Episode #006 of the Podcast: The Right Questions to Sell

• [00:01:10] Introduction and topic: how do you ask the right questions?
• [00:01:52] Giving and receiving
• [00:02:15] Looking towards the other person
• [00:03:23] And listening?
• [00:04:28] Relay questions
• [00:05:13] Refocusing
• [00:05:33] Rephrasing to be sure you understand each other
• [00:05:57] Questions that lead to a refusal?
• [00:06:44] Preparing questions
• [00:07:54] The rules and forms to respect
• [00:09:02] Lots of open questions
• [00:09:21] The P.O.C.C.Q.Q.Q.
• [00:10:20] Some examples
• [00:11:10] Reaching agreement on specific points
• [00:13:17] About SPIN
• [00:13:41] The key to listening, the key to questioning
• [00:15:22] Asking questions again to be sure you identify the real objection
• [00:15:42] Next podcast topic
• [00:16:01] Podcast wrap-up

Stéphane: Hello and welcome to this new episode of the Performance et Harmonie podcast produced by PHCom, in the "transforma bxl" studio in Brussels with technical support from "The Podcast Factory Org"

Nadia: The Performance et Harmonie podcast is aimed at marketing and sales managers as well as company directors with commercial responsibilities.

Stéphane: Every month, we share good experiences in finding new customers for companies active in business to business.

Nadia: You can find every episode on the PHCom.be website, P.H.C.O.M, and also on all the good podcast platforms.

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Nadia: The answering machine is still on so you can leave us a message, and we are always very happy to reply.

Stéphane: You can also book a meeting directly with Nadia or Stéphane by going to phcom.be

Nadia: Hello Mr Performance!

Stéphane: Hello Mrs Harmony! How are you today?

Nadia: Very good question, that's the topic, isn't it? Questions and listening?

Stéphane: Yes, absolutely, listening means first of all not interrupting the person you're talking to, sorry, sorry (Laughs). So, when we talk about listening, there's one thing: whoever asks the questions leads. It's quite surprising, but when you ask questions, you know where you're going, you know which direction you're taking, and you're the one asking the questions. And whoever asks the questions has the upper hand, and yet, when you ask a question, you don't know what the other person is going to tell you. And that's where it gets interesting: knowing how to bounce off what the other person says. So today we're in a slightly more spontaneous mode, aren't we?

Nadia: That's it! In fact, if I understand correctly, with good questions you have to give and receive, it's an exchange.

Stéphane: Exactly, and we're picking up on what we were saying last month about a good introduction: it's about connecting with the other person. So you really have to enter their world, really enter their universe, their company, but also the person and the personality sitting in front of you.

Nadia: OK, so it's always about looking towards the other person.

Stéphane: With the idea of asking yourself: what can I bring them? And for that, I'll have to get on their wavelength. So, there are the little techniques you probably know: what is SONCAS? SONCAS covers their buying drivers: security, money, novelty, convenience, security, pride. And from there, once we've understood what motivates them, that will become part of the questions. We'll ask questions to find out what motivates them, but we'll also ask questions to find out how they operate, using a little model called RAMI: Are they more about Relationship, meaning the ability, the desire or the interest in being in relationship with others? Or are they more on the Action side: "I want to do lots of things", or rather Methodical, or rather Ideas, there you go. That's part of the questions we'll ask, or the reasons why we'll ask those questions: it's to try to understand the other person too, not just the other company.

Nadia: So you need to show a bit of psychology, read between the lines, hear the words and deduce the motivations. Right, good questions, OK, and listening?

Stéphane: Well, listening is right there. It's precisely asking these questions; technically, we have skills for asking questions, but it's above all a matter of attitude: I'm interested in the other person. So, why do we ask questions, ultimately? One, to get information; two, to dig deeper; three, to steer. So 1.: getting information, and what do we get information about? As I was saying, we find out about the company, we find out about the person to understand their profile. 2. we dig deeper to find out which arguments will be the most compelling: understanding, getting the other person to understand, thinking, getting them to think. And thirdly, there's the steering side, which is trying to identify where to leave room for your counterpart's thinking. That means you actually ask questions and it makes them think. And from the moment they're thinking, well, they'll build something with you.

Nadia: Ah, OK. So, in the active listening phase, questions should act as relays, moving from one topic to another. For example, as a question: "Which sector do you work in?" Mirrors: ask the same question again to go deeper! "What do you mean by expensive?", "How much are you prepared to spend?"

Stéphane: Yes, absolutely. It can also be a return. You answer a question with the same question; you say, "And is it selling well?" "Well, it's selling well. And what do you think?" It can also simply be a check. "So, for you, that's right, is it?", for example.

