Your sales graph will go up if you are able to pick the right prospect, and it becomes possible when you ask them the right question to discover their needs. Therefore, these questions are known as sales probing questions.
They are asked to dig deeper to know what exactly your potential customers are looking for and whether your product or service is competent to meet their expectations. Sales representatives are often told about providing the best customer service, and companies do not fight shy of investing money in advanced tools using online instalment loans in the UK. Still, it also depends on the way you use to discover their sales needs.
No lead is a hot lead just because a user has shown interest by filing up the query form. If you fail to know what they are looking for or what concerns they are facing, you can deter them by pitching for the wrong product or service.
It takes time to frame a list of sales probing questions as you will understand it by experience, but here is a list of some questions you must ask to collect details on a particular matter.
What problem are you facing?
The first question will be ‘how may I help you?’ and then a prospect will tell you their concern. Do not expect them to get into the detail immediately. They will just brief you and wait for you to ask questions. Then, you will need to ask this question.
This will help you get to know what problems they are facing so you can determine if the features of your product or service can address those problems. If so, the conversation will go ahead.
Could you please tell us more about it?
You will still need to get some more details so as to know you understood them correctly. Sometimes they may have problems that could be solved with multiple products or services. It is quite tricky to determine the most appropriate product you will need to address their core concern. Try to get to know the core problem.
How did you come to know about it?
It is essential to ask your prospects the source of getting information about your product. They can get to know about it from a Google ad or social from media ad or from their friends or colleagues.
You must know what helped to spread the word about your product so you can emphasise that marketing method. If paid campaigns contributed to it, you should invest more money in them. You can take out online instalment loans in the UK.
How long have you been thinking about it?
It is not surprising to have people who start looking for a solution after facing a problem for a long time. It is not easy to get money out of their pocket because of their reluctance to spend money.
They spend a lot of time making up their minds to buy a certain product or service. Asking this question can help you know if they are actually serious about your proposal.
What do you think is the cause of it?
This may not be a suitable question to ask in all scenarios. Asking for their input will let you get clarity about the depth of their problem. Remember that a customer will be satisfied with your product or service only when it is able to address the core problem. If it directly addresses the cause, you have sold the right type of product to them.
What is your purpose in buying it?
Most sales representatives jump the gun as soon as they see a prospect has shown interest in your product or service themselves.
Never assume that they need your product or it might be the right kind of product for a problem they are facing. You will have to ask them any specific reason they have to show interest in it. This could be a successful deal if it is what your product can address.
What are your key objectives?
If your prospect needs payroll software, for instance, that manages other functions of human resource management as well, you will have to ask them about key objectives. This question is usually applicable when your product has multifaceted features.
Suppose you are selling a budgeting app that helps with saving, investing, building retirement funds and emergency cushions, and debt settlement. You will have to ask them a specific reason for using it. Some prospects may want to use it only for debt settlement, while others may want it for building retirement funds.
If you have an additional product that exclusively helps with their problem, you can pitch them for that product. Remember that users may not have knowledge about each and every product or service you are offering. It is your responsibility to pitch them for the right kind of product.
Do you have any preference?
Your prospects have reached you after extensive research. They will likely have some preferences. Do not hesitate to ask about them.
Go ahead with it if it helps fulfil their key goals. If not, pitch for another product. Make sure you are able to guide them on why you are suggesting it despite knowing their preference. Clear communication is key to providing them with what they are seeking.
Could you be more specific?
There is nothing wrong with asking your prospects to be specific about their goals and preferences. This helps remove any sort of miscommunications between you and your prospect.
To wrap up
To make your sales strategy successful, you need to make a list of sales probing questions. They will help you know better about your customers. If they understand your needs, you will be able to deliver them the right kind of product.
There could be a lot more questions depending on the type of product you are selling and the needs of your potential clients.