1. Selling Smart Workshop Series

2. Selling Smart Workshop:
Communicating Value with Questions
Dave Bilbrey –
Sales Force Services
John Mills –
SimuQuest
Joe Marr –
Sandler Training Ann Arbor

3. Selling Smart Workshop:
Format
Workshop 9 – 10 am:
 Interactive Training Session
 Addressing Common Challenges
Panel Q & A 10 – 11 am
 Application
 Specific challenges in your business
 Anything

4. Selling Smart Workshop Today:
Communicating Value with Questions
Workshop : How educating prospects by
asking good questions makes for
shorter sales cycles and deeper client
relationships
Panel Q & A : How Socratic questioning
works, real-world

5. Communicating Value
 Should salespeople spend more time
asking or answering questions?
 Why?

6. Communicating Value with
Questions

7. Break Out of the Mold
 A Sales Pro Traditionally:
 Knows it all, tells it all, convinces all.
 Why is all this telling not a good idea?
 How will you know what they know?

8. The Dummy Curve
Salesperson
Talks
Time

9. Dummy Phrases
 “Did you mean…”
 “Tell me more about…”
 “Help me…”
 “I think I understand…”
 “I don’t suppose…”
 “You’re way ahead of me…”
 “Let’s review…” etc., etc.

10. Nancy & the Seagulls

11. Rules
 No buzzwords.
 Don’t spill your candy in the lobby.
 Don’t paint seagulls in your prospect’s picture.
 Learn all you can about your stuff—just don’t tell
about it.

12. Learning to Ask Questions
 Prospects are comfortable asking
questions, salespeople are comfortable
answering them
 But many questions are smoke screens
If you are not sure:
• Why the prospect asks a question, ASK
• Of the underlying intent of the question, ASK
• Of the importance of the question, ASK

13. (More) Rules
 No buzzwords.
 Don’t spill your candy in the lobby.
 Don’t paint seagulls in your prospect’s picture.
 Learn all you can about your stuff—just don’t tell
about it.
 Your value as a Sales Pro is determined more by
the info you gather than by the info you give.
 No mind reading.
 When reversed, a prospect will always redefine
his question.

14. Reversing Insights
 3+ Reverses to clear the smoke
 First two answers are intellectual
 3rd is emotional
 Use softening statements

15. Reverses You Can Use
 “You must be telling me that for a reason.”
 “And you’re pointing that out because…?”
 “Why did you ask that just now?”
 “When you say you’re unhappy with… …what does
that mean?”
 “Is that a big concern?”
 “If we could provide that, what’s the next step?”
 3rd or 4th - “Like…”, “Which means…?”, “And…?,”
“You’d like for me to…?”

16. Soft, not evasive or
aggressive
 Begin all reverses with a softening statement.
 Answer every question with a question, but
soften it first.

17. Use / Vary Softening Statements
 “I’ll be happy to...”
 “I’m glad you asked.”
 “Good point.”
 “I appreciate that question.”
 “I understand.”
 “That makes sense.”
 “A lot of people ask that.”
 “That sounds important to you.”

18. Softened Reverses
 “I’m glad you asked…and you must be asking
me that for a reason?”
 “Good point. And if we could provide that, what ’s
the next step?”
 “I understand the question. But do you mind
sharing why you asked it just now?”
 “That makes sense. And is that a big concern? ”
 “That sounds important. And it’s important
because…?”
 I appreciate your insight. And when you say
you’re unhappy with… …what does that mean?”
3rd or 4th reverse - “Like…”, “Which means…?”,
“And…?,” “You’d like for me to…?”

19. Another Rule:
Never answer an unasked question.

20. Educating with Questions
Educating With Questions Worksheet
One powerful method of conveying information is to ask questions, the answers to which
are the information you want them to discover.
There are two parts to your questions:
1. Opening – Begin with a statement such as “I don’t suppose . . .” or “Did we
discuss . . .”, or “If I were to say . . .”
2. Benefit statement – Describe the benefit from a feature you are offering, using
conversational language.
Feature Benefit Educating Question
Qualify budget Propose a solution If I were to say that the solution I’m thinking of offering
before proposing that is in budget you is well within that budget, what would you say?
Disqualify Save time wasted Let’s suppose that you could save the 10 -20 hours you
prospects early on unqualified say you waste on unqualified prospects, would that be
prospects important?

21. Exercise – Pair-off
 Write 2 or 3 Educating Questions
of your own – 5 minutes
 Question a partner “prospect”
 Partner provide feedback, help
refine

22. Lessons Learned
 One takeaway
 Can you use it?
 On Business Card:
 Questions – “Q”
 Speaking Opportunities – “S”
 Contact me – “C”
 Raffle

23. Questions for the Panel
On break take a moment to write
questions for the panel about:
 The workshop
 The panelists application of tactics
 Specific challenges in your business
 Anything

24. Selling Smart Workshop:
Communicating Value with Questions
Dave Bilbrey –
Sales Force Services
John Mills –
SimuQuest
Joe Marr –
Sandler Training Ann Arbor

25. Selling Smart Workshop Series
October 3, 2012 9-11 am
 Establish Ground Rules with
Prospects
 Gaining more momentum in sales
situations by verbally setting an agenda
for each interaction, increasing mutual
understanding and shortening cycles.

26. Selling Smart Workshop Series