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 understanf the prospect’s needs and “hot • So when we present our solutions they match what our prospectd said was important and they feel yours is acustomk solution. • To get beyond the initiap reason why they needthe product. To make prospects feel like they are a part of thebuyinhg decision. When they are they are beginning tosell themselves. So what questions shouldr we ask? That has a lot to do with what you have learnefd about the prospect before you tryto them. You need to learn something abouttthe company, the etc. before calling on them. That’s pretty easy.
Use theier Web site, Google, any of the sociapl networks, then when you call them you have something with which to begimnthe conversation. The most importantf thing about asking questions is that theyare open-ended and though t provoking. Here are some examples of questions that may or may notbe • How has the economy affected your companhy and the ways you are making decisionsz now compared with last year? I noticed on your Web site that you will be launching a new Can you tell me about that? I read that your industry is going throughh changes when it comes to Can you share with me how that will affecg your organization?
• If it was May 2010 and you said you just had a very successfuo year, what would have happened? Let’s pretend we worked together this past year. A year lated you said the relationship was apositiv one. What does that look like ? • What do the next five yearz look like foryour organization? • What differentiates you from your competitors? • What are you most prourd of? I wouldn’t ask all of these questiond all of the time. They are examples. Certainly, more specific questionsd are appropriateas well, but it is importantf to fully understand the big picture.
If you take time to learnj more aboutthe prospect, you may learn about some additional needws they might have. A consultanyt and salesperson are really the same with only one a consultant is paid up frongt and a salesperson is paid inthe end. So act like a consultan t and you will selllots more.