When you’re a seller, it’s imperative you make the most out of every interaction you have with a prospect. That’s why it’s so important to ask questions in each and every meeting.
But walking into a meeting and firing off questions right away can make someone feel like they’re under interrogation. So how can you go about asking questions in sales meetings in a way that’s useful?
Here are 3 reasons you should be asking questions on a sales call:
1. Change the subject
This doesn’t mean you’re blatantly ignoring something they wanted to talk about or being slippery when asked about details.
Changing the subject by asking the questions that move the conversation towards the points you wanted to emphasize is the key.
Hopefully you’ve prepared properly for your appointment and have severals things in mind that you want to touch upon. These can span from confirming fact finding questions to ensure you have a full grasp of the prospect’s needs to discussing potential next steps.
As the salesperson, it’s up to you to lead the discussion during a meeting. Make sure you’re satisfying the prospect, but also fulfilling your own agenda while you have prospect’s time and attention.
2. Get a reaction
You’re not speaking with a robot, so any question you ask will be accompanied with a glimpse into the prospect’s feelings, as well as, an answer.
The point isn’t to shock anyone with outrageous questions, but simply evoke a reaction that will provide a hint as to any emotion behind the answer.
Asking about how the previous buying process unfolded, a past or even present provider, or about current pain-points are all examples of charged questions that will definitely give you some insight into the prospect’s state of mind.
Make sure you’re paying attention to factors such as how long it takes them to formulate a response, their inflection, their facial expression, and body language, as well as, the actual answer when they respond to your question.
Uncovering feelings that the prospect may not be directly open about, will help you better understand them and will influence how well you’re able to handle the sale.
3. Learn something new
Sometimes sellers need to ask obvious questions, in order to confirm their research or summarize prior conversations.
However, it’s important to discover something new in every conversation with a prospect.
Ask questions that will broaden your understanding of their industry, their company, and their needs. They will be surprised you care enough to ask them and will gladly provide you with answers.
Their responses will also help you approach the sale in a more strategic way. You will be prepared to provide them with a solution that truly suits their needs and expectations.
This information gathering won’t only help you with that particular sale, but it might carry over to similar industries or companies you’re working with or will work with in the future.
Make certain that you come to every meeting curious and ready to learn as much as you can to help you anticipate the progression of the deal.
Thoroughly preparing for every sales call and coming armed with these three types of questions will help you learn something new, change the subject, and get a reaction from your prospect.
What questions do you typically ask that help you during your meetings?
