| If you could identify the one must sales skills to | | | | potential customers are seeking value through |
| separate you from all the other gray suits in the | | | | your educational expertise. The Internet provides |
| marketplace, what would that skill be? Sure, | | | | them educational information. You are the only |
| follow-up is critical, making sure that the order is | | | | one who can infuse value into that knowledge |
| delivered on time without problems, overcoming | | | | that will benefit them not only right now, but even |
| objections are all necessary sales skills. Yet, | | | | more importantly in the future. |
| recently, I have come to realize that there is one | | | | Here are two examples that show the difference |
| ability that shines above all others and that is to | | | | between good and great probing questions. |
| ask great probing questions. | | | | Good Question: By achieving this desired result, |
| Neil Rackham in his book SPIN Selling opened the | | | | what would that mean for the company? |
| door to probing questions. He explained the | | | | Great Question: From what you have shared with |
| difference between close ended and open ended | | | | me, the achievement of this desired result is |
| questions. Then he went into greater detail to | | | | critical. Would you explain from your perspective |
| separate probing questions into 4 different kinds. | | | | the specific impact as to the long term? |
| Now with more sales professionals understanding | | | | Good Question: How has current productivity |
| the value in asking open ended probing questions | | | | been affected by current employee/employer |
| has been taken to that next level from good to | | | | relationships? |
| great. So the question is what separates a good | | | | Great Question: From you position and experience |
| probing question from a great one. I believe the | | | | what future areas of this company will suffer the |
| answer lies within the concept of vision and time. | | | | most specific to this issue of productivity? |
| Good probing questions are concerned for the | | | | From these examples, the potential customer is |
| most part about the present. Yet, this ignores, in | | | | answering from his or her perspective without |
| many instances, the gap between what the | | | | being focused just on the current time frame. He |
| present is currently delivering and the future | | | | or she is now educating you as to what is |
| desired results because the emphasis is on the | | | | important to him or her as to the future. Sales |
| present and not on the future. | | | | Coaching Tip: Education is a two way street. |
| Great probing questions are far more in alignment | | | | By using great probing questions, you can help |
| with education based marketing while just good | | | | your potential qualified customer see the future; |
| ones focus more on sales based marketing. In | | | | how your goods or services can help make that |
| today's global, information laden marketplace, your | | | | future come true and then you can increase sales. |