SellingPower: Sales Makeovers

Heather Baldwin of Selling Power Magazine called me, having heard about some of the success our clients were having with Question Based Selling. “Do you have any real life examples,” she asked.

That was easy enough. Since I had already trained several sales teams within IBM, I called Jim Hardee, Vice President Teleweb Sales, and asked if anyone wanted to participate in a laboratory experiment to ‘field test’ the QBS Methodology. We got tons of volunteers and the article about what happened with one person in particular.

“The results have been remarkable. Freese’s guidance has given him more confidence, made him more relaxed, and he sounds more natural. Now, Scott gets to the heart of the customer’s issues every time.” –Jim Hardee

In the article, Scott Fletcher attests that his conversations with customers have definitely become more meaningful. “Without a doubt,” he says, “This process makes customers ‘want to’ engage with you instead of pushing you away. Once you can get customers to open up, it makes the sales process a whole lot easier and the QBS approach does just that.”

[Read Entire PDF Article]

Did you see my Centerfold in “Go?”

You know those wonderful in-flight magazines that keep passengers occupied and entertained while stranded on the tarmac? Well, I trained the sales team for Ink Publishing earlier this year in London. They are the company that produces most of the leading in-flight magazines. As a result of their sales training, Ink Publishing has featured me and Question Based Selling in an article called "Selling Points", to appear in Go Magazine, which will be in the seatback pocket of every Air Tran Airways flight starting January 1st.

Not scheduled for an Air Tran Airways flight any time soon? You can simply download the article right here. Hope you enjoy!

Customized QBS Methodology Programs

Question Based Selling (QBS) is a proven and highly leveraged sales methodology that teaches salespeople and sales teams how to more effectively differentiate their products, their company, and themselves, in a highly competitive marketplace.

QBS Methodology Training is delivered in a high-energy, interactive, two-day program that was designed to give salespeople a significant edge over their competition. An abridged one-day version of this QBS training is also available for sales meetings, mid-year kickoff events, or vendor-sponsored partner seminars, which can be scheduled upon request.

The QBS Methodology takes a common sense, yet disruptive, approach to showing veteran sales professionals how to upgrade traditional habits—all based on the theory that what a salesperson asks (and how they ask) is more important than what they will ever say. Who’s job is it to uncover needs? It’s the salesperson’s responsibility, of course. But, just because a sellers wants to ask questions to uncover needs doesn’t mean prospects and customers want to share information with people they don’t yet know or trust. Likewise, just because you have a great story, doesn’t necessarily mean prospects and customers will want to hear it. Now, the question is, what makes prospects and customers “want to” engage?

The Most Powerful Tool in Sales

Have you ever noticed that companies spend millions of dollars telling salespeople what to say, but they spend almost nothing teaching them what to ask? It’s true. While the typical sales process has been defined many times over, organizations assume salespeople already know how to ask the right questions, in a manner that will maximize the value of your products and services.

In my first book, Secrets of Question Based Selling, I refer to questions as: The Most Powerful Tool in Sales. Besides just gathering information, strategic questions are also a salesperson’s best tools for:

                        * Piquing Customer Interest               * Establishing Credibility

                        * Understanding Requirements         * Creating a Sense of Urgency

                        * Qualifying Opportunities                    * Competitive Differentiation

                        * Negotiation/Positioning                     * Securing Commitments

                        * Maintaining Margins                           * Getting Leads/Referrals

                                                    * Winning More Business!

…which is much more than just probing to understand the customer’s needs.

For me, Question Based Selling represents the culmination of a career-long journey—one that has helped me realize that strategic questions are more than just staples of everyday conversation. Perhaps this marks the beginning of a new journey for you as well; not only as a motivated reader, but as a student of the question-based sale. Congratulations on taking the first step. I wish you the best!