Today in class Dr. Sweet talked about how it is important to answer a prospect’s questions with more questions so that you can understand the prospects pains and hopes for the sale. The reasoning for this is because of the common issue of smokescreen questions. This is very important to use because without the customer telling you what they need you may end up offering the wrong information to make them interested. Often customers don’t do this on purpose but because they aren’t as familiar with your product necessarily. They may think they know how to fix their problem but don’t know the underlying reasons to their issues. They may also just be closed off because they don’t feel a relationship yet and in turn are cold and not descriptive. You can help them feel heard by opening that into a question for them. I have experienced that before in selling 3-D metrology scanners in which someone told me our product wouldn’t work for them because we hadn’t change something he specifically asked about, but when I had him explain the issue I realized the software in question was not the issue at all and we had fixed the part causing his dilemma. This shows that if you get them to explain what the hold up is it may lead to a sale or fix that you would not have known about otherwise.
Aliyah Shelatz
I think this is a very good tactic that Sweet talks about. It helps to make it that they are the one that is talking the most in the conversation as opposed to you hard selling them on your idea or product. It also helps you to be able to uncover their pain depending on how they answer your questions.
I think that this is a great skill, that really helps to dig to the root of the problem. Answering a question too soon can lead to a closed conversation. Sometimes the customer doesn’t even know the intent of their question, or the root of their problem, so asking more questions helps them to discover their true problem as well as helps you to help them solve it.
Dr. Sweet’s advice to answer a prospect’s questions with more questions in order to understand their needs and pain points is a valuable strategy for successful sales. By asking thoughtful questions, sales professionals can help customers feel heard and gain a deeper understanding of their specific needs, which can lead to more effective solutions and ultimately a sale. Your personal experience selling 3-D metrology scanners really shows how this approach can help uncover solutions that might have otherwise been missed.
Using this strategy is a great way to comfort the customer and help them understand that you truly care for their needs and wants, rather than just spewing out all of the information you are trying to give them. Giving a customer too much information and not listening to what they have to say is a sure way to lose a customer and limit sales opportunities, but with this strategy, it can make things a lot more personal, resulting in the trust of the customer.