TeleSeminar:
Ask the Right Questions to Capture More Business
Article:
Love the One You’re With: Strengthening Existing Customer Relationships
Ask the Right Questions to Capture More Business
Article:
Love the One You’re With: Strengthening Existing Customer Relationships
| Register before July 21 to attend the upcoming Aug 2 teleSeminar, Ask the Right Questions to Capture More Business |
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| And get, ABSOLUTELY FREE, Paul Cherry’s newly published book from AMACOM, Questions That Sell (A $16.95 value.) |
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This teleSeminar will teach you how to ask the right questions to help you:
| • | Develop powerful business relationships. |
| • | Identify the most promising opportunities. |
| • | Uncover critical buying needs. |
| • | Motivate customers to overcome procrastination. |
| • | Position yourself as a trusted business advisor. |
| • | Minimize the stalls that get in the way. |
| • | Eliminate your competitors low balling you on price. |
| • | Engage higher-level decision-makers and hidden influencers. |
| • | Close more sales. |
You presented a great solution and terrific value.
He needs it. You have it — but no sale.
What went wrong?
The reality is that what we present doesn’t always have the impact we want.
Ask the right QUESTIONS — the ones that will motivate your customers to want to do business with you. That’s when the sale occurs.
Ask the Right Questions to Capture More Business will give you techniques for crafting POWER QUESTIONS that hone-in on the key issues that really matter in a sale, such as your customers’ budgetary process, buying criteria, decision-making authority, motives for buying and time-frame to take action. POWER QUESTIONS help customers focus on, and sometimes even discover, their real needs, putting you in a position where customers perceive you as THE solution to their problems.
Ask the Right Questions to Capture More Business
Wednesday, August 2, 2006 • 2:00-3:00 pm EDT
PBR president Paul Cherry has more than 19 years experience in sales, management, executive leadership and performance improvement strategies. Johnson & Johnson, EBI, Huntleigh Healthcare, Blue Cross, Comcast, Moody’s, Shell, Harley Davidson, Tyco, Nashville Predators, Pepsi Cola, Prudential, and Wells Fargo are just a few of the 1,200 clients who Paul has worked with. He is author of Questions That Sell, recently published by AMACOM, and has written over 125 articles for leading business and sales publications.
Strengthening customer relationships is like strengthening a marriage. Have you ever faced a situation where you thought your relationship with a customer was still going strong, only to find she’s got her eye on a rival vendor? You come back from a sales meeting feeling confident and secure, only to find a message on your voicemail that your business won’t be up for renewal because a competitor bid lower! You feel so betrayed—how could your customer do that to you after all that you’ve done to support her, without even a hint that she was unhappy with you?
Questions to strengthen existing customer relationships
Wait around for your customer to affirm your relationship status, and you’ll probably hear about it after she’s taken her business elsewhere. Instead, be proactive and uncover her true feelings by asking the following questions:
Don’t be afraid of the answers
Maybe you’re reluctant to ask these questions because you’re afraid of your customer’s answers. After all, what if she says she isn’t satisfied?
What if she wants faster turnaround, greater discounts, and higher quality? But if those issues or anything else are indeed bothering your customer, you need to hear it from her before she runs into the arms of the competition. So embrace negative answers—respond to them with gratitude and a desire and determination to meet her requests by asking for things in return.
What if, deep in your heart of hearts, you already know your service or quality leaves much to be desired? Then you don’t need to ask her those questions—you need to fix the problem, and fast. If you don’t, your competition will be happy to do it for you!
If it’s better pricing she wants, persuade her to commit to purchasing greater volume. If she wants faster turnaround, price those projects at a premium so that they receive the extra attention, commitment, and support that your customer values.
Like a marriage, a business relationship is always two-sided, so don’t be afraid to ask what you can do to enhance the relationship while asking for something in return. If you do, the answer to the age-old question “Can this business relationship be saved?” has a much better chance of being “Yes!”
Questions to strengthen existing customer relationships
Wait around for your customer to affirm your relationship status, and you’ll probably hear about it after she’s taken her business elsewhere. Instead, be proactive and uncover her true feelings by asking the following questions:
| • | What is it that you value most about doing business with us (me)? |
| • | What do you feel we are (I am) doing right to sustain our business relationship? |
| • | In what ways are we (am I) helping you to achieve your goals? |
| • | In what ways can we (I) improve? |
| • | What changes do we (I) need to make to ensure greater success? |
| • | If you could change one thing about our relationship, what would it be? |
| • | What goals would you like to see us (me) accomplish with you in the next twelve months? |
| • | How can we (I) make your job easier? |
| • | Would you be willing to serve as a reference for my product or company? If so, can you elaborate on what you would say about us? If not, why not? |
| • | What will it take on our (my) part to win the business you are giving to our competition? |
Don’t be afraid of the answers
Maybe you’re reluctant to ask these questions because you’re afraid of your customer’s answers. After all, what if she says she isn’t satisfied?
What if she wants faster turnaround, greater discounts, and higher quality? But if those issues or anything else are indeed bothering your customer, you need to hear it from her before she runs into the arms of the competition. So embrace negative answers—respond to them with gratitude and a desire and determination to meet her requests by asking for things in return.
What if, deep in your heart of hearts, you already know your service or quality leaves much to be desired? Then you don’t need to ask her those questions—you need to fix the problem, and fast. If you don’t, your competition will be happy to do it for you!
If it’s better pricing she wants, persuade her to commit to purchasing greater volume. If she wants faster turnaround, price those projects at a premium so that they receive the extra attention, commitment, and support that your customer values.
Like a marriage, a business relationship is always two-sided, so don’t be afraid to ask what you can do to enhance the relationship while asking for something in return. If you do, the answer to the age-old question “Can this business relationship be saved?” has a much better chance of being “Yes!”
