Today’s new, emerging economy requires proper closing techniques in order to close profitable business, build long-term relationships and to create a long-term competitive advantage.
Many of the closing techniques that are currently in place leave the customer feeling used, manipulated or strong-armed. It seems as though the sales world is currently filled with salespeople who will say or do anything just to close the deal. The end result is a customer who doesn’t trust the salesperson or the business they represent, and in turn the customer loses faith in the company’s’ ability to solve their problems.
It doesn’t stop there. The salesperson often begins to look at his or her client as too much work, or being ungrateful for they work that they do put in.
As you can see, in such scenarios, nobody wins. Carl Young once said, “To ask the question is already half the solution to the problem.”
Closing a client successfully and turning that initial close into a trusting, long lasting and mutually beneficial relationship relies entirely on your ability to ask the right questions.
You might be wondering; what are the right kinds of questions to ask? The answer is asking questions that shift the prospect from an intellectual or business standpoint of knowing they have a problem to an emotional standpoint of trusting you to solve that problem.
The right questions are the type of questions that reveal true buying motivations. ← Click To Tweet
Here are four steps to close more deals which will create long-term trusting relationships:
Step 1: Identify The Problem: Ask Open Ended Questions
1) What’s the biggest challenge you are facing today in the area of ____ ?
2) How are you dealing with your current changes to ____ ?
3) Our current clients tell us that we help them solve problem of ____. That’s not a problem for you is it? Really, why?
Step 2: Ask Questions To Develop Intellectual Awareness About Their Problem
1) Can you tell me more about it?
2) Can you be more specific?
3) How long have you had this concern?
4) What have you done to address it?
5) How did that work out?
Step 3: Get Emotional. Identify The Specific Business Impact Of The Problem
1) How has this problem impacted your organization?
2) If you could guess, how much is this issue costing your company or department?
3) What will happen if this problem continues?
Step 4: Get Emotional. Identify The Specific Personal Impact
1) What impact does this problem have on your job or your team?
2) How important is this to you personally?
3) What will happen if you don’t find a solution to this problem?
4) Why is this so important?
Remember, a salesperson’s job is not to interrogate. Don’t ask questions which make you look like a court lawyer examining a criminal suspect.
If you want to close more business today, you can’t just ask the first question that comes to mind. Get organized, and master the right questions that will allow you to build strong, long-term relationships where you both succeed and profit.