There are 4 Key Questions that you MUST ask WITHIN the First Few Minutes of starting your Sales presentation that ENSURE that you know EXACTLY where you’re going, and keep YOU in control of the Meeting, Not the Customer.
How Many Times has it happened to you that
- You labor your way through your Sales presentation, and at the end, when it’s time to collect your order, the Customer SWATS you away with an objection you weren’t ready for, or worse – that you didn’t even think existed?
EVEN MORE PAINFUL …
- …halfway through your presentation, the customer stops you and pushes you for the price – and then tells you it’s too expensive for them… and they won’t be looking right now anyway….
AND THE ABSOLUTE Worst of Them All
- At the end of the presentation, they ask you to leave your info so that they can think about it and get back to you…
Losers Who Don’t Realize That They Are Losing…
MILLIONS of Business Owners and Sales people work like this, and they don’t even know what they’re doing Wrong.
Worse – They don’t know that there are 4 Key Questions that you could ask WITHIN MINUTES of Starting your presentation – that would not only tell you WHERE you stand with this customer, BUT you would have them eating from your palms, and BEGGING you for more information rather than you Begging for the Sale ..
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So here they are –
1) Who is the person who will take the Purchasing decision?
You can word this in many ways. You may start off with your Product presentation by asking them about their needs and then interrupt yourself by saying
“Cathy – before we proceed, may I ask whether You – or Someone Else (maybe your partner/boss/wife) would be taking the final decision on this?
I ask you this so I can tailor our meeting accordingly today, and get you all the information you would need upfront in order to make the decision”
Now let me warn you – Nobody likes to admit that they’re NOT the decision taker, so you might need to probe further. So let’s say that the prospect says that They Themselves are the final authority, you must push deeper by asking –
“That’s great to hear, Cathy. I’ll make sure I get to the most important facts first, so that you have all the critical info first…and then you can ask me for more details if you deem appropriate.
Before proceeding – real quick – would there be anyone else in the house/organization that you would like to sit in on this meeting…. maybe someone you may need to defer some of the finer points to, once you’ve got the skinny from me?
You do this because you don’t want to waste your time giving a 90-minute presentation to the gatekeeper, or someone who’s just screening on behalf of the real decision taker.
If you realize that you’re just being screened, you would want to keep your presentation short with just enough content to arouse curiosity and attraction so that you either get the chance to speak with the Decision taker, or get the gatekeeper to convey the message inside that they need to See This!! 🙂
2) If You Saw Something that suited Your Needs, and Fit Your Budget, How Soon could you Arrive at a Purchase Decision?
This one is to understand the urgency of the situation.
All too often, Business Owners and Salespeople wade through the presentation, only to be told at the end, that the customer is not ready right now, or they were “only looking”…
Now understand, that if the Customer tells you upfront that “they’re only looking” then you KNOW that you have to CREATE urgency and hit the hot buttons, in order for them to WANT IT NOW.
In a worse case scenario, you can always cut short your presentation, and when they push for more info, you can schedule a follow up on their calendar when they’re likely to be ready. [That way they keep begging for more info, and you can dial up the urgency]
3) Assuming that You were Satisfied that this is the ABSOLUTE Best Product for Your Needs Now, In What Form Would You like to make the Payment?
This question works like a screwdriver that fulfills 2 goals –
- It FORCES the Buyer to show their cards – they now have to commit or reveal whether they have funds, or whether they’re just window shopping.
- It strips Gatekeepers bare-naked. If your prospect is NOT the real Buyer and is only masquerading as one, this question will blast the headlights into their eyes and send them scurrying. You will see them falter, stutter and try to dodge – and you will KNOW that your actual customer is sitting inside somewhere, and you can start drilling for THEM instead of wasting your time with (current) Prospect.
Be warned, however – that this technique will invite a “Price” question from your Prospect.
“You: In what form would you make the payment?
Prospect: That depends on the price – how much does it cost?”
At which point you can smoothly counter with –
“Thanks for that question – I am just coming to that – I’ll give you the price, the payment options, and the financing details if you need… by the way – how did you pay for your previous xxx – did you buy it upfront, or get it financed?”
Once you have all these details, you just have 1 more potential objection to kick out of your way that could become a problem later on…
4) Along with Price, would Quality also be a Key Consideration in Your Choice today?
You can spin this question in many ways –
- Along with Price, would Safety/Security also be a Key Consideration in Your Choice today?
- For this type of purchase you you merely look at the Price, or do you look at any other critical factors that could affect your long-term experience?
- Do you know of the various factors or variables involved in this type of purchase, that you should watch out for, so that you ensure you get the absolute best value for your money?
You ask this question if your product is not the cheapest Chinese crap in your space, and to differentiate yourself from the ones that are…
Better to address quality concerns upfront – and in fact – Let the Buyer bring it up as THEIR idea, so that they are comfortable paying a premium for your Superior Quality product at the time of the Close.
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So there they are – the 4 Key Questions that will keep you from losing yourself in the Sale, and from having the Buyer make a chump out of you.
Hope this helps – Happy Hunting!