The Power and Magic of Asking Questions
Here is a truth that you my find disturbing; we have been conditioned at a very young age to not ask a lot of questions.
Think about your days in school, the reality is we go to school and we have the information delivered to us and we are directed to memorized it and take a test on this information. Asking questions is considered more of an interruption to the teacher because they are so concerned about plowing through the material. What a waste of time, but let me also say I am all for a formal education. I just think we have the curriculum all messed up.
They should dedicate one class as an example called the power and magic of asking questions. Learning this skill is what I call having the “Ultimate financial weapon.” Here is something you can take to the bank. If you learn to ask questions in conversational fashion you will be wildly successful. Why? Because all decisions are based on your needs and wants. Asking questions versus having verbal diarrhea can mean the difference between an average career/income and extraordinary life and an income that provides you with choices. The only way to uncover your prospect’s needs/wants is to ask questions, but the majority of people only live to hear themselves speak, big problem in my opinion. Now that I have beaten this into the ground, there are simple steps can we take to improve our skill sets.
Asking specific questions…
Once you have heard the objection, your acknowledgement is the key to showing empathy and building rapport. Handle this well and you create a good feeling and the “space” for the prospect to voice his or her opinions. The key is to then get the prospect to give you more specific and detailed information in the way you ask the questions.
Never ask “trapping” questions to corner or close in the prospect or force them to make a decision on the spot. Doing this will only serve to shut the sales process down entirely!
BIG TIP! Instead, ask “What, how, when and why”, specifically questions which show you are really concerned and /or interested in the response. People will respond to this approach by providing you with much more information, much faster, than you typically would get with other strategies. For example, once again, you have researched the prospect well and know that your product could benefit them. When you make the first call, the response is, “Could you just send me a proposal and I will get back to you.”
Although the objection is clearly that this person doesn’t have the time right now, the door is open to continue the process. To make it successful, however, you must gather more information.
The conversation might go something like this:
“Thank you for your request. What specifically are you looking for?”
Once the prospect responds to this question, which answers the “what” question move on to another specific question:
“Great! How would you like to see the information presented to best meet your needs?”
Then, get specific on the timing:
“Thanks! When specifically would you like to have the proposal in your hands?”
If you are told your product/service is too expensive, consider the following:
What: “What specifically have you compared it to?”
How: “How specifically did you do your comparative evaluation?”
When: ”When specifically did you obtain your pricing?”
Why: “Why specifically do you feel that it is too expensive?”
Develop The Characteristics Of Success… “To get rich and stay rich, develop the following characteristics: a positive attitude, integrity, trustworthiness, courage, persistence, a hardworking mentality, high energy… and be an expert in at least one area.” T-Harv Eker
-Jeff Rubman
954-523-1957 x.27
