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

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Why do we ask questions? Here are some of the • So we fully understans the prospect’s needs and “hot • So when we presenr our solutions they match what our prospects said was importan t and they feel yours is acustom solution. To get beyond the initial reason why they needthe • To make prospects feel like they are a part of the buyingb decision. When they are they are beginning to sell So what questions shouldwe ask? That has a lot to do with what you have learnedc about the prospect before you try to them. You need to learjn something aboutthe company, the decision-makers, etc. before callinyg on them. That’s pretty easy.
Use theirr Web site, Google, any of the sociapl networks, then when you call them you have something with whicu to beginthe conversation. The most important thing abou asking questions is that theyare open-ended and thoughf provoking. Here are some examples of questionsd that may or may notbe • How has the economy affectedx your company and the ways you are makinf decisions now compared with last year? • I noticed on your Web site that you will be launchin g a new product. Can you tell me about that? • I read that your industrt is going through changes when it comexto financing. Can you share with me how that will affectryour organization?
• If it was May 2010 and you said you just had a very successfuol year, what would have happened? • Let’xs pretend we worked togethere this past year. A year later you said the relationship was apositivre one. What does that look like?? • What do the next five years look like foryour organization? • What differentiates you from your competitors? • What are you most prouds of? I wouldn’t ask all of these questions all of the They are examples. Certainly, more specific questione are appropriateas well, but it is importanft to fully understand the big picture.
If you take time to learjn more aboutthe prospect, you may learb about some additional needs they mightr have. A consultant and salesperson are reallg the same with only one a consultant is paid up frontt and a salesperson is paid inthe end. So act like a consultantr and you will selllots more.