The Dumb Questions Salespeople are Actually Taught to Ask

We just got back from a trip where we played quite a bit of golf.

Several days in a row, some days 36 holes.

At the club we play in Omaha, there are "player attendants" (usually high school kids) at the 18th green who clean your clubs while you finish.

Others ask questions, which is the focus of my sales point today.

Questions create thoughts and emotions.

And the person asking the question often has no idea they're influencing both.

With a little thought, you can avoid questions that give you answers that affect the listener in a way you might not want.

Let me explain where I'm going with this.

According to the National Golf Foundation, only about 55% of golfers regularly break 100, roughly 26% break 90, and just 5% consistently break 80.

I usually fall into the breaking-90 category, with a rare round in the 70s. Occasionally I want to give up the game completely.

For those of us who play, golf can be a uniquely frustrating AND fulfilling game. You can have a round where it seems like your body has forgotten how to swing a club, yet you know you're capable of pulling off a great shot at any time, and sometimes do. You just can't predict when, or do it consistently.

I often have all of those feelings in the same round.

So when you finish 18 holes that didn't go according to plan, you're trying to put it behind you, and someone immediately asks, "So, how did you shoot today?" it can be a bit of a downer if you'd rather stay in a good mood.

And yes, I realize that's about as first-world a problem as you can have.

But stick with me, because there's a sales lesson here.

What struck me is that hearing that question after an especially hair-pulling round instantly directed my thinking.

Instead of remembering the great shots I hit, the fun we had, or simply enjoying being out there, my brain immediately went to the big total number on the scorecard.

Looking back on it, "How did you shoot today?" is a lot like some of the questions salespeople ask. It directs attention toward a particular answer. In my case, it directed my attention to the scorecard instead of the enjoyable parts of the day.

In sales, many of the questions we're taught direct prospects toward answers we don't actually want to hear.

That's when I was reminded of an important sales lesson:

Questions direct attention. And attention drives emotions, perceptions, and decisions.

All salespeople are told to ask questions. But all questions are not created equal. And despite what you might have heard, in sales, there ARE such things as dumb questions.

Such as:

"Is everything going OK with your supplier?"

"Do you have any needs in this area?"

"Do you have a budget for this?"

Those questions instinctively cause people to answer with what you DO NOT want to hear.

"Yep, all good."

"No, no needs right now."

"No, nothing in the budget for that."

It's like running into the convenience store to pick up a bottle of water and a snack, and the clerk unconsciously and habitually asks, "Anything else?"

That doesn't cause you to mentally go down your shopping list, does it? It prompts an equally unconscious answer: "No, all good."

So, what should you do instead?

I'm simplifying here, since questions occur all through the prospecting and sales call, and there is no one magic question or questioning "hack" that magically gets people to buy. Questions are strategically placed throughout your entire call process.

For example, when you know someone is already working with a supplier, or they tell you they are, we want them thinking about what they're NOT getting, not giving them the easy out of saying everything is OK.

“What do you do in situations where you need an emergency replacement part the same day?"

Instead of the lazy "Any needs?" question, you'd want to go through an entire process to define the pains, problems, frustrations, and desires your products and services address, and then create a series of questions designed to uncover them.

As for asking about budget, most of the time, in my experience, that simply gives someone an easy opportunity to get rid of a salesperson. Consider this: if you're talking to the right person, and they want or need something badly enough, they find a way to pay for it. That applies to you, too, doesn't it?

So the focus should be on identifying what they need, developing the why behind it, and getting them to attach a value to solving it. That blows away most budget objections.

If budget still comes up after you've established value and ROI, ask:

"What have you done in the past when you needed something, established the ROI, but didn't have it as a line item? How did you fund it?"

Think of the answers you routinely get that are not the ones you want. It's likely because you're hearing exactly what you're asking for. Use these ideas to revise your questions and you'll get better answers.

And regardless of how I shoot on the golf course, my mantra is:

I will not let the quality of my play affect the intensity of my fun.

Speaking of improving performance without letting frustration get in the way, I had mentioned earlier that questions need to be strategic, and not one-off, survey-like, and most importantly, be part of a give and take where you LISTEN to the answers and respond accordingly.

One of the best ways to do that is to continually work on your entire call process, your messaging, your delivery and listening skills, and your thinking.

One way to do that is with my Smart Calling Coaching and Training App for B2B Sales Professionals.

Don't let the term "app" cause you to prejudge. This is like having me with you every day, coaching and training you on all parts of the prospecting and sales call. You work at your own pace, toward the goals you set for yourself. There's training, coaching, and accountability.

At less than $1.35 per day. Take the self-assessment and see complete details as to what your program would look like: http://Studio.com/Art

Go make it your best week ever!