In Vector Firm Academy this month we focused on the topic of Personal Questions. Summarizing a webinar, podcast, action item, and video into a few dozen words:
To succeed in today’s b2b buying process, our points of contact must fight for us in front of purchasing committees. If they’re going to fight for us, they must be emotionally attached to us and our solution. One of the best methods to gaining emotional attachment is to go beyond technical and business questions by asking personal questions of our points of contact. Therefore, if I’m remembering the transitive property correctly from geometry class, to succeed in today’s b2b buying process, we must ask personal questions.
However, that’s hard to do. It’s much easier to ask technical questions like “How many cards do you print a year?” than it is to ask a personal question like “Do you spend a lot of Saturdays catching up on credentialing because your staff is limited?”
Let’s face it, asking personal questions can be intimidating. If you’re hesitant to asking personal questions, then I have a very 1990’s idea for you. It’s simple but has been forgotten lately because of our mobile / Internet / sterile world in which we live and work. The idea is simple, but the connection to personal questions isn’t so obvious. What’s the idea?
Build as much rapport as possible at the beginning of the sales call.
This post isn’t long enough to teach you how to build rapport, but please note that it’s different for every customer. If they’re task-oriented, then let them know that you know the end-time of the meeting and commit that you’ll be done by then. (If you ever want to build rapport with a task-oriented person, this simple technique will do it.) If they’re a socializer, then find out what interests them and let ‘em talk.
Here’s the connection: If you build rapport early with your customer, you may not have to ask the tough questions. If they’re comfortable with you, they might disclose personal information without you ever having to ask. Using the example above, you might simply ask: “How many cards do you print a year?” And they may answer …
“I’m not sure how many, but I know it’s too many and too sporadic. When we need cards, I have to retrain the staff to do so, and many times I end up doing it. Sometimes I have to come into the office on the weekends to either correct their mistakes or make up for the work they didn’t get to. As you see from these photos on my desk, I’ve got three kids that I don’t see during the week … and then I have to leave on Saturday morning to work!”
So, do your homework early and get them talking. If you do, they may give you answers to personal questions without you asking. The worst case is that you’ll find it much easier to ask personal questions after building rapport and trust.
