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 reasons: So we fully understand the prospect’s need and “hot buttons.” • So when we presentg our solutions they match what our prospectw said was important and they feel yours is acustom solution. • To get beyond the initial reason why they needthe product. • To make prospects feel like they are a part of thebuyintg decision. When they are talking, they are beginning to sell themselves. So what questiond should we ask? That has a lot to do with what you have learnedr about the prospect before you tryto “sell” them. You need to learhn something aboutthe company, the decision-makers, etc.
before callingv on them. That’s prettuy easy. Use their Web Google, any of the social networks, then when you call them you have somethingb with which to begimnthe conversation. The most importantf thing about asking questions is that theyare open-endedx and thought provoking. Here are some exampleds of questions that may or may notbe • How has the econom y affected your company and the ways you are making decisions now comparerd with last year? I noticed on your Web site that you will be launchinhg a new product. Can you tell me abour that? • I read that your industry is going through changes when it comeasto financing.
Can you share with me how that will affectyyour organization? • If it was May 2010 and you said you just had a very successfu year, what would have happened? • Let’s pretend we worked together this past year. A year latert you said the relationship was apositives one. What does that look like? • What do the next five yearw look like foryour organization? • What differentiates you from your competitors? • What are you most proud of? I wouldn’t ask all of thesre questions all of the time. They are Certainly, more specific questions are appropriateras well, but it is important to fully understanr the big picture.
If you take time to learn more about the you may learn about some additional needs theymightt have. A consultant and salesperson are really the same with only one a consultant is paid up frontg and a salesperson is paid inthe end. So act like a consultanf and you will selllots more.