This session will demonstrate how using Socratic questioning technique, attendees can qualify prospective customers while leading them to discover the value of your product or service. Attendees will learn how to apply reversing strategies and softening statements to get more information, overcome stalls and objections or problems that they encounter with prospects. By using these strategies, they can gain deeper trust and subtly persuade prospects to open up and discuss the real problems they are trying to solve.
The panelists will answer questions and offer real examples of how educating prospects by asking good questions makes for shorter sales cycles and deeper client relationships.
2. Selling Smart Workshop:
Format
Workshop 9 – 10 am:
Interactive Training Session
Addressing Common Challenges
Panel Q & A 10 – 11 am
Application
Specific challenges in your business
Anything
3. Selling Smart Workshop Today:
Communicating Value with Questions
Workshop : How educating prospects by
asking good questions makes for
shorter sales cycles and deeper client
relationships
Panel Q & A : How Socratic questioning
works, real-world
6. Break Out of the Mold
A Sales Pro Traditionally:
Knows it all, tells it all, convinces all.
Why is all this telling not a good idea?
How will you know what they know?
8. Dummy Phrases
“Did you mean…”
“Tell me more about…”
“Help me…”
“I think I understand…”
“I don’t suppose…”
“You’re way ahead of me…”
“Let’s review…” etc., etc.
10. Rules
No buzzwords.
Don’t spill your candy in the lobby.
Don’t paint seagulls in your prospect’s picture.
Learn all you can about your stuff—just don’t tell
about it.
11. Learning to Ask Questions
Prospects are comfortable asking
questions, salespeople are comfortable
answering them
But many questions are smoke screens
If you are not sure:
• Why the prospect asks a question, ASK
• Of the underlying intent of the question, ASK
• Of the importance of the question, ASK
12. (More) Rules
No buzzwords.
Don’t spill your candy in the lobby.
Don’t paint seagulls in your prospect’s picture.
Learn all you can about your stuff—just don’t tell
about it.
Your value as a Sales Pro is determined more by
the info you gather than by the info you give.
No mind reading.
When reversed, a prospect will always redefine
his question.
13. Reversing Insights
3+ Reverses to clear the smoke
First two answers are intellectual
3rd is emotional
Use softening statements
14. Reverses You Can Use
“You must be telling me that for a reason.”
“And you’re pointing that out because…?”
“Why did you ask that just now?”
“When you say you’re unhappy with… …what does
that mean?”
“Is that a big concern?”
“If we could provide that, what’s the next step?”
3rd or 4th - “Like…”, “Which means…?”, “And…?,”
“You’d like for me to…?”
15. Soft, not evasive or
aggressive
Begin all reverses with a softening statement.
Answer every question with a question, but
soften it first.
16. Use / Vary Softening Statements
“I’ll be happy to...”
“I’m glad you asked.”
“Good point.”
“I appreciate that question.”
“I understand.”
“That makes sense.”
“A lot of people ask that.”
“That sounds important to you.”
17. Softened Reverses
“I’m glad you asked…and you must be asking
me that for a reason?”
“Good point. And if we could provide that, what’s
the next step?”
“I understand the question. But do you mind
sharing why you asked it just now?”
“That makes sense. And is that a big concern?”
“That sounds important. And it’s important
because…?”
I appreciate your insight. And when you say
you’re unhappy with… …what does that mean?”
3rd or 4th reverse - “Like…”, “Which
means…?”, “And…?,” “You’d like for me to…?”
19. Educating with Questions
Educating With Questions Worksheet
One powerful method of conveying information is to ask questions, the answers to which
are the information you want them to discover.
There are two parts to your questions:
1. Opening – Begin with a statement such as “I don’t suppose . . .” or “Did we
discuss . . .”, or “If I were to say . . .”
2. Benefit statement – Describe the benefit from a feature you are offering, using
conversational language.
Feature Benefit Educating Question
Qualify budget
before proposing
Propose a solution
that is in budget
If I were to say that the solution I’m thinking of offering
you is well within that budget, what would you say?
Disqualify
prospects early
Save time wasted
on unqualified
prospects
Let’s suppose that you could save the 10 -20 hours you
say you waste on unqualified prospects, would that be
important?
20. Exercise – Pair-offExercise – Pair-off
Write 2 or 3 Educating Questions
of your own – 5 minutes
Question a partner “prospect”
Partner provide feedback, help
refine
21. Lessons Learned
One takeaway
Can you use it?
On Business Card:
Questions – “Q”
Speaking Opportunities – “S”
Contact me – “C”
Raffle
22. Questions for the Panel
On break take a moment to write
questions for the panel about:
The workshop
The panelists application of tactics
Specific challenges in your business
Anything
Thanks for investing this time I promise to get you out on time. Before I start: Confession—I’m Joe Marr and I am a …..SM…there I said it! Another confession; I don’t do sales training. [pause] I help people develop their own strategy and skill in use of a system and psychology to gain deeper trust relationships with other people—and the sales just happen. Everybody ok with that? Concerned about me trying to make a sale with you today—well you can relax about that. In fact I’ll make all of you a promise. I promise not to sell you anything, if you promise not to try and buy anything. There’s plenty of fear out there, and I’m sure in some of your companies there’s some fear about making sales calls, and mostly because there is a fear about looking like a salesperson, I’ve also come to the conclusion that there is also a lot a fear about even acknowledging that sales is necessary.
Accidental sales is the rule- not exception
Thanks for investing this time I promise to get you out on time. Before I start: Confession—I’m Joe Marr and I am a …..SM…there I said it! Another confession; I don’t do sales training. [pause] I help people develop their own strategy and skill in use of a system and psychology to gain deeper trust relationships with other people—and the sales just happen. Everybody ok with that? Concerned about me trying to make a sale with you today—well you can relax about that. In fact I’ll make all of you a promise. I promise not to sell you anything, if you promise not to try and buy anything. There’s plenty of fear out there, and I’m sure in some of your companies there’s some fear about making sales calls, and mostly because there is a fear about looking like a salesperson, I’ve also come to the conclusion that there is also a lot a fear about even acknowledging that sales is necessary.