The Third Tip To Super Effective Sales

Ask the Right Questions and Really Listen

A "consultative" salesperson differs from the average salesperson by becoming an advisor and an expert to your customer. It means asking questions and a client make good choices based on their needs versus traditional sales approaches that can feel pushy to the customer. The employee may still be doing much of the talking, but they are strategic in asking questions and listening actively. Open-ended questions get the customer talking, sometimes even selling themselves. That would make things easy!

"To serve one must listen to almost anything without losing one's temper or self-confidence."

-Robert Frost

Another trademark technique is more of a old-school approach, hard-closing. This technique is used to get the sale and essentially coerce the caller to commit to something. This practice is more commonly used by sales people in an effort to close a one-time sale, where less care is place on the long-term relationship with the customer. Conversely when using a consultative sales approach, you look after your customer's best interest. (Remember, before you know that can do that, you must know what their best interest is.) Once you know what matters most to your customer, you can sell based on the values they care about. Understanding your customer's needs and wants allows you to better "personalize the offer." Skilled and successful salespeople who use a consultative selling approach build loyalty and long-term relationship with their customers.

Now that you understand what it means to take the consultative approach to selling, we must consider the way we ask questions. We must learn from or qualify the customer in order to provide the best service possible and then recommending as much product as is appropriate. Just as critical is the ability to hear, listen and understand what is being said by the customer and to know how that relates to what you are trying to sell. Powerful salespeople understand that getting their customers to talk and give information about themselves is probably the most important skills they can utilize.

Here are three key questioning techniques that will assist you extract information in a conversational way:

1. Open-Ended Questions

2. Probing Questions

3. Close-Ended

If you ask open-ended questions you will get a variety of responses from your customer. This type of questioning injects a conversational and "human-touch" into the sales interaction. Inquisitive and curious in nature, open-ended questions begin with the words who, what, when, where, why and how.

Probing questions are also open-ended and utilize the 5 w's and how. However, this type of questioning is built upon the answer to the previous question. Follow-up questions are a tool used for grabbing more information about a topic. If you ask them correctly they can show that you are not only hearing your customer's response, but that you also understand them and care about them.

The final piece in the questioning trio has a definite purpose, to steer a conversation back to the task at hand (selling) or to ask for the business (be willing to go for "No"). Close ended questions allow for control of a conversation and are best used during restating for trial closes.

When you are actively listening, the customer will feel acknowledged in the conversation. Be conscious of how your tone affects the effectiveness of your response. Ensure that you have identified the basic needs of the customer and review, if necessary, the details of what they are after. Asking a clarifying question is one way to let your customer know that you are actively listening and that you will meet their needs. If you need to ask clarifying questions to get specific details, don't be afraid to do it. It shows both humility and interest.

Remember, to show the customer you are actively listening: restate, let them talk, utilize the 5w's, build the relationship, use their name, display curiosity and be purely interested. If you incorporate these tools into your conversations with the customer, the more they will notice that you are in fact listening and ready to assist.

Utilizing the 5 w's, gather information about the customer. Restate facts for clarification and then make sure that what you communicate in a way that satisfies what they want. Always remember, you need to be a consultant in the eyes of the prospect. You will consult with them about their needs and find ways to get them what they want. They found you, they came to your place of business, and they want to spend their money.