Nadia: Yes, like the rebound, I do that a lot: "Really?"

Stéphane: That works, indeed. So we were saying get information, so showing interest is "By the way, when can you start selling your product or service?"

Nadia: Yes, and then there's refocusing. Sometimes some people talk a lot, and you have to bring them back to the topic: "So you were telling me that…".

Stéphane: Or simply echo, the classic rephrasing technique. It's "Ah, so, tell me, your company works like that?" "Yes, yes, it works like that", and simply carry on.

Nadia: Rephrasing, deductions, moving the proposal forward, repeating. And so that will allow you to be sure you've understood each other, that in your communication together you're talking about the same subject, which is very important.

Stéphane: Exactly. So the aim is obviously not for it to be an interrogation. Questioning will always be perceived positively, in fact, if you are really, really, really, genuinely interested in the other person.

Nadia: What about questions that can lead to a refusal?

Stéphane: When we ask questions, we often tend to be a little "uncomfortable", so what do we do? We ask a question, followed by another question, followed by another question, and in fact you put three questions one after the other, and the person you're talking to no longer knows what's what. And that creates confusion. And at the same time, it risks undermining the expertise we're supposed to have. Then there are "student survey" type questions, and those are deadly: "Hello, I'm calling you to..." and then first question, second question, third question, and there's no link between them. In short, there's no conversation, there's no connection, and it only goes one way. There are also questions that create doubt, and that's what you must always avoid, so you always have to be very clear, very sharp, very precise in your questions.

Nadia: So it's a good idea to prepare these questions, these right questions, in advance in a script.

Stéphane: Well, yes, knowing which topics need to be addressed, anticipating; listing all these questions to ask them mechanically, leave that to a student. But do take a real interest in the person. What will contribute to the sale, on the other hand, are the right questions. That is, and we've run many workshops and done a lot of work on this subject, six key modes of questioning that contribute to the sale emerge from it. So first, the question is not pointless, meaning it will justify a later argument. Second, the question concerns something you're not supposed to know, and vice versa, meaning you raise topics the other person hadn't thought of and which are nevertheless essential for them. Third element of a good question: it creates an effect, an interest, an involvement. So there really is something that follows from it for your counterpart. And that immediately leads to the fourth point, which is reflection. You open up their thinking, you make them want to know more, and ultimately you anticipate all the possible pitfalls. Those are the "life insurance" questions, which we'll talk about later.

Nadia: So, if I understand correctly, you still have to respect certain rules and forms.

Stéphane: Well, yes, that's also very important. A good question is introduced, meaning it comes within a context; as we were saying earlier about the student questionnaire, well, a good question is introduced and it's linked to what has just been said. A good question ends with a question mark, which means you stop, full stop. And you let the other person speak. One question at a time, please! Then, another space is the space of time you give the other person. Give them room; if they want to talk, they talk, they talk, they talk, they talk, and that's all the better because we'll gather lots and lots and lots of information. So, in terms of form, a good question is certainly not restrictive, meaning it won't put the other person in a situation where they feel stuck. It indicates the direction of the conversation, we talked about that earlier: a good question steers the conversation, and it's also clearly linked to what comes next. It's part of a continuity, it's logical, which means that my next question will be linked to my previous one, obviously.

Nadia: To sum up, they're still mostly open questions.

Stéphane: Well, yes and no. There are the three famous types of questions you all know: the open question, the closed question and then alternative questions. And perhaps let's go over together what a good open question is? So a little technique is POCCQQQ. Do you know POCCQQQ?

Nadia: Yes, P.O.C.C.Q.Q.Q.

Nadia: Why? Where? How? How much? Who? What? When?

Stéphane: Very useful, because when you start a question with these adverbs, you open the dialogue, you get them talking, you give them the opportunity to give their opinion, you identify their motivations, you identify their obstacles, you identify their needs, you make them feel valued, you ask for their opinion, you let them steer the meeting.

Nadia: Actually, I use that all the time when I'm interested in the other person.

Stéphane: Be careful, because when you ask open questions, the risk is not really knowing where you're going. You won't get a "Yes - No" answer, but on the other hand, it really, really lets you involve the person so that they open up. It gives them time to take a position, but it does need to be very precise and well introduced, otherwise the other person will feel uncomfortable and could even become aggressive.

Nadia: Do you have a few examples?

