Back in the day (every time I use that term, I feel a year older), sales people worked with decision-makers. Our goal was simple: understand their situation and problems, and deliver a solution that best fit them. We did this by asking probing questions. Once we developed a solution, we would present the idea and pricing to our contact, who would then throw objections our way until we eventually settled on an agreement.
Not today. Today, after we present our solution to a committee, they ask us to leave and tell us that they’ll let us know their decision after they’ve gone through the process in six weeks. Everyone on the committee has an equal vote, but our point of contact can sway them with their influence. So today, it can be fair to claim that our points of contact are the ones selling our solutions. We’re merely providing a proposal … unless we understand and appreciate this new world of buying and are willing to look differently at our probing questions.
In the past, probing questions were all about helping us learn more about our customers’ problems. By the way, that’s still an important goal. However, the primary purpose of probing questions today is to ensure that our customers understand the magnitude of their problems. That’s right – they need to understand their own scenario. One would assume they already know this, right? Maybe, but most people are so rushed today that they don’t’ scratch below the surface of anything. For example, maybe they think they have a morale issue on their IT staff. They don’t realize that updates are not happening on schedule, turnover is increasing, finding talented replacements is almost impossible, and paying for temporary personnel is out of the question because of budget constraints. On the surface, their challenge seemed like an inconvenience, but after further review, they have a real crisis on their hands.
This understanding is important because your point of contact is your internal sales person to the committee. If your point of contact thinks they only have an inconvenience that you can solve, they won’t fight for you, and will lose during the committee meeting. However, once they realize the depth of their problems, they’ll bust through walls and take on any argument to make sure your proposal is approved, and they can solve their emergency.
So, don’t simply run through your list of questions. Heck, you probably already know the answers anyway. Move slowly, and when you hear a clue that there is a real problem, stop and discuss it deeper. Allow your point of contact to wallow in the problem for a while before moving on to the next question. This will be uncomfortable, but so is mediocrity.
