by Laura Atchison
Have you ever read Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss? It is one of the best sales training books ever written. In the book, Sam convinces the other character to try something he had decided he did not like without even tasting it before. Sales!
[Image credit: yeko / 123RF Stock Photo]
Know that situation? You are heading to a potential sale and you are going to recommend a solution or product that they may never have considered before. Or perhaps one that they had but it was not a success? So what questions do you need to ask to make the outcome a positive one?
Here are four I recommend:
1. What is my definition of success?
As sales people we often define success as landing the contract, hitting our sales quota or exceeding it. Understanding what success means to you sets the tone for how you will approach each client interaction.
If dollars are your success measure, you may push for higher dollar sales. If satisfied, repeat clients are the measure, you may focus on long term planning with a client and layout a strategic plan that increases their business with you as their business reaches certain milestones rather than a one-size fits all approach.
2. What is the best outcome for the client and how does that compare to what they think is the best outcome?
A lot of you who are reading this are experienced sales people and you are probably laughing right now remembering all those times you presented a solution and the client said, “that wasn’t what I expected at all. I want “x”.”
I have found that this question is critical to me having the most prepared solution presented. “Why?” you ask. (Why is my all-time favorite question by the way.)
Sometimes what we think is the anticipated outcome is not and a different solution than originally envisioned will better meet needs. Planning for what is the best outcome for the client and presenting a solution that may not be what they wanted but solves their issue in a better way changes how we approach the sale to one that brings up the value for the client first.
It also means we need to understand the far reaching impact of the sale to that business as opposed to just selling the client something immediately.
I like to know what the client thinks they want before I walk through the door! That allows me to anticipate objections or roadblocks.
3. At the end of the meeting, ask, “Is there anything I did not ask that I should have asked?”
By doing this you make the client think through all you have discussed again. That additional question can open new doors because the client now has new information at hand which may open a different line of thought.
It also sets you up as someone who wants to have all the information to best help them and if they say, “No, you asked it all”, sets you up in their mind as an expert.
4. After any sales call, ask yourself, “Is this client a good fit for our company or are we both better served by passing them on to another company?”
Tough one, but now that you have more information about the client and their company you may realize that the best sale was the one you walked away from.
About the Author
Laura Atchison is a speaker, author of the #1 bestselling book, What Would a Wise Woman Do?, and the founder of Wisdom Learned, LLC-a consulting company specializing in educating and inspiring entrepreneurial leaders to get off autopilot and find success. Learn more or connect at www.WhatWouldaWiseWomanDo.com
This article was originally published on KLA Group and is republished with permission from KLA Group and the author.
Love Green Eggs and Ham! Haha. Good advice here! I’ve never had to make sales calls but a good friend of mine landed her first full-time job in sales and would always talk about the techniques and strategies she would try to employ but ultimately wasn’t cut out for it. These seem like they would have helped her!
It’s probably a good thing your friend found out early enough that sales was not her thing Kelly. It’s no fun being in a job that isn’t your true passion. Good sales skills are a great asset and can come in handy in non-traditional sales settings 🙂