| How Will This Buying Decision Be Made? | | | | Buying Influences: Who controls the budget? Who |
| Three-quarters of the secret to professional, | | | | analyzes the technical aspects of your product? |
| strategic selling boils down to asking the Best | | | | Who will be responsible for making your product |
| Questions and listening carefully to the answers. | | | | work correctly in the organization? This |
| Most of the Best Questions have to do with | | | | information tells you which features and benefits |
| uncovering the crucial, underlying needs your | | | | to stress to which audience. |
| products or services might serve. But you also | | | | Buying Process: How will the buying decision |
| must know how to sell to a particular account. | | | | actually be made? Who must be "sold" before the |
| Using the same strategy for all customers is a big | | | | transaction can be completed? Which criteria will |
| mistake. The issue is: how do you compete for | | | | be most important in the decision? |
| this customer's business? | | | | By getting clear answers to these questions early |
| How do you know the right way to sell a | | | | in the process, you can develop a strategy that |
| customer? You ask. | | | | will shorten your sell cycle, allow you to anticipate |
| For instance, you need to know when to time | | | | and defuse objections that otherwise would arise |
| your sales calls, who to call on, what to present | | | | later, and make a lot more sales. |
| to each individual or group who will influence the | | | | In The Field: |
| buying decision, and how the decision ultimately will | | | | Veteran salespeople are often astonished (and a |
| be made. How do you learn all of this? You learn | | | | bit embarrassed) by the brave new world that |
| these answers by asking questions early in the | | | | opens up to them after they learn to ask the |
| game. | | | | Best Questions. |
| Competition: Whom are you competing against | | | | The day after an Action Selling Sales Training |
| for this sale? Once you know, you can ask | | | | Workshop at Eaton Cutler-Hammer, the southern |
| targeted questions to draw out specific needs | | | | regional sales manager received an excited |
| that you can resolve but your competitors can't. | | | | voicemail message from one of his account |
| And when presenting features and benefits of | | | | executives. |
| your products, you can lead with your specific | | | | "I put one of the selling techniques of Action |
| competitive strengths. | | | | Selling to work today on a sales call and was |
| Time Frame: When does the customer expect to | | | | amazed," said the account exec. "By knowing how |
| make a buying decision? More importantly, when | | | | to ask the Best Questions, I uncovered additional |
| does the customer want to begin to reap the | | | | opportunities that I never knew existed! |
| benefits expected from the purchase? | | | | |