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Your prospect has generally agreed to meet with you
for a reason. Something you have said or something
they’ve read has generated a spark of interest. It will
be your job to discover the details behind that spark,
and to fan it into a bonfire.
Your role is to help your prospect realize that the business problem staring him/her in the face needs to be solved or there will be severe detrimental effects on their business survival. The consequences of inaction need to be highlighted. Prospects will rarely tell you what is really wrong with their business. They either don’t know what’s wrong, or they want to find out if you’re perceptive enough to discover it on your own. After all, you’re supposed to be the man with the answers, right? Take time to research your prospective company in
advance. Research the company, recent press
releases, bios of the officers, latest stock purchases,
and other details from their website. Search the
internet (Google, Yahoo) to learn what challenges
their industry is facing, what their competitors are up
to. Be prepared to weave this information into your
line of questioning. Show that you’ve spent your
valuable time preparing for the call.
Your questions must encourage your prospect to talk, so concentrate on open-ended questions, not closed. For example: “Tell me about your sales process and how effective it has been”, versus “Who’s your VP of Sales?” |
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There are 4 main categories of questions, each with a
different purpose. We call them the 4 C’s. Here they
are:
Curious Find out as much as possible about their business. Ask many open-ended questions and show you are interested. Dig into details, and reference the latest information from your research. Get as many facts as possible. Change Find out what has changed in the past few months. Who transferred out, who got promoted, what are the new product lines, how their business has changed, who’s the new manager, what’s new with their job etc. Concerns What are the biggest issues they’re dealing with? What are they worried about? Who is their biggest competitor and are they losing business to them? What causes them the most pain? Relate this to their business as well as their role in the business. Consequences What are the consequences if (Problem X) is not solved? Why hasn’t the problem already been solved? What impact are they feeling from (Issue Y)? What would happen if (Problem Y) does not get solved? The most important “C” is the last one, Consequences. Until the prospect recognizes the impact of his unsolved problem/issue, and feels the emotional pain/worry, he will not be compelled to take action. Unless he is convinced of the critical and immediate nature of the problem, and the fact it has a personal impact on him, he will not move forward. To your Success! |
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To find out how to improve your sales performance, or to receive coaching as a manager or a speaker, contact the Connexia Group. We'll be happy to arrange for an assessment and make recommendations for improvements. Sincerely, Patrick McClure
Connexia Group
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