Effective selling: The question is the answer.

Guest Blog by Greg Knapp, Principal of AspenTech Consulting Group 

An important lesson my sales coach drilled into me is that the problem the prospect brings you is rarely the real problem.

What happens when a prospect calls with a problem or need? When that call comes in, all too often the typical salesperson accepts the self-diagnosis and agrees enthusiastically.  Are you as prepared as you need to be?

Imagine going into the doctor’s office and saying, “Doc, every day I have pain in my lower back.” The doctor wouldn’t consider prescribing until she examined you.  Otherwise she could be guilty of medical malpractice.

Sales malpractice is when a salesperson launches into a sales pitch and offers to “send material” or maybe prepare a quote. Then begins the inevitable game of email/voicemail hide and seek; with the sales person wasting large amounts of time chasing this “prospect” with a solution that doesn’t address the real problem.

Sound familiar?

Successful salespeople know they have to diagnose the prospect’s problem before offering a solution.  It always takes multiple questions to dig deeper into the prospect’s situation to fully understand the context of his initial problem.

Those questions involve a purposeful progression of taking the prospect from the surface issue to the underlying reasons of the issue, and then to the true impact the issue is having on the prospect.

Using this technique has tremendous returns:

First, intelligent, well-thought-out questions that relate directly to your prospect’s situation establish your credibility and demonstrate expertise.

Second, through the questioning process the prospect will move from being intellectually involved to being emotionally involved and more committed to finding a solution.

Third, this process will disqualify prospects who truly aren’t suited for your services, eliminating time wasting follow up efforts.

Fourth, the decision to prescribe a solution will be in your hands – you get to choose if this prospect is a good fit with your ideal customer profile.

So, as a salesperson, how do you begin the technique of asking questions to diagnose your prospect’s problems?  It takes time and practice; get started today with this exercise.

• Go back over your prospect notes for the past 6 – 12 months and identify each apparent problem a prospect brought you.
• Develop open-ended questions to the apparent problem that forces the prospect to go deeper.
• Continue to prepare open-ended questions for each potential answer to your initial question. Repeat until you’re satisfied your questions could help you get to the root problems of your prospects.
• Finally, use your “diagnoses” technique on your next call.

Questioning is one of the most important skills a salesperson can master. Uncover the underlying condition, go beyond the surface symptoms, provide the best diagnosis for your customer, and ensure a profitable engagement for your organization.

Greg Knapp is founder and a principal of AspenTech Consulting Group and co-author of There’s A Method To My Madness! blog. Greg has 17 years of experience as a sales and marketing process consultant. He is an ACT! Certified Consultant, ACT! Premier Trainer, and Swiftpage Drip Marketing Certified Consultant  (DMCC).