Question Preparation and The “5 Whys”

Pink emphasizes the importance of being intentional with questions before a conversation even begins. Instead of going in unprepared to a sales situation, it is important to take time to improve, produce, and prioritize different questions. A simple way to do this is by starting to write out questions ahead of time. This kind of preparation can lead us into a more thoughtful and productive conversation. Being able to reflect on what you are asking about starts by seeing this from the client’s perspective. Doing this can make the conversation seem more genuine and thought out, instead of asking questions that randomly pop into your mind. If a salesperson does this right the conversation will feel more natural and not scripted. A concept that connects to this is the “5 Whys” approach. The “5 Whys” approach focuses on asking “why” multiple times in order to find the client’s real pain. The client almost never brings up their real problem in a sales scenario. By asking thoughtful follow up questions the salesperson can move deeper into the pain funnel. And each questions moves us closer to the client’s real pain that actually needs to be solved. Thoughtful questions can help us as salespeople to recognize their real pain, and it can also help the client realize a need that they have. This connects to a main concept we have gone over in class which is, if you don’t fully understand the pain, you can’t offer the right solution. Intentional thought out questions and the purist of pain can help uncover deeper needs and solve genuine problems for clients.