As we look back at the top ten sales questions introduced in 2009, many customers were in a state of panic, denial, or complacency.  They put off decisions or beat us up to lower our prices.   Heck, we were grateful just to get whatever business they gave us.  

And yet we predict 2010 to be the turnaround year for great opportunities, especially for those sales professionals who can shake up the status quo and motivate customers to get out of the 2009 funk.   

Over the past year, customers have exhausted just about every avenue to save money.  In 2010, they now have to shift their focus on how to make money.  Yet isn’t that the very reason why they’re in business?  To increase revenue, to grow market share, and to secure more business at higher margins.   And it’s our job to help them. 

How?  Challenge the status quo for those customers still stuck in the 2009 mindset.   We’ll do that by asking great sales questions that gets them to think, to embrace change and to recognize you’re the solution!

So toss the top 10 sales questions we gave you in 2009.  Here’s a fresh new set of the 10 sales questions to energize your sales approach and motivate your customers to grow their business:

1. Tell me, what would you like to accomplish this year compared to last year?
It’s a simple question designed to take your customer’s pulse and determine if he has a fresh perspective. Is he motivated, open-minded and receptive to change?   

2. What do you envision as the goals you want to accomplish 3 years from now? 
This question taps into your customer’s big-picture mindset.  How is he planning ahead? Is he thinking strategically?  If he isn’t, are you really talking to the key decision-maker?

3. What actions will you pursue? 
Everyone talks about what they want to do, but you want to find out if he’s a doer, or just blowing smoke. What’s his timeframe, if he has one?  Has he thought everything through in terms of how he’ll leverage resources, and which activities and initiatives he plans to launch?

4. What strengths do you want to capitalize on to ensure your success?
This feel-good question strokes your customer’s ego and lets him toot his own horn about what makes him and his organization successful.  At the same time, this question gets him thinking about what he needs to do to capitalize on his success and reach the next level, and how you can plant the seeds to get him there.

5. Tell me about the challenges you want to avoid so you can go after these opportunities.
What are your client’s fears, anxieties, and frustrations? What business-related pain is he trying to address and/or overcome?

6. How are you going to differentiate and set yourself apart from other competitors clamoring for the same opportunities?
Key decision-makers love talking about how they’re going to outsmart and outpace the competition. This kind of question appeals to their competitive drive and lets you know whether they’re as committed as they say they are.

7. What concerns do you have if you don’t achieve your goals for this year?
This is the “implication question.” It’ll help you tap into your client’s emotions and understand his sense of urgency. What’s his true level of commitment?  How motivated is he? What risks are involved if he’s not fully committed to change?

8. In what ways can we collaborate with you to make sure you achieve your goals?
This is the first time you really enter the picture. Most salespeople ask clients, “How can I help?” Those salespeople have to understand it’s not really about them — it’s about their customer! This is the question that’ll show you how the customer sees you fitting into his big picture, forming a real partnership. This is where you want to explore whether he sees you and your organization as part of the solution to help him get to where he wants to go.

9. What are some things you’d like to do less and/or more of to ensure your success?
Here, you want to know how the client wants to make his life easier, and what you and your company can do to help him. What does he want to take off his desk? What opportunities can he pass along to you to make you part of his value-added solution?

10. What will it take on my part to win that portion of the business you’re currently giving to our competition?
Great salespeople are never satisfied. They’re always hungry for more opportunities. If you have a good relationship in place, you’re asking for more of their business.

If you are willing to ask these Top 10 questions, and ask them in a way that fits with your sales approach, and personality style, there’s no reason why you can’t increase your business by 20% or more in 2010.  But it starts with asking the right sales questions.


About the Author: 
Paul Cherry is Managing Partner of the Philadelphia-based sales and leadership training organization Performance Based Results. Recognized as the leading authority on asking the right questions to win in business and in life, Paul is the author of the top-selling book Questions That Sell (AMACOM) and the upcoming book  Questions That Lead.  Paul can be reached at 302-478-4443 or e-mailed at cherry@pbresults.com

It's Not In The Budget by Eric Slife
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“It’s not in the budget.” Sound familiar? This is probably the number one objection most salespeople have experienced the last two years, and it’s not a smoke screen. What do you do when your prospects tighten their purse strings? The primary reason sales people encounter this objection is because their product or solution isn’t a high priority. Businesses highest priorities are their Critical Success Factors (CFS). If anyone of these factors fails, the business will eventually fail or be significantly crippled. Especially, in a down economy, companies circle around the wagons to protect their CFS. It’s no different than you forgoing that cruise or trip to Disneyland. What can you do to change how your prospect views the priority of your offering? Change the perception of your offering. Too many salespeople are still selling value added benefits, gain, opportunities, etc. Unfortunately, that’s not what’s making people pull the trigger on decisions now. Your prospects are focused on lost sales, lost profits, and surviving. In other words, “FEAR” is their number one motivator. You need to position your product or service in such a way that brings some peace of mind to your prospect’s worried state. Speak to the real decision maker. Obviously, if you want to understand what is really bothering your prospects, you better be talking with the ultimate decision maker. I would much rather get one good appointment with the ultimate decision maker than four ‘I’ve got my fingers crossed appointments’ with Purchasing or Human Resources. Ultimate decision makers will share with you their CSF. In addition, you will significantly speed up the sales cycle. They may even be an immediate “No,” but that’s better than being dragged on for a year by a Purchasing Agent. Finally, ultimate decision makers have the power to change the budget. If you can plug the dam that is leaking, they will find the funds to make it happen. The best question to determine who the ultimate decision maker is, “Besides yourself, who else will be involved in the decision making process?” This strokes the ego of the person you are speaking with, which will give you a much truer answer than, “Are you the decision maker?” Better qualify your prospects. The reality is you shouldn’t be wasting time with companies that don’t have the money, won’t make a decision within the next several months (obviously if you sell jet liners this may be different), or can’t give me definitive answer to specific questions. More often than not, companies that are just kicking around the tires are not good prospects. A good litmus test is to ask the following questions: How soon are you looking to make a decision? When can I speak with the other decision makers involved? How high a priority is this right now and why? Have you tried to fix this problem before? If “Yes,” find out why it didn’t get fixed before. Finally, sit down and make a list of the top industries that rely heavily upon what you provide. Once you have completed this list, compile another list of the top companies that require your solution. These are your top prospects and should garner your most attention. The following are some of the questions you need to be able to answer to identify if you are a top priority: Why is my product or service critical? What are the consequences if my product or service fails? How does that impact my contact(s)? What alternatives does my prospect have? What Return on Investment will my product or service yield, both hard and soft? Who will be purchasing in the next several months and why? What companies or industries are growing or suffering? In addition to the above, you should brainstorm more with your team, and contact your current customers. The best way to do this is ask them for a testimonial, and then have them elaborate on how your solution has impacted their business. Not only do you learn more about your top customers, but you walk away with a great testimonial. About The Author: Eric Slife, is president of Slife Sales Training, Inc. He provides companies a comprehensive sales and sales management training program called Team Training. Team Training gives companies unlimited, on demand access to North America’s premier sales and sales management trainers. Visit www.salestrainingcentral.com and receive a complimentary MP3 download of Top 10 Voicemail Blunders