Reading time: 5 minutes.
Let's do an exercise before we get down to business. Try to remember the last sales call or email you received and answer it in your mind:
- What percentage of knowledge about your problem did the seller have?
- From 1 to 10, how comfortable were you during the call?
- Were you 100% convinced about the product they were offering?
- Did you buy or would you rather not?
There is no right answer to these questions, but it is a good opportunity to reflect on the issue at hand here: about 1 in 10 prospects feel that the sales representative really knew about their problem, which may lead them to think that you are not really interested in offering a solution, but only in meeting a weekly sales quota. We've all been in this position and no one has ever felt comfortable there.
Is the closure to blame?
This scenario may seem similar to you: you have identified an ideal prospect, his problem, how your product would fit his needs and the best part is that communication is on track. He understands the weaknesses of your business and how your product can help him achieve his goals.
However, when you invite him to make the sale you get answers like "let me think a little", "I'll consult a colleague" or "give me a few days to confirm". When you try to find out what he needs to make the decision, you see that there is no concrete answer on his part. What could have gone wrong to change the course of his decision?
Statistics indicate that almost half of all deals are lost due to budget, 25% due to time, and other influencing factors are lack of authority and urgency. Did some of these factors play a role, or was there some other error on the part of the team?
There is a common thread: the case of HubSpot
Dan MacAdam, a sales professional at HubSpot, detailed a pattern that occurred every time this situation occurred: sales reps tended to make more statements than they asked prospects.
That is, once the potential customer named the problem his company was presenting, the representatives began to explain how their product could be helpful, rather than asking questions that would help the prospect reach his own conclusions.
In this dynamic, the representatives were the ones who led the conversation, the process to be followed, the response time, and were confident that this plan was the ideal one to obtain a positive response from the prospect, but the prospect did not really intervene in these decisions.
Everything seems to be going well because there are no objections from the potential buyer, but it is possible that he is not really considering buying the product either.
101 sales qualification questions
that you should implement.
Questions to bring our prospects closer
Let's take as a premise that our customers are usually a little skeptical and cautious, and that a sale requires effort. That is why it is important that prospects do not identify you as a simple salesperson, but as an advisor on issues that may be useful. You want them to reach their own conclusions through the most powerful method: the question.
Let's make it a little more practical. We'll leave you with two fictitious conversations in which you can see the difference between stating to inform, and asking to bring the prospect closer.
Situation 1 | Situation 2 |
Prospect: We have a backlog in our revenue figures. Sales representative: What do you mean? Q: We don't have as many sales opportunities as we need. RV: I think we can help you with that. Let me tell you about our services | Prospect: We have a backlog in our revenue figures. Sales representative: What do you mean? Q: We don't have as many sales opportunities as we need. RV: Why do you think that happens? Q: The sales team has no lukewarm leads to address. RV: How far away are you from these goals? Q: We need to close three deals in the last quarter of the year to reach our goal. RV: I understand. What do you think should change? Q: I think we need to help the sales team by giving them more warm leads. Some colleagues have created content on their site to do this and we haven't. Equity: Can your marketing team execute this strategy? How quickly do you need results? Q: I think so, they need help but I know they can do it. We need the leads as soon as possible, preferably in two weeks, since we have a meeting to discuss the next steps to take. RV: So let's talk about how we can help you... |
The second conversation tends to give better results for several reasons:
- We'll get to know our prospect better
- Not only will we know your problem, but what you have tried to do about it, the situation of your teams, what it would mean if you do not reach your goal and how you think you can solve it. A full diagnostic.
- The prospect will feel that he has guided the seller towards the solution he will propose.
- Answering the questions will lead you to reflect and examine the situation in depth.
There are two possibilities: the prospectus will understand the urgency of taking action and making changes, or he will understand that the problem is not as serious as it seemed.
Regardless of the case, your team will be able to know their position and determine how prepared they are to give a 'yes' to the sale.
Also, remember that only 14% of what you communicate on the phone is based on the words you use, the remaining 86% is based on how you say it: gestures, smiles and other factors that, although they do not observe you, are reflected in your tone of voice.
It's time to apply strategies that will help you increase your sales numbers and get to know your prospects better. Your teams can be much more productive with simple techniques that are worth starting to apply.
If you want to know what they are, you can contact us and we will help you.