Expert Insight
 A common fatal flaw in selling that sales professionals make is getting so focused on what they want (a sale, a commission, an award) that they forget to uncover what their prospect wants (a solution, an expert opinion, a resource). This month we focus on the art of asking the right questions that lead a professional salesperson to uncover the prospects' true motivation to buy thus arming the salesperson with the ammunition to make a targeted presentation and win the sale.
Sales
As a salesperson, you know that nothing is quite as important to making an effective sales presentation than the questions you ask. At The Brooks Group, we call this skill "Probing" and it's the area where we spend the most time in our IMPACT Selling Training Seminars. Unfortunately, many salespeople spend a disproportionate amount of time on presenting their solution (which is often off target), at the expense of gaining insight into a prospect's challenges, circumstances and under what conditions they will buy. Placing a stronger emphasis on asking effective questions, a salesperson is better positioned to recommend a solution that addresses the prospect's needs and wants. This shift in balance is essential to increasing your chances of winning business.
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Sales Management
One of the most critical sales skills is the ability to effectively ask questions. At The Brooks Group, we call it "Probing." And, as a sales manager, it's your job to assess the effectiveness of your team's probing skills.
The best way for you to evaluate the probing skills of members of your team is by joining them in the field and participating in a joint call. After all, "You can't lead where you won't go and you can't teach what you don't know."
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Blog
Cold Calling 2.0 is Really About Warm Calling
Strategic activities like permission-based marketing, speaking, networking, etc., are much better uses of time than making unsolicited phone calls. Those types of activities involve building relationships that cause prospects to call, which means there's no need for cold calls. Read More
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