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Ask the Right Question
By Tom Reilly, author of Value Added Selling (McGraw-Hill, 2003)

In our recent study of top sales achievers we discovered a not-so-surprising fact: Top salespeople listen more than talk on sales calls. They invest most of their time in the needs analysis stage, discussing buyer needs, wants and concerns. So, it got me thinking,. if there was just one question you could ask your customer, what would it be? Here are some of my favorites to add to your list:

What is the single most important thing you want from a supplier?
What is the one thing that keeps you awake at night?
What can we do to make your life easier?
If you were in my business, what would you offer customers like yourself that no one does?
What is most critical to your success in this project?
Considering your needs, how would you describe the ideal supplier?
Where could we have the most impact on your business?
What would cause you to buy more from us than any other supplier?
What would you like us to do for you that we are not currently doing?
What would you like to be able to do tomorrow that you cannot do today?

You’ll notice that the focus of these questions is on the customer. None of these are trial closes like: If we did this would you be interested? These questions are designed to help the customer express where they need the most help. As a value-added salesperson, your job is to identify “root-canal” level pain and make it go away with your solution. This happens when you ask the right questions, listen fully to the buyer’s answers, and fashion a solution that mirrors the buyer’s needs.

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