I got an idea from Art Sobczak's Telephone Prospecting And Selling Report.
In one of his articles he talked about sales questions. What made his article especially interesting and powerful was that each question began with "How."
In addition to Art's questions I've added a few of my own:
>>> How do you define quality?
>>> How are you budgeting for this project?
>>> How are you planning to make the decision for . . . ?
>>> How have you evaluated these products in the past?
>>> How have you evaluated suppliers in the past?
>>> How have you quantified the cost of the problem you're trying to solve?
>>> How can we help you improve this?
>>> How often does this happen?
>>> How are you doing it now?
>>> How often does your current supplier do business reviews?
>>> How can we make this work for you?
>>> How can we make this happen?
>>> How can we speed up the process?
>>> How am I doing?
Use these questions to get your prospects and customers talking. The more they talk - the more you'll learn about them. And of course the more you know about your prospects and customers the easier it will be to solve their problems.
There's one more "How" question I suggest using on a daily basis.
It is an introspective question which promotes continuous self-improvement. When you ask this question on a daily basis you will experience dramatic growth and prosperity.
It takes courage to ask this question because it assumes there is still room for improvement. If you have a big ego you may not be comfortable asking this question.
The perfect time of day to ask this question is at the end of the day - after your last sales call.
And when you ask this question be sure to consider the following:
>>> Making appointments
>>> Establishing goals
>>> Managing your time
>>> Communicating effectively
>>> Identifying opportunities
>>> Qualifying opportunities
>>> Adjusting selling styles to buying styles
>>> Presenting solutions
>>> Overcoming objections
>>> Asking for the business
>>> Measuring what matters most
>>> Having an attitude of gratitude
Imagine spending a few minutes every day thinking of ways to improve. Also try to imagine the impact continuous improvement will have on your sales and your personal income.
You can trigger your self-improvement program by asking one simple yet profound question.
The question is "How can I do it better?" These six words are the catalyst for continuous self-improvement.
Every time you ask the question, "How can I do it better" you automatically raise the bar on your level professionalism.
The reward asking this question is continuous improvement.
Why say something when you can ask something?
When you ask these questions, be prepared to listen and take notes.
I'm convinced the less you say the smarter you'll sound.
Say less and you'll sell more!
That has a nice ring to it!
Oh, and one more thing. You can add another 12 questions, plus an additional 24 selling skills to your selling repertoire, when you order my book, "The 12 Best Questions To Ask Customers."
Use this link to sign-up for Jim's F-R-E-E No-Brainer Selling Tips Newsletter and to get your copy of his Special Report titled, "The 12 Dumbest Things Salespeople Do." http://www.meisenheimer.com