Questions That Sell

Questions That Sell

by Paul Cherry
Released April 2006
Publisher(s): AMACOM
ISBN: 9780814429471

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Book description

Simply knowing the right questions to ask can make the difference between finalizing a sale or losing it. Most salespeople have extensive knowledge of their products, but many fail to ask the questions that will help them uncover the real needs of their customers. Questions That Sell helps readers use advanced questioning techniques to sell their products based on value to the customer, not on price -- and increase their success rate as a result. The book contains powerful examples, exercises, and hundreds of sample questions, including: * Vision Questions: Tap into a customers’ needs and desires for the future * Questions to Uncover Problems: Fix something that’s not working for the client * Pay-Off Questions: Get customers to articulate for themselves how much the product or service is worth Questions That Sell is an invaluable resource for connecting with customers, understanding what they need, and closing more sales, faster.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. List of Figures
  3. Introduction
    1. Do These Questions Really Work?
    2. Why These Questions?
    3. What Do I Expect from You?
    4. What Sorts of Problems Are Addressed in This Book?
    5. What Will I Find in This Book?
  4. Boring or Engaging: How Do Your Questions Measure Up?
    1. Salespeople as Problem Solvers
    2. Influences on Customer Behavior
  5. Getting to Know Prospective Clients
    1. Preparation
    2. The First Meeting
    3. Questions About the Past
    4. Questions to Uncover Problems
    5. Questions to Disrupt Existing Vendor Relationships
    6. Questions to Strengthen Existing Customer Relationships
    7. Questions About Your Customers’ (External) Customers
    8. The Question of Why
    9. Questions About Company Culture
    10. Your Customers’ Decision-Making Criteria
    11. Competition and Trends
  6. Managing Business Opportunities: The Qualifying Process
    1. Interpreting Prospective Customers’ Answers
    2. Responding to the Answers: The Three-Step Qualifying Process
    3. Putting the Process to Work
    4. Why Qualifying?
  7. Getting Your Customers Talking: Expansion and Comparison Questions
    1. Expansion Questions
    2. Comparison Questions
  8. Are You a Consultant or a Product Peddler? The Educational Question
    1. Timing the Educational Question
  9. Directing the Conversation: Lock-On and Impact Questions
    1. How to Create Lock-On Questions
    2. When to Use Lock-On Questions
    3. How to Manage a Conversation Using Lock-On Questions
    4. How to Use Impact Questions
    5. How Impact Questions Encourage Change
  10. Back to the Future: Vision Questions
    1. What Your Customer Needs
    2. How to Use Vision Questions
    3. Other Uses for Vision Questions
  11. Getting Past “What If?” Objections and Stalls
    1. The Mistakes Salespeople Make
    2. The Motives for Stalling
    3. The Four-Step Process for Handling Objections
    4. Use of the Four-Step Process
  12. Putting It All Together
    1. The Scenario
  13. Conclusion
  14. Show Me the Money! How to Create Value so Price Is No Longer an Issue
    1. Health Care
    2. Construction
    3. Manufacturing
    4. Food Production
    5. Customer Service/Technical Support
  15. Using Voice Mail and E-Mail
    1. Using Voice Mail
    2. Using E-Mail
  16. Seeing the Plan in Action
    1. Samantha, Our Salesperson
    2. Day 1. Samantha Talks with a Manager in Accounting
    3. Day 2. Samantha Talks with the Head Nurse
    4. Day 3. Samantha Meets with the Doctor’s Committee
    5. Day 4. Samantha Gathers Information and Research on Issues Relevant to Greenville Hospital
    6. Day 5. Samantha Sits Down with the President of the Hospital
  17. About the Author
  18. Index

Product information

  • Title: Questions That Sell
  • Author(s): Paul Cherry
  • Release date: April 2006
  • Publisher(s): AMACOM
  • ISBN: 9780814429471