Not Asking These Questions Will Cost You the Sale

Let’s face it: People fumble a sale for many reasons – failing to understand the prospect’s problems, not focusing on benefits, poor product knowledge, you name it. 

Another major challenge that underperforming reps have in common is asking bad questions. Or in some cases, not asking any questions at all.

Imagine trying to close a sale by reeling off about how great your product’s features are then waiting for a prospect to whip out their wallet and part with its contents at the drop of a dime.

Good luck.

No, really.

Not only do we know that some sellers aren’t asking the right questions. We also know exactly what those ‘right questions’ are. 

And today, we’re breaking them down 👇

“What’s Stopping Your Company From Growing Right Now?”

Simple as it sounds, this one is a game changer.

It opens the door for prospects to get specific. Is their main issue a financial one?

Maybe it’s a people pain, an issue with hiring or retaining top talent in the company.

The key is to learn the biggest pain point and tailor your pitch to it from there. The pain points you’re looking for can fall under the following: 

• Financial

• Talent

• Process

• Productivity

“How Do You Plan to Solve This?”

The purpose of this question is simple: Discover how knowledgeable the prospect is.

In the event that the prospect shrugs and goes: “I don’t know”, you now have the opportunity to insert your product as the solution. 

If the prospect is knowledgeable then things get interesting.

After all, the problems still exist which is why they’re talking to you.

This means their knowledge of the issue and possible solutions isn’t enough to free them of this particular pain which is where you come in.

Once the prospect shares the needed information on why the issue hasn’t been resolved, you can tailor your pitch to what they’ve shared.

“What’s The Deadline You’re Working With?”

Or you can ask, if they have a date they’d like to see a change implemented.

If the prospect tells you: “I don’t know. We’re not really working with a deadline right now.” 

That’s a major red flag.

If the company doesn’t have a set deadline to solve a problem, there’s no way the problem is that big a deal.

You now know to help your prospect see the size of the problem, financially or otherwise, to create a stronger desire to take action.

On the other hand, should they give you a specific date, this indicates that they are actively seeking to solve their problem and are a qualified potential customer.

“What Does Your Team Think About [X] Problem?”

Similar to the deadline angle, this question can help you figure out where you can find common ground for moving the deal forward.

If a prospect is telling you they have a problem but their boss, or the rest of their team isn’t pushing for that thing to be fixed, this gives you information to ask follow-up questions.

Keep in mind that the boss is also a decision-maker. So if the person who has to greenlight the sale isn’t already trying to solve this problem, why is that?

The more quickly you figure this out, the more quickly you can put the right information, demo, or data together to paint the larger problem so it can be shared with the team, boss or company as a whole.

Sales Q&A

Most Powerful Questions to Ask Customers

Read more here.

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