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The other night on TV, I saw an ESPN special on the Football Hall of Fame. Just before the final commercial break, the announcer said something like, "When we get back, you'll have a chance to learn what we asked these Hall-of-Famers."
Then they showed clip after clip of the most famous football players ever, all shaking their heads saying things like, "Wow, that's a tough one" and "I don't have a clue." Of course, I stayed glued to the television to find out the question that elicited these incredulous responses. When the show returned, the announcer posed the question:
"If you were the captain of a football team composed only of Hall-of-Famers, who would be the first person you would pick to be on your team?"
What a great question! Every single person had to really think before they answered it. Did they want an offensive or a defensive player? Someone they'd played with or against? Perhaps even a player from an entirely different era? What qualities would they want in that first pick?
Great questions are like that. They're provocative, forcing you to look beyond the obvious, to analyze, assess and make decisions.
In selling, your ability to ask great questions is highly correlated with sales success. Great questions demonstrate your expertise and enhance your credibility. And, the best questions you can ask are highly provocative - ones your prospects can't possibly answer without seriously considering their business situation.
So how do you come up with provocative questions? First of all, it's virtually impossible to come up with them when you're in the midst of a sales call. Too many other things are going on.
Provocative questions require pre-planning and a significant investment of your time before you meet with prospective customers. To develop them, you need an in-depth understanding of your own offering from a customer's perspective.
Here's what you need to consider before developing your questions.
Determine how your prospective customers are meeting their needs if they don't use your product/service. Identify the 3 to 4 most likely scenarios you encounter. These scenarios may include competitive offerings, your older systems, or even "doing nothing."
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