Asking questions that turn into sales is an extremely important part of the sales business. You must pay attention to the needs of your client, spot subtle buying signals, know when to foster an open dialogue, and know what questions to ask.
One of the most critical elements to a successful sales call is asking good sales questions. Prior to every sales call or customer meeting, it’s a good idea to think through and write down a list of twelve to fifteen sales questions you want to ask a potential customer during the meeting. You may not get the opportunity to ask all of them, but you must be prepared to get as much information as possible.
Below is a list of generic, consultative sales questions to get you started. Building greater levels of prospect trust, more quickly, is the best way to increase your selling success. Asking your prospects well-thought-out questions is one of the key ways to build prospect trust.
These sales questions are not in any specific order – choose the questions that best fit your sales situation.
1.How do you manage your transportation needs today?
2.What are the disadvantages of the way you’re handling this process now?
3.What are the key deadlines?
4.What are the most important elements that keep your organization functioning?
5.What are your greatest challenges?
6.What benefits might result if we tried the following approach?
7.What can I do at this point to better serve you?
8.What concerns do you have?
9.What could get in the way of getting an agreement made?
10.What criteria would you use to choose a replacement transportation provider?
11.What details do you want explained?
12.What do you see as the greatest risks in making this decision?
13.What do you see as the primary benefits of our solutions? Do you see any other potential benefits?
14.What do you want to happen that isn’t happening now?
15.What does it take to be successful in your position?
16.What else do we need to discuss?
17.What expectations do you have for me in returning your phone calls, emails, etc? how quickly would you typically expect me to respond?
18.What is important to you about making a change at this time? Have you considered or tried to make a change in the past? What stopped you from considering a new transportation solution last time?
19.What is your company’s annual sales volume?
20.What is your expected outcome for our meeting today?
Hopefully these investigative questions will help you solve the mystery of sales success.