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OUR PUBLISHED ARTICLES
A Silver Bullet for Sales Conversations
by Rex Fithian, AMCS, CSE
Prospects aren’t always
easy and clients aren’t always direct. Sometimes during a sales
call we can get an uncertain feeling when clients and prospects
say things that throw us off guard. Usually sales people take
one of two approaches. They ignore the comment and try to talk
their way through the issue. They think if they keep talking
they will find an area of interest or stumble on a point that
grabs the prospect’s attention and they will re-engage in the
discussion.
The other approach is that they shut down because they don’t
know what to do or say. They avoid the comments or take them at
face value only to discover later that the issue was important
and it caused the sales process to break down. The sales person
didn’t get all of the information they needed and it created a
roadblock in making the sale.
But there is a technique that you can use to help you stay on
track, maintain control of the conversation and help you get the
information you need to do your job. It’s called “Counter
Questioning” and it can help you understand a hidden message,
manage objections and keep prospects moving forward.
The Counter Questioning technique has three key steps:
A Softening Statement
The Counter Question
The Continuation
Softening Statements
Softening Statements help to soften the effect of the direct
questions you will have to ask your prospects in order to lead
them to a redefinition or restatement. It also gives you a
moment to collect your thoughts and get to the real issue.
Effective softening statements don’t challenge the question or
comment, instead they are designed to keep the prospect or
client talking and give you the opportunity to have all the
information you want.
Softening statements sound like this…
“I’m glad you asked that …”
“That’s an excellent (or a fair) question …”
“That makes sense …”
“I never thought of that …”
“Excellent point …”
“I am going to answer your question …”
“You must be asking me that for a reason …”
“You must be telling me that for a reason …”
“Which means …”
“Hmm …”
The Counter Question
The counter question answers a question with a question. Once
the softening statement has been used, pause… and allow the
prospect or client time to respond. If they don’t then you
should ask a question to stimulate their response.
Prospect: “I want to compare apples to apples.”
Sales person: “And apples to apples means…”
Prospect: “I want to make sure that the choices I consider are
similar and will accomplish the same thing.”
Salesperson: “What are the things that are important to you?”
Prospect: “Price and service for two.”
Salesperson: “And which is most important?”
Prospect: “I want to get a good price but I don’t want to
sacrifice dependable service.”
The Continuation
The continuation is demonstrated in the dialogue above. It is
the natural continuation of the conversation and it asks the
prospect or client to clarify a point, provide more information
or explain their viewpoint. The rule of thumb is to go at least
three questions deep to make sure you are getting to the root of
the issue.
When to use Counter Questioning
One of the most important reasons to use Counter Questioning
(answering a question with a question) is that you want to help
your prospects clarify the real issues or problems – early in
the process.
Two types of people tend to ask questions before you are ready
to answer them.
People who have had unpleasant experiences with salespeople in
the past often employ a defensive tactic. They ask for
information about a product or service early in the sales
process and
Suspects – a person who may not really want or need your product
or service.
The two most common uses for the Counter Questioning technique
are when the client uses a cliché or when you hear them use
“safe” words.
A cliché is an overused expression. Often, your goal in using
the counter questioning technique is to help a person define the
real issue. When someone uses a cliché, your question can help
that person redefine the phrase to get closer to their real
meaning.
“Play it safe” words and phrases are used by people who are
conditioned to keep the real issues inside - for several
reasons. In these situations, they often use language that is
good because they keep things on a superficial level. Of course,
your responsibility is to help them get below the superficial to
identify real issues. Phrases like, “It looks good.” or “I
should know by Friday.” are examples of a prospect or client
using “play it safe” language.
Counter Questioning should be used whenever you are uncertain
about the information you are receiving or when you know that
the issue needs more discussion.
About the Authors: Linda Stimac, AMCS, CFP and Rex Fithian, AMCS,
CSE, are Principals of RxSales International, a sales
performance consulting firm that helps model a progressive
learning culture where sales professionals reach their full
potential and business leaders achieve sustainable results.
Linda is a member of SMEI Sioux Falls and Rex is a member of
SMEI Dallas. Contact them at 214 233 9370 or visit their website
at www.rxsales.com. Copyright RxSales International. All rights
reserved.
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