Jun 24 2008
Asking the Tough Questions
The JF Guest Author Spot
Steve Kraner
Sometimes we fail to ask the tough questions. Why? Well, for one thing, it can spoil a perfectly good forecast! We’d prefer to have HAPPY EARS - instead of evaluating our current position critically and dispassionately.
I observe that sales people often ask a lot of surface-level questions because they are afraid to ask questions about pain, fear, or gain – they are afraid they might antagonize the buyer. Actually, too many surface questions are what irritate buyers. Drilling down, while uncomfortable for most sales people, actually increases buyer engagement and the buyer’s willingness to share information. It also increases the overt signs of respect the buyer shows toward the sales person.
To quantify the value of an issue, we will need to get to the heart of the matter. It’s a bit like peeling an onion. We move from a broad, generic description of the issue to the underlying motivation or key driver. From an emotional perspective, we move from that which is known, intellectual, and safe, to that which is unexamined, emotional, and vulnerable. We are trying to reveal what makes this issue important to the buyer - intellectually and emotionally.
There is a difference between moving along the surface – getting more facts - and drilling down to a deeper level of investigation – revealing the impact. Most of us are comfortable collecting more facts, but are unwilling to go deeper and strip away enough layers to get to the true impact, to the heart of the matter. Doing so is uncomfortable; but to effectively solve the buyer’s issue, we must understand it at its deepest levels.
When I first hung out my shingle as a sales trainer 10 years ago, I made cold calls and got an appointment with a fellow who was in insurance. As I drove to meet him, I was going further and further out into the country. I kept checking the directions, and it seemed right. Finally, the last turn took me into a trailer park. He lived there: a fifty year old man, his wife, and his poodle. For two hours I sat there while he told me that every financially successful person he knew in his business had either had a heart attack, gotten divorced, or in some other way was worse off than he. I left without his even once suggesting that anything was wrong with his life.
The next week, I had a similar meeting, a similar type of fellow – a retired Federal employee who had bought a franchise. He told me for 30 minutes how great he was at selling. I was determined to break through this time, so I took a chance. I stood up and went to the white board. I drew two circles and said, “Let’s simplify your business to a two-link chain. One link is your sales ability and one link is the service you offer. One is the weak link. Based on what you’ve told me, the sales link, on a scale of 1-10, is about a 10. So I don’t think I can help in any way. The problem is the service. Fair?”
There was a long and very uncomfortable silence. He literally changed colors and squirmed in the seat. Then he finally said, “That can’t be true.”
I said, “Why not?”
He said, “Because I bought my business at the same time several other people did and they are all making over $300K now.”
This second man I did business with, and to this day he gives us more credit than we deserve for the eventual success of his business. The first guy is probably still in the trailer park. And whose fault is that?
Sometimes it‘s hard to ask your customer these questions - but it’s irresponsible not to.
Good Selling!
Steve Kraner is a communication expert. He understands that it takes a strong ego to succeed in sales and knows sales audiences are demanding. Steve entertains as he enlightens, combining colorful personal experiences to give you a fresh, unflinching perspective on the sales process. His unique brand of sales edutainment is generously spiced with humorous and relevant stories garnered during a colorful, 17-year sales and sales management career. He invites audiences to challenge him, and the highlight of his programs is the “no-holds-barred” interaction that results. When the dust settles it’s clear to everyone in the room that Steve can walk the talk. Visit Steve’s website here
Today’s News:
You may remember that I also post to the Sales Manager’s Mentor Blog for Sales Gravy. This week, I have shared the Sales Cabinet Concept and you can read all about it by simply clicking on the image.
Tomorrow: Lower training budgets but higher expectations - this is the dichotomy facing sales leaders today.
