316: Are Your Buyer Questioning Skills Good Enough?

<p style="font-weight: 400;">Many salespeople contemplating this title would be flummoxed.  They don’t have really good questions for the client because they don’t ask any questions whatsoever.  They are losers who go straight into the detail, the nitty gritty of their solution. How do they know this is the right solution?  They don’t worry about that, because they are delving into the product catalogue or the flyers for the micro detail of the solution.  I can call them losers because they irritate me.  They pollute our profession because they never study about how to become better in sales.  Also, I will never hurt their feelings because they will never access my content.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;">We know there is a sales cycle which is neither mysterious nor complicated.  We establish some rapport, move into questioning the buyer, suggest our solution, deal with any objections and ask for the order.  Simple right? Maybe not.  The questioning part is absolutely key.  If we get this wrong then our solution will be rejected.  There are a couple of things we need to be doing to make this work.  I was reminded of one of them the other day when I failed to get the deal.</p> <p style="font-weight: 400;">Like many salespeople, I get into a rhythm with my sales calls and ask the questions needed.  I hear the key points and my mind races toward the best solution for the buyer.  I am confident, sure this is what they need but I have cut a corner.  I have shaved off a piece of the process, because I am arrogant about my own abilities and are forgetting some of the basics.  I thought I clearly understood what this client wanted and duly put together  a proposal, but she rejected it.  I was shocked because I thought I had correctly parsed what she needed for this training for her team.  When I reviewed my activity, I realised that while had her on the Zoom call, I neglected one step which proved to be a deal breaker.  I was too sure of myself, which is why I didn’t run the solution by her right then and there to chec