I was on a call as a favor to a client, with one of his top executives who wanted advice on some big picture strategic sales matters.
As we were wrapping up, the guy said, “What else should I be asking you about this?”
I said, “I have no idea.”
Because I really didn’t.
That question, when used by salespeople, has always been a pet peeve of mine.
One time, in a conversation with a sales rep who cold called me and had a type of software I was actually in the market for, he said the same thing:
“What else should I be asking you?”
I replied, “You called me, didn’t you? You don’t know what you should be asking me?”
Let's explore why that question, in that form, is not your best option, and I'll give you a variation that is.
The Better Alternative that Gets the Result You Want
Let's look at this realistically.
If you are a proactive salesperson, and you ask a prospect whom you called, who doesn’t know about your product or service, what else you should be asking them, what are you essentially doing?
You're asking THEM to do your job for you.
It would be like saying, “Tell me what I should ask so that I can figure out whether you should buy my product.”
And from a psychological perspective, you're asking them to think too hard. Most prospects won't do that work for you.
So, it's a question that puts too much work on the prospect and usually does not get the answer you're looking for, which is something important they simply haven't told you yet.
But wait…with that said, we DO want to find out anything important we might not have asked about, or they have not volunteered.
How do we get it?
Ask in a different way.
Make it easier for them to answer.
It's simpler for the brain to react to specifics than to formulate something from scratch.
I heard a great example of this on the radio, which actually prompted this entire article.
Radio talk show host Clay Travis was interviewing a guest. As he was concluding the interview, he asked:
“What else about this do you feel our listeners should know about the movement as it relates to ______ and how they can get involved?”
That was brilliant.
The guest went on to make an interesting point that he had not discussed yet because it wasn't asked about, but obviously was important to him, and the question prompted it.
So how can we use it in sales?
Say something like,
“What else should I know about (describe the pain, problem, situation, or result they are looking for), so that I can make the best recommendation at the right price point?”
This draws the outline of the picture for them.
They just need to continue painting between the lines.
Examples would be,
“What else should I know about your current process for handling inbound leads, so that I can recommend the best approach for improving response time and conversion rates?”
“What else should I know about your plans for expanding into new markets, so that I can recommend the right mix of services and support?”
“What else should I know about the challenges your team is facing with forecasting accuracy, so that I can make sure we're looking at the right solution?”
Notice what's happening here.
You're not asking them to create questions for you on a blank canvas.
You're pointing their thinking toward a specific area that matters, while also prompting them to share something important you haven't uncovered yet.
And often, they will.
You'll hear things like:
"Well, one thing we haven't talked about yet..."
"I should probably mention..."
"Actually, there's another issue..."
Those are golden moments.
Many times, that's where the real buying motive, hidden concern, budget issue, decision-making factor, or urgency trigger finally comes out.
ACTION STEP
Review your most common discovery questions.
Look for any that force the prospect to do too much mental work or answer with broad generalities. Ones that don’t get good responses now.
Then rewrite at least three of them so they guide the prospect toward a specific area of discussion while still allowing them to expand on what's important.
Use one of those revised questions in your next conversation.
Pay attention to the difference in the quality of information you receive.
FINAL THOUGHT
The best questions don't make prospects think harder.
They make it easier for prospects to think.
Your job isn't to ask prospects what you should ask.
Your job is to guide them toward information they may not have considered sharing yet.
The easier you make it for them to answer, the more likely you are to uncover the information that ultimately drives the sale.
For Your Listening and Watching Learning
What He Has Learned from Over 20,000 Hours on the Phone
Most normal people would never use this line when looking to meet someone they are attracted to.
"Hey, you don't me me, but can I get 30 seconds to tell you why I'm talking to you and then you can decide if you want to tell me to get lost?"
But so many salespeople use the exact same logic and a variation of that to open cold calls.
Justin Michael discussed this, and a lot more on the latest episode of The Art of Sales podcast.
Justin, with over 20,000 hours on the phone, former Salesforce and LinkedIn sales leader, author of 10 books, breaks down why permission-begging openers signal neediness before you say a single word about your offer.
And why the prospects on the other end can feel it immediately. Listen and watch here.
Never Apologize for Calling
Too many salespeople approach prospecting like they’re interrupting someone’s day, apologizing for being there.
That’s what Mark Hunter and I discussed on his Sales Hunter podcast, in the June 4th, Smart Calling Strategies for Smarter Salespeople episode, we talked about why confidence, curiosity, leading with relevance and value, and strong positioning matter far more than gimmicks and stating the obvious: "This is a cold call," or "You weren't expecting my call."
I explain why using so many of the openings suggested by people on this platform actually CREATE the reactions that salespeople fear the most: resistance and rejection.
By the way, this is all covered, in detail, in The First 20 Seconds Formula, where I show exactly what to do to put together your own interest-creating openings, while avoiding the things that create resistance right away.
Go make it your best week ever!
