Every salesperson recognizes that an effective sales discovery process is critical to a successful business-to-business sale.
You ask insightful and thought provoking questions; you get helpful answers. Is that all there is? Can you be sure that the answers are true? Are the nuggets real or just fool’s gold?
Assuming that you have done enough preparation and have established enough credibility to have a sales discovery conversation, here are a few tips to ensure that you get what you need:
1. Ask open-ended questions. This helps to ensure that the answers reflect the customer’s real situation
2. Avoid questions that require a one word answer; dig deeper with questions that encourage the customer to elaborate. It also helps to convince the customer that you are more interested in uncovering their needs than fitting your “round-pegged” solution into their “square-pegged” hole.
3. Do your homework so that you already know the answers to easily researched questions and don’t waste your customer’s time and patience.
4. Resist the temptation to sell too early even if you spot an opportunity for your product/service; discovery is not yet the time for sales. Think about adding value and insights.
5. Be present and listen carefully to demonstrate your sincere interest in the customer’s situation. Only then can you begin to cry, “Eureka!”
