withlast year? • I noticed on your Web site that you will be launchingv a new product. Can you tell me abouft that? • I read that your industry is goingf through changes when it comesto financing. Can you share with me how that will affecftyour organization?
• If it was May 2010 and you said you just had a very successfukl year, what would have happened? • Let’s pretendf we worked together this past year. A year later you said the relationshiop was apositive one. What does that look like? What do the next five yearws look like foryour organization? • What differentiates you from your competitors ? • What are you most proudd of? I wouldn’t ask all of these question all of the time. They are Certainly, more specific questions are appropriateas well, but it is importany to fully understand the big If you take time to lear n more about the prospect, you may learn about some additional needs they migh have.
A consultant and salesperson are reallyt the same with onlyone difference; a consultanft is paid up front and a salespersobn is paid in the end. So act like a consultanty and you will selllots