The 3 “A”s of selling…Part 2, Ask

Asking covers two aspects.  Asking questions is of course the number one task towards a sale and asking for the order is the culmination of the sale.  Do you ask the best questions?  And do you hear the answers?

When it was time to open a business bank account, I went in to my branch and asked to do just that.  I said I wanted a simple current (checking) account, nothing complicated.  I was asked to wait while a Business Manager was found.  Apparently a mere mortal banker could not assist me, I had to use the specialist services of someone trained in business banking.

After some time I had a conversation with a Business Manager.  Well the word conversation didn’t really cover it.  It was more like a diatribe.  The young man explained about business overdrafts, charges, their assistance for business planning, the difference between the facilities available for limited companies and sole trader accounts.  I then had further instruction in payroll and some of the ancillary services they offered.

After 20 minutes, I had had enough.  I didn’t interrupt earlier as I wanted to see where this would go.  Downhill was my conclusion.

I finally interrupted the flow, much to the dismay of my new found banking expert. Out of pure devilment I explained that I was going to do a little trading on eBay only and would therefore have turnover of a few pounds a month, mainly through PayPal.  (It was the simplest situation I could think of and I was now on a mission, to see what sales training this young man had had.)

He reluctantly agreed that all I needed was a current or checking account.

My next question to him was “why do I need to meet a Business Manager in order to open this account?”  “I am specially trained in business management, business banking requirements and the facilities we offer.”  “Do you think I need any of that knowledge in this case?” I pursued.  “Not really.”

So in all that hour of waiting and then listening to him, I had only been asked one question.  “What is your name?”  That was by the person I originally spoke to on the service desk, and although I do hold accounts with that bank, they didn’t get as far as to check as my business manager had my name wrong when he approached me.

Do you think I should find another bank for my business banking?  Would it have been a good idea for the bank to ask some questions both before making me wait for an expert or indeed during the interaction with the business manager?

I like to think a few well chosen questions might have saved us all considerable time, even if my answers had been a little more complete and I had told them of my business, it would still not have been a complicated case.

The question to ask yourself is do you get enough information about the right things before trying to pitch your product or service?  I recommend you are constantly updating your list of possible and insightful questions.  When you come across a different situation, a different reason someone chooses to buy, or not to buy from you, there are going to be new questions you could ask to find out in advance where the conversation is going.

Open or closed?  I am often asked if I preach “open questions only”.  No, there are plenty of times when you need a simple yes or no, so closed questions will do.  Open questions inviting conversational answers are important to understand what is in your prospect’s mind, so a mixture is appropriate.  And of course it is not an interrogation.  Take part in the conversation, a little snippet here and there and some more inquiry.

The more you can open up your prospect and their thoughts, the nearer you are to seeing if in fact you have a solution.

The ultimate question is then of course to ask for the order.  So many people seem to have an issue with this.  If you don’t, only consider if you get enough “yes”s.  If you do have issues with the order, what can I say?  You know your work is not done until the question is asked, so why are you reluctant?  Or why do you get tongue tied?

Could it be that you don’t have a clear idea what the answer will be and you don’t like to be put on the back foot?  Could it be you don’t have confidence that your product or service is what the prospect is looking for?

By asking the right questions leading up to the solution, you should be well armed for both these cases.  So again, every time someone says “No”, consider what else you could have asked to avoid getting to that place.

Where do you keep your list of possible questions?  How often do you review them?  When did you last add to them?  I love questions, you can tell can’t you?