Have you noticed that companies spend millions of dollars telling salespeople what to say, but they spend almost nothing teaching them what to ask? While the typical sales process has been defined many times over, organizations assume salespeople already know how to ask the right questions (at the right time), in order to engage potential buyers in a mutually beneficial business relationship.
In my first book, Secrets of Question Based Selling, I refer to strategic questions as: The Most Powerful Tools in Sales. That’s because in addition to gathering information, asked strategically, questions become one of your best opportunities to:
- Leveraging Curiosity to Pique the Customer’s Interest
- Transforming Lead Generation a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
- Establishing More Credibility Sooner
- Expanding the Customer’s Requirements
- Increase the Decision Maker’s Sense of Urgency
- Qualifying Forecasted Deals
- Creating Competitive Separation
- Setting Expectations Prior to Negotiation
- Securing Commitments to Move Forward
- Protecting Your Company’s Profit Margins
- Ultimately, Repeating Your Successes to Win More Business
…which is much more than just probing to uncover customer’s needs.
The evolution of the QBS Methodology represents the culmination of a career-long journey—one that has helped me realize that questions are more than just staples of everyday conversation. Perhaps this marks the beginning of a new journey for you as well; not only as a motivated reader, but as a student of Question Based Selling. Congratulations on taking the first step. I wish you the best!
Hi Tom,
I just want to say “thanks!”
When we last spoke, you and I evaluated one of my specific emails and associated voice mail. You explained the messages need to be purposeful, relevant, valuable and credible…and we went through some examples of how to apply those principles. I have to tell you that as a result of our conversation and my dedication to your materials, my response rates have skyrocketed. No doubt I was in the classic 2 – 5% response range, but I suspect my response rate today is closer to 50%. The difference has been nothing short of amazing. And I can’t imagine ever sending another business email where the subject doesn’t contain a set of words that create curiosity and are also in the body of the email.
Now that I have read 3 of your 5 books, I am looking forward to the QBS Audio CD’s I just ordered. What a great way to spend my time driving back and forth to the office.
Tom, your efforts are appreciated. Keep up the great work!
Steve