In the last month we’ve had an exceptional number of inbound enquiries that we’ve been busy qualifying. We qualify by understanding and to understand we ask lots of questions, I’m sure we’re not unique in this.
However, every one of those prospects has told us that we have understood their business and their challenge better and quicker than any other agency they’ve spoken with. This has got me thinking about the importance of questions in B2B sales.
What you ask and how you ask it are key elements of building trust and rappor with a prospect.
Potential clients will have already researched your business online before contacting you so the last thing you need to do is push what you do. What they’re looking for is a partner they can trust to solve the issues they face. Of course there’s a time to demonstrate you’ve solved those issues for numerous companies before, but not until you’ve really demonstrated an ability to get to the nub of the issue and to empathise with the people you’ll be working with.
In other words, build trust quickly by asking questions that get to the heart of their issue, that help you understand if there’s the right ‘fit’ between the two companies and that enables you to later give examples of how you’ve overcome that issue for other clients.
Obviously if there isn’t a fit then politely explain why and walk away.
The subtlety of selling by not selling
Also in the last month I’ve taken many sales calls and in doing so experienced a lack of questioning and the old-fashioned method of selling, where the person has not taken any time to understand if I have a need for their product or service.
As soon as you feel like you’re being sold to you switch off.
I didn’t buy from any of the sales people that called me, even though we did have a need for a couple of their services. Instead I went online, asked for recommendations, found companies offering the service and then researched a couple to understand their approach and experience.
The company we selected was, unsurprisingly, the one that asked questions that demonstrated they had experience in the sector and that they wanted to offer the right solution. They did a great job.
To improve both your qualifying process and your lead conversion I would recommend taking a look at the questions you ask. How well do you demonstrate empathy, understanding and expertise?
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