1. Selling Smart Workshop Series

2. Selling Smart Workshop:
Questioning Technique – Asking the right questions
Ruth Ann Church –
Great Lakes T.A.A.C
Craig Ward –
FP Miller Co
Joe Marr –
Sandler Training Ann Arbor

3. 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

4. Selling Smart Workshop Today:
Questioning Technique – Asking the right 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

5. Communicating Value
 Do customers expect that we should be
asking or answering questions?
 Why?

6. Communicating Value with
Questions

7. 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. The Dummy Curve
Salesperson
Listens
Time

9. 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. Nancy & the Seagulls

11. 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.

12. Learning to Ask Questions
 Prospects are comfortable asking
 Salespeople are comfortable answering
 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

13. (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.

14. Reversing Insights
 3+ Reverses to clear the smoke
 First two answers are intellectual
 3rd is emotional
 Use softening statements

15. 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…?”

16. Soft, not evasive or
aggressive
 Begin all reverses with a softening statement.
 Answer every question with a question, but
soften it first.

17. 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.”

18. 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. Another Rule:
Never answer an unasked question.

20. Questions Worksheet
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. Rule: When you’re tellin’, you’re not sellin’.
I don’t suppose …
I don’t suppose being able to recover your investment in a year or less would have a
major impact on your decision, would it? Follow an affirmative response with… How so?
Let’s pretend …
Let’s pretend that you could reduce your staff workload by 20%; would that be
important? Follow an affirmative response with… Why is that?
If I were to say … what would you say?
If I were to say that you could eliminate several steps in your current process, what
would you say? Follow an affirmative response with… Is there some reason you
wouldn’t want to do that?
… is that a fair statement?
Significantly reducing the costs in this area would have a big impact on your operating
budget. Is that a fair statement?
Did we discuss …?
Did we discuss the fact that there is very little training needed for the people who would
operate the system? Follow an affirmative response with… And, your feelings about that
are…?
If I were to suggest (say)… what would you do (say, do, think)?
If I were to suggest that you could fund the program within your current supply budget,
what would you think?

21. Exercise – Pair-off
 Review Reversing Worksheet
 5 minutes – pair off
 Practice 2-3 tactics
 Partner provide feedback, help
refine

22. Lessons Learned
 One takeaway
 Can you use it?
 On Business Card:
 Questions – “Q”
 Speaking Opportunities – “S”
 Contact me – “C”
 Raffle

23. 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

24. Selling Smart Workshop:
Questioning Technique – Asking the right questions
Ruth Ann Church –
Great Lakes T.A.A.C
Craig Ward –
FP Miller Co
Joe Marr –
Sandler Training Ann Arbor

25. Selling Smart Workshop Series
March 6, 2013 9-11 am
Identifying Compelling Reasons for a
Prospect to Buy - PAIN
 Prospects buy for their reasons, not the
salesperson’s reasons. In this session, we’ll
examine how to identify a prospect’s needs
emotionally and what motivates them to make
buying decisions

26. Selling Smart Workshop Series