Instead of pitching a customer, ask them, "Why did you decide to get on this call?" and "Why now?" This forces the prospect to articulate their own pain and why they believe you are the solution, reversing the sales dynamic and revealing core buying motivations.
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Guest Bob Kosics presents a simplified qualification framework focusing on three critical questions to determine if a deal will close on schedule: Why is the customer buying at all? Why are they buying from you specifically? And why must they buy right now?
To make deep qualification a team-wide habit, sales managers must do more than just talk about it. They need to 'lead from the front' by joining customer calls and personally asking the critical questions. This demonstrates the correct technique and signals that it's a non-negotiable part of the sales culture.
To truly understand a prospect's decision-making process, ask for more than you expect to get, such as requesting to be part of their internal evaluation meeting. Even a "no" often prompts them to reveal more about their process, criteria, and stakeholders than a standard discovery question would.
Frame your sales stages around the decisions you need from a prospect (a 'get'), not the tasks you must complete (a 'do'). For example, the goal isn't 'do a demo,' it's 'get agreement that you're the vendor of choice.' This encourages creativity and efficiency, preventing unnecessary activities.
To avoid sounding pushy when asking critical questions about a deal's viability, frame them as necessary steps to ensure the customer's success post-implementation. This shifts the intent from closing a deal to building a successful partnership, encouraging open answers.
Standard questions like 'What's your biggest pain point?' often yield poor results. Reframing the question to what work a customer would offload to a new hire bypasses their pride or inability to articulate problems, revealing the tedious, high-value tasks ripe for automation.
To sell effectively, avoid leading with product features. Instead, ask diagnostic questions to uncover the buyer's specific problems and desired outcomes. Then, frame your solution using their own words, confirming that your product meets the exact needs they just articulated. This transforms a pitch into a collaborative solution.
Prospects often express interest to gather information but lack a commitment to solve the problem. Sellers must differentiate by probing for concrete timelines and stakeholder involvement to avoid chasing deals that won't close, rather than hoping to convert interest into commitment on the call.
In the first minute of a cold call, resist the urge to pitch your product. Instead, lead with a 'reverse pitch' that focuses entirely on the prospect's potential problems. This approach is three times more effective than using solution-focused language, as it speaks to what the buyer actually cares about.
