The Art of the Probing Question

To fully understand what products and services your client needs, you need to learn about their pain.  What isn’t working?  Why doesn’t it work?  How does that affect their business?  These questions are all about establishing the specific needs of your customer, and bringing those needs to the front of your mind and theirs.  (Make notes of the answers!)  Probing questions should be a major part of every sales call you ever make.  Finding a way to discuss what your client finds to be a problem and then keeping them talking about it is the bread and butter of daily sales work.  It tells you what to sell them.  

The question I get a lot from sales pros is this: How do I work them in without sounding like I'm interrogating the prospect?

Let’s use the example of a vacuum sales pro.  “What’s the dirtiest area in your house?” “Does anyone in your home have allergies?”  “Who uses the vacuum at your home?”  “Do you vacuum the stairs or curtains?”  “Will you be vacuuming hard floors, or carpeting, or both?”  These are all probing questions that will help the salesperson guide the consumer to the right product, while also reminding the shopper of all of the ways they use their vacuum.  It might come off a little abrupt without some polishing.

You need to open the conversation with a warm greeting, and ask about their goals for having a new machine first.  Then you keep the conversation focused on the customer by responding to whatever they say as a person first, and following up with a professional option, second.  

Client: I want to finally get rid of the dog hair in my carpet once and for all!  You: I know! That can be so aggravating!  That's why Acme Corp designed this Pet Defender model.  Pet hair is removed in one pass.  No extra work!  Now you can move on to your next probing question.  You: What kind of dogs do you have?

Focus on the problem.  Every product or service represents a solution to a want or a need.  The right probing questions will lead to a sense of urgency on the buyer’s part.  All probing questions should focus on the pain, or how the solution will be implemented.  What problems has the unmet need caused?  How it will affect their life or business the longer their need goes unmet?  Does this need arise often?  How long has it been unmet already?  How would it be if the need were met today? 

Sometimes the consumer doesn’t know there is a solution available for a need, so they don’t mention the need.  If our vacuum sales pro doesn’t mention the robot vacuum that cleans floors by itself, how many will he sell?  If he asks how much time people “waste” vacuuming rooms that could “clean themselves,” would he sell more?

Picture your conversational flow like this: Client information>respond like a human, then with a professional option< ask the next probing question. Remember, as the sales pro your job is to provide the best possible solution to the problem or need.  You can't assume the prospect knows what all of their options are, even if they tell you they do!   Ask the right questions, enhance their urgency to buy, and sell them the right solutions.  You're right on target.

How Does Your Sale Flow?

Sales Flow.  We know it's important.  How do you develop one?  Let's get specific.

Sales Flow is the process used with the customer to result in the sale.  It's the difference between being a sales professional and being an order-taker.  (Professionals are in control of the process, and order-takers wait to be told what is being purchased.)  Sales flow always includes the same pieces, and what varies is the order.  What never varies is the sales professional stays in control of the conversation.

Omitting any of the pieces of the flow seriously damages your chance of getting the sale.  Even if the customer is chomping at the bit, desparate to buy.  If you don't get through the entire sales process you risk a buyers-remorse cancel, or worse, an unhappy customer who doesn't cancel - they just badmouth you for the length of the relationship.

So what's the flow?  These are the necessary pieces.

Interview - Probing Questions - Qualifying - Need Recognition
These are many words for basically the same thing.  You are questioning the customer about how they're meeting the product need right now, and how they've determined that it's time to talk to you.  Let's use the car salesman as an example.  "What are you driving now?"  "Is this car your primary vehicle?"  "What has you shopping for a vehicle today?"   "What's your dream car?" "What kind of driving do you do the most?" "Do you have anything in particular in mind?" It's particularly effective to combine this step with the "Excitement" step.

Establish Relationship
The reason a salesperson is involved in this sale is the product sells best in a relationship sale.  You need to create a positive relationship with each of your prospects.  Your personality needs to be involved - no robotic conversation here.  Notice everything about the customer that you can.  If they have a bumper sticker about fishing, ask them about fishing.  Let them be the expert.  Relate the attributes of the vehicles back to fishing.  Even if you personally hate fishing (or kids, or antiquing, or whatever they love) find questions that bridge the gap between their passion and your product.

Excitement - Drive - Desire - Urgency
A prospect who is not excited is unlikely to become a customer.  If you're selling cars and saying cars are a necessary evil in today's modern world, your chances of making the sale are much lower than if you're talking about the seat-of-the-pants thrill of feeling the car accellerate with just a flick of the gas pedal.  You need to generate excitement for using the product.  This is the difference between presenting features and benefits and creating urgency for the customer to buy.

Presentation and Disclosure
Features, benefits, and disclosures need to be presented consistently throughout the interaction.  (Features are important facts about the product or service being sold, usually ones unique to your particular product or service.  Benefits are advantages the customer will receive by purchasing your product or service.  Disclosure is making the customer aware of what most of us think of as "small print."  This is any agreement or assumption of liability between the parties involved in the sale.)  Weave the features and benefits through, touching on each one several times.  Touching on the disclosures only once, or providing them in writing instead of discussing them helps to keep the focus on the positive.  If the customer asks about the details of any disclosure, handle them as directed by your
manager.

Close the Sale
This is the part we all love!  The prospect becomes a customer, and commits to the purchase. This is the time to emphasize benefits.  Ask for the customer's business.  Thank them for their business.  Discuss things past the sale, like delivery dates or what the client will feel when they are in possession of the product.  This step also works well when woven through the entire sale process.  "Trial" closes keep your finger on the pulse of your prospect's excitement level.  Checking on what delivery date would be good, or what tow hitch fits well on this vehicle in the beginning or middle of the process can appear to be simple note-taking to the customer while subtly moving your sales agenda forward.