In a sales meeting, your objective is to learn as much as possible from your customers to find out exactly what challenges they face and uncover existing opportunities where you can offer value. So whether it’s your first meeting or a follow up, here are a few thoughtful questions to get your customers talking.
- To understand the customer's concept, that is, what he or she is trying to fix, accomplish or avoid, consider asking:
- What needs to change?
- What are the specific, measurable results you’re looking to gain?
- To get information about the Buying Influences who can have a positive or negative influence on a current opportunity, ask questions like:
- Who will be evaluating this proposal?
- Who will give final approval to this contract?
- Who will actually manage or use the product or service?
- Find out what the buying process looks like by asking:
- What is the budget and has it been allocated?
- How will the decision be made for this proposal?
- Know who your competition is with these questions:
- Who else are you considering to partner with for this project?
- Are they new players or a vendor you’ve worked with for years?
A good questioning process does not feel like an interrogation session. Instead, your goal is to create a flowing dialogue that balances the amount of information that you give and that you get back from the customer. Don’t attack your customer with rapid-fire questions. Your customer needs to feel comfortable answering your questions.
If you sense uneasiness or your customer seems reluctant to answer, something else may be going on – a credibility issue with you or your company or a new circumstance within your customer’s company. Your main objective is to the ask the questions that encourage the flow of information you can use to create a fit between what you customer needs and what you can provide to address that need.
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