Bloggy Business Today

Have you ever had the salesman at your car dealership give you a call a few months before your loan expires?  Or maybe your guy at the bank sent you an e-mail recently about refinancing your home mortgage?

How did he know you were ready to buy another SUV?  Or that you might be ready to refinance your home in this favorable interest rate environment?   It’s not just a coincidence.  Smarts salespeople and smart companies know that their existing customer base is a precious asset, a treasure that provide rewards year in and year out.

But for some reason, many businesses ignore one of their valuable resources.  Not only have they proven themselves to be buyers in the past, but they are already familiar with your product or service.  Instead of having to start from scratch, you have an existing business relationship in place that’ll provide you an easy entrée into future sales opportunities.

On rare occasions, contacting a previous customer can open up old wounds.  Even the most successful companies in the world drop the ball on a customer or two.  After all, you can’t win ‘em all.  But even these situations have promise.  Perhaps their complaint is a connected to a previous regime or a personal animus with one of your salesmen.  Don’t leave a stone unturned.  These seemingly lost causes can sometimes be turned around into opportunities for the future. 

An attempt at repair and reconciliation, assuming it’s done in good faith and in a sincere manner, can pay off for the savvy business owner. As you plan your marketing strategies and assess your revenue goals for 2008, don’t forget about the people that helped you get there in the first place — your customers. 

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Yes, yes, yes.  Oh god yes. 

The ultimate goal of any sales process is to get your customer to say every business owner’s favorite three-letter word — yes.  Conventional sales wisdom would tell you that the best way to get the yes and gain commitment would be to get several smaller yes-es along the way. 

Something like this, for example … 

Does this make sense to you, Mr. Business customer?  Yes.  Do you understand how this product could benefit you?  Yes.  If I were to put together a program that made sense, that fit within your financial constraints, would this be something you would take action on?  Yes.  Can we get started today?  Yes.  Sign here.  Press hard.  There are six copies. 

But remember, conventional wisdom is only wise when your customer responds conventionally and says yes. what do you do when your customer says maybe?  Or I don’t  know?  Or the dreaded no? 

If you’re not prepared, a strict yes-no questioning approach will quickly short-circuit many potential sales opportunities.  Instead of being just a yes man, resolve to add the probing question to your sales repertoire. 

What exactly is a probing question?  In a sales-related sense, a probe is any question that elicits additional information from your client.  It is the exact opposite of a yes-no question. 

The art of effective probing is all about dropping the “me-first-I-already-know-what-you-want” bravado that dominates sales, … and simply trying to get to know your customer better.  Like you would with a new friend.  Or with a first date. 

Imagine you’re meeting a sales prospect for the first time.  What would you want to know about this person?  And how would you ask it?  Ideally, a good probing question should make your prospect think twice before they speak. 

And forget for a second the part of your training that says you should get as many small “yes”-es as possible.  What, exactly, does a little “yes” do for you as a salesperson?  Sure, it may give you a measure of confidence in the short term, but does it help you to get to know your prospect any better?  Or cultivate a potential long-term relationship that goes beyond just the initial sale? 

By the end of the process, you should feel like you know your prospect better than before.  And your prospect should learn more about you by the end of the process too. 

Probe with purpose.  Know where you’re going with a questions. A customer must feel like you are asking a question for a reason, … That you have a goal in mind when you are asking a question.  You are trying to help a person make an informed decision instead of making the decision for them in advance. 

But be careful not to probe too aggressively.  This is not Law and Order and you are not Jack McCoy cross-examining someone on the witness stand. Use your best judgment to decide when it is appropriate to move away from probing to a different line questioning. 

Probes come in all shapes and sizes.  Here are a few examples: 

• Probe for clarification: What exactly …What specifically …
• Probe for purpose: Why did you …, What was your rationale for …
• Probe for relevance: How is this related …
• Probe for examples: Describe a time …, Give me an example of …
• Probe for extension: Tell me more …
• Probe for evaluation: What are the strengths and weaknesses …,
• Probe for emotion: And how did you feel when …

 So, Mr. Business Owner, what did you enjoy most about this article? 
Excellent …

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