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

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Why do we ask questions? Here are some of the • So we fully understand the prospect’s needxs and “hot buttons.” • So when we present our solutionz they match what our prospectsz said was important and they feel yours is acustomm solution. • To get beyond the initial reasonn why they needthe product. • To make prospectsd feel like they are a part of thebuyingb decision. When they are talking, they are beginning to sell So what questions shouldwe ask? That has a lot to do with what you have learned about the prospect before you try to “sell” You need to learjn something about the company, the etc. before calling on them.
That’s pretty easy. Use their Web Google, any of the social networks, then when you call them you have somethingt with which to beginthe conversation. The most importantt thing about asking questionas is that theyare open-ended and thoughtr provoking. Here are some examples of questions that may or may notbe • How has the economy affected your company and the ways you are making decisionw now compared with last year? • I noticefd on your Web site that you will be launchintg a new product. Can you tell me about that? • I read that your industry is goinyg through changes when it comes to Can you share with me how that will affectyour organization?
If it was May 2010 and you said you just had a very successfulp year, what would have happened? Let’s pretend we worked together this past A year later you said the relationshipp was a positive one. What does that look like? What do the next five years look like for yourorganization ? • What differentiates you from your competitors? • What are you most proue of? I wouldn’t ask all of these questionsa all of the time. They are examples. more specific questions are appropriateas well, but it is importanty to fully understand the big picture. If you take time to learj more aboutthe prospect, you may lear n about some additional needs they might have.
A consultant and salespersom are really the same with only one a consultant is paid up fronty and a salesperson is paid inthe end. So act like a consultang and you will selllots