Words Matter
Questions Reveal
Value Established
The World Over...despite cultural subtitles & nuance, the profession of selling
is amazingly similar. There are critical answers that must be revealed, analyzed, prioritized and then converted to value. This proposition of value needs to be crafted through carefully chosen questsions and using words that align to the Buyer's needs, then structured with fore-thought, intent, and purpose. This approach serves to create a unique and differentiated offering.
Clearly, critical thinking is required of the Buyer...
However, critical thinking is not driven by the answers...
It' created by asking great thought-provoking questions
Ask Yourself This Simple Question !
What Is The Most "Over-looked" & "Under-developed" Sales Skill In The World ?
When Utilized Effectively,
It Has A "Rippling Effect" Across Every Aspect of B2B Selling
Executive Access
Accurate Forecasts
Account Management
Competitive Differentiation
Sales Process
Culture & Compatibility
Value Propositions
Negotiations
Opportunity Management
Sales Methodology
Excessive Discounting
Deal Qualification
Customer Service
Inside Sales
Marketing
Resellers
Sales & Mgmt
Training
Sales Enablement
"It's the "ONLY" sales skill that has the ability to increase the effectiveness of every aspect of B2B Selling"
It's The Skill of Asking "Intentful" - "Purposeful" - "Thought-provoking" Questions !
"As a rising tide lifts all boats, so too, do great questions elevate every function of professional selling"
B Knight 2018
Technical Innovation vs Person To Person Innovation
It's no secret that all companies thrive on innovation. They thrive on creating it and they thrive on acquiring it. Even sales training and sales enablement organizations are eager to find ways of being more innovative. However, the greatest gains may not necessarily be found in technologies or applications. While technology benefits are valuable, they don't create innovation at the most critical intersection... "The Human To Human Connection"
What exactly is required for more effective communications? It may well start with being genuinely curious. It's Sellers being curious about the Buyers situation, the remedy of things that need resolution, and the creation of ways to extend what's already going well.
So, if technology or application doesn't help with more effective communication, then what does?"
Today's questions should be...
"Where is the innovation for the connection between real people, the innovation
for more effective verbal communications between Buyer & Seller?"
"So, how do Sellers differentiate themselves from the masses of mediocre conversations?
Conversations that ended up sounding more like "selling" versus "solving"!
Answer: It's The Questions We Ask... questions that are thought-provoking, that show empathy, that foreshadow understanding, that extend the thought process, that create new thoughts, that stir the imagination, that suggest the Buyer is speaking with a relevant salesperson, that smack of genuineness and authenticity, that let a Buyer know this will be different from the last 4 conversations they experienced with previous sellers.
"Know a person clever by their answers, but wise by their questions"
Naguib Mahfouz / Nobel Prize Literature