The best investigators are the best closers.
What you do
before
you make the presentation, the diagnosis you perform on the prospect, is the most important element in a complex sale. When prospects believe you understand their challenges better than your competition does, they have more confidence in you as a solution provider. Think of the confidence you have in a doctor’s prescription after he completes an extensive diagnosis. Selling is no different. Discovering the prospect’s real pain is a process. It’s a series of questions that is designed to
take the prospect from an intellectual, big picture level to an emotional level describing personal consequences and commitment.
Here are the types of questions that will help you become a world-class qualifier.
When a prospect says,
“We’re just not getting the kind of support from our widget vendor that we need,”
you’d follow up these questions…
- “Can you tell me a little more about that?”
- “How long has this been a problem?”
- “Why do you suppose it’s happening?”
- “What’s the financial impact?”
- “What have you done to try to fix the problem?”
- “How did that work?”
- “What happens if you don’t fix it?”
- “How does it affect you personally?”
- “Who else besides you cares?”
- “What priority does this have?”
- “What does a perfect solution look like?”
- “Do you think I have a good understanding of the issues you’re trying to resolve?”
Summarize and Feed Back!
- “So what you’re saying is………………”
- “Let me see if I understand……………..”
Keeping Buyers Talking
- “What else is there?”
- “Can you elaborate on that?”
- “Is there more?”
Tip: The prospect must convince you that there’s a problem, that the problem is serious, and that it’s important to find a solution.
Self-Study Assignment:
Record yourself asking the above pain questions as if you were with a prospect. Be as realistic as possible. Listen to this recording over and over until you have the questions memorized. This is the fastest and most effective way to learn how to qualify for pain.