You may want to use to read my last post, as this is part two. It was not meant to be a cliff hanger, but there's a lot of information to cover. To recall why I am writing this, it was precipitated by dialog on an industry Facebook group where participants lectured an inquirer who seemed not to have the most basic of details needed to make a sale. In turn, I am offering some material from my class on F.A.B and S.P.I.N. selling.
Previously I focused on the basics, the W’s every salesperson knows. This level of questioning is called "situational questions”. Now, I move into more complex questions used by the best of the best salespeople.
Next up the ladder of questions are problem questions, questions that get to a buyer’s needs. Through these questions, both you and the buyer try to identify a specific business need. Where there is no need, there is limited or no opportunity to sell anything.
The use of problem questions involves a bit more expertise. The prospect must first recognize why you are probing and believe that you are indeed a consultant, working as a partner and are interested in helping, not just selling. Hence, it is not always best to jump out with an idea at this time in the Q&A. A good consultant needs to not only listen but show that they are deliberative and take the needed time to digest the situation, assess the options and, later, deliver possible solutions. Problem questions can also ire and bore the prospect. They can get irritated if they don’t want to confront their problems. They can get bored as they regurgitate the same facts to many different people. Like all questions in selling, they should all be open-ended and phrased so they do not elicit a yes or no answer.
Asking, “is your budget going to allow you to order enough product for distribution to your target group?” results in further questions to get the amount needed and the cost per unit or total budget. A more direct question is, "what is your budget?" Yes, you can offer a glimmer of hope… “I don’t think the budget will be a problem.”
“Do you see any problem in terms of time to get this program underway by your target date?” By presenting it this way, you are indicating to the buyer that you are a problem solver. However, they may not understand the production requirements. A better way is to ask, "when do you need it?" This allows for you to set the expectations and offer words of encouragement: “while that is a tight timeline, we work with the best of the best manufacturers who have pulled us out of the delivery hole many, many times.”
If the buyer gives you the details, then you can go into the next type of question that will crystallize what the buyer has told you and condense it into a need. This group or type of question is called implication questions. They summarize a need and expose a problem if the need is not satisfied.
“So, is this correct? You have 3 days to get 100 shirts to New Orleans for your trade show so that your booth staff will have trade show apparel.”
“So, are you indicating that your employee loyalty program is a bit out of date and today’s employees are not interested in the recognition you are offering, and it is not helping you keep good employees?”
“Am I correct that your goal is to continue a perfect safety record and revising your safety awards is needed for that type of motivation?”
Perhaps the greatest reward for using questions this way is in relationship building. The buyer hears it all and thinks … ”he or she gets it”. He or she understands the situation and I now have a partner, an advocate in helping me solve my problem.
As you understand the type of question that should be used, you will realize they are not put together in a battery but rather they should be intermingled in your overall conversation. Problem and situational questions will yield both real needs, problems, dissatisfactions, tastes, likes and dislikes. They can also uncover implied needs.
Situation, problem and implication questions set you up for the most important questions of all, need-payoff questions. This is a statement, phrased as a question, looking to get buyer agreement and, in effect, is a question that asks for the order.
“If I can get you to approve a logo design today, get my factory to produce and ship the order to New Orleans by Thursday, can we write this order now and solve your immediate problem?”
That is a need payoff question. It is where you commit to solving a problem, ask for the order or assignment (the payoff) and assure the buyer you can satisfy the need. In simple terms, the need payoff question is an if/then hypothesis.
The situational questions set the foundation. The other three establish you as a consultant, build buyer confidence, and ask for an order. Practice makes perfect. Buddy up with another distributor from your office, from your network, or regional association either in person or on the phone to set up buyer scenarios and practice the art of questioning. I know most readers will go…I don’t need this but, do professional athletes, musicians, entertainers, surgeons, etc. practice? This is not your daddy’s industry anymore. Peddlers have given way to consultative selling -- probing with different questioning techniques takes rehearsal.
Joel D. Schaffer, MAS is CEO and Founder of Soundline, LLC, the pioneering supplier to the promotional products industry of audio products. Joel has 48 years of promotional product industry experience and proudly heralds “I was a distributor.” He has been on the advisory panel of the business and marketing department of St. John’s University in New York and is a frequent speaker at Rutgers Graduate School of Business. He is an industry Advocate and has appeared before the American Bankers Association, American Marketing Association, National Premium Sales Executives, American Booksellers Association and several other major groups. He has been a management consultant to organizations such as The College Board and helped many suppliers enter this industry. He is a frequent contributor to PPB and Counselor magazines. He has facilitated over 200 classes sharing his industry knowledge nationwide. He is known for his cutting humor and enthusiasm in presenting provocative and motivating programs. He is the only person to have received both the Marvin Spike Industry Lifetime Achievement Award (2002) and PPAI’s Distinguished Service Award (2011). He is a past director of PPAI and has chaired several PPAI committees and task forces. He is a past Chair of the SAAGNY Foundation, Past President of SAAGNY and a SAAGNY Hall of Fame member. He was cited by ASI as one of the 50 most influential people in the industry.