Stéphane: "What do you think of the current economic market?" "Well, pfff". "What do you expect from this meeting?" When you ask that question at the start of a meeting, it's a disaster, because it isn't framed and you haven't yet given it any meaning. "What are your priorities?" If you ask the question what are your priorities, it's a wonderful question, but you have to ask it at the right moment. So frame these open questions properly. Then, alongside that, there are closed questions, and they're spontaneous, they're natural: when you do exercises asking questions about a very specific subject, for example business development, what are the first questions that come to mind? "Can you grow your business?" Yes - No. It's a closed question, it's a bit weak. On the other hand, it has its uses. Now, I imagine you can see very clearly what the uses of a closed question are.

Nadia: Well, to get the customer to answer yes or no.

Stéphane: That's the basics!

Nadia: Yes, it lets you find out and check. Reach agreement on specific points. For example: "Are you available on…" The customer becomes the one asking, and it lets you ask other questions.

Stéphane: Yes, indeed, because if you validate, "Can we talk about this subject?" "Yes." "Right, how exactly do you operate?" There you go, those are... It comes quite automatically. So a closed question can be the introduction to an open question. So, not too many closed questions at the beginning; or at the end of the meeting, they're mainly check questions, right? These are questions that can sometimes seem blunt and give little information, but they frame things well and channel the discussion directly. Alternative questions are the third type of question, and they also have their uses. So, for example: "Shall we meet on Thursday or Friday?" "Do you prefer the first or the second?" "Would you prefer white or red?" So it clearly steers the respondent's choice, it guides the customer towards the solution, it gives the impression of free choice, it makes a decision easier, and it also lets you stay in control of the meeting. But let's be careful not to be too systematic about it. There are a few more types of question that are worth remembering in questioning techniques: questions that bring a need to the surface when, at first sight, there isn't one. I hear a lot of my clients come back and say "He doesn't have a need". "OK, did you ask these questions?" Example: these are what we call SPIN questions, right? It's: what is the situation, have we properly understood the situation? And that's done through open questions. By the way, what problem does this situation create? And so from there, what is the implication for your counterpart? Are they concerned? Are they involved? What effect does it have on them? And finally, what return on investment could they get if they did something? So why do we say SPIN? Because we analyse one: the situation, two: the problem, three: the implication, four: the need-payoff, which comes from English, obviously; it's the need for a return on investment.

Nadia: About SPIN, I was saying that it's actually very interesting to use it precisely when you've had a refusal, to check whether you've gone through those filters properly.

Stéphane: Absolutely! Go back, go back to the customer's situation and the problems it generates. I don't know anyone who is 100% satisfied with what they have. Then there's one last type of question: "life insurance" questions, and I know you're good at those.

Nadia: Well, I really like them, and I actually learnt them at PHCom! Some questions help you avoid missing out on a sale. These "life insurance" questions are based on objections we have received in the past, against which nothing more can be done. If the prospect tells you at the end of the meeting "I have no budget left for this year", "I'm not the only one who decides", "I have to refer it to Mr So-and-so", "I don't have time", "The deadline is too short", you can't sell. If you ask questions about these topics during the meeting, you'll know exactly what game you're playing!

Stéphane: Exactly. It's quite fascinating, as if you asked a question at the start of the meeting. Example: "By the way, if we bring you new customers, can you handle them right away?" "Yes, yes, absolutely, that's all I'm asking for". And then if you didn't ask the question, at the end of the meeting, since there's always a bit of fear about buying something new, isn't there? Well, what happens at the end? It's: "But you know, it's not possible to take on new customers right now". That's the wonderful way out, and so all these ways out that you've been able to identify with the people you've met, all the reasons given by those prospects who didn't want to sign with you, and you rarely sign 100% of prospects, so there's always material to work with: include the good or bad reasons, but include those reasons in your questioning, and that's the key to listening. That's the key to questioning, and that's what will actually allow you to build your argument in good conditions. So all the good reasons the customer gave you for not buying, include them. And it's from the moment you've understood what the other person wants, and you know how you're going to present your offer to them, that you can finally move on to the next step.

Nadia: And don't hesitate to ask questions again, to be sure you're facing the real objection.

Stéphane: Now, you mentioned something very, very important. In questioning, it's not enough to have the techniques; you need to have the attitude. That attitude is active listening, and it would be worth doing a whole podcast just on that, it seems to me.

Nadia: I'm all ears.

Stéphane: What are the key points we'll discover about active listening?

Nadia: Synchronisation, empathy, really listening, not preparing your answers. These are all vast subjects, in fact, about active listening, which we know very little about, and that's why we'll be delighted to go into them in more depth soon.

Stéphane: Thank you, Mrs Harmony

Nadia: Until next time!