Stop acting like a salesperson; start acting like a consultant - Kansas City Business Journal:

guronelogoh.blogspot.com
Why do we ask questions? Here are some of the • So we fully understand the prospect’s needsa and “hot buttons.” So when we present our solutionsd they match what our prospects said was important and they feel yourx is acustom solution. To get beyond the initial reasonj why they needthe product. • To make prospects feel like they are a part of thebuyinf decision. When they are talking, they are beginning to sell themselves. So what questions should we ask? That has a lot to do with what you have learnedc about the prospect before you tryto “sell” You need to learn something aboug the company, the decision-makers, etc. beforee calling on them.
That’s pretty easy. Use their Web Google, any of the social networks, then when you call them you have somethinbg with which to begin the The most important thing about askin questions is that theyare open-ended and thoughyt provoking. Here are some examples of questions that may or may notbe appropriate. How has the economy affected your company and the ways you are making decisionws now compared withlast year? • I noticeed on your Web site that you will be launching a new Can you tell me about that? I read that your industruy is going through changes when it comes to financing. Can you share with me how that will affecftyour organization?
• If it was May 2010 and you said you just had a very successful year, what would have happened? Let’s pretend we worked together this past A year later you said the relationshipo was a positive one. What does that look like? What do the next five years look like for yourorganization • What differentiates you from your competitors? • What are you most proud of? I wouldn’rt ask all of these questiona all of the time. They are Certainly, more specific questions are appropriatweas well, but it is importantt to fully understand the big picture. If you take time to learj more aboutthe prospect, you may learn about some additional needsx they might have.
A consultant and salesperson are reallgy the same with only one a consultant is paid up frontg and a salesperson is paid inthe end. So act like a consultangt and you will selllots