As salespeople, we so often have our go-to questions.
And a lot of times we don't even think about the fact
that we're asking them.
Yet there are certain questions
that you absolutely want to avoid ever asking a prospect,
because if you use those questions, you're going to sound
like every other cheeseball salesperson out there.
So in this video,
I'm going to show you the five questions
that you never want to ask in sales, check it out.
(upbeat music)
Number One- How are you?
It's crazy to think about the fact that this question
is such a bad sales question, but it really is.
And let me tell you why,
every sales person out there
is starting pretty much every conversation
with, how are you?
And the problem with how are you,
is not that there's any inherent flaw
with the question itself,
it's just that it is so thoughtless.
So rhetorical in nature, it is just common.
Every salesperson is asking that question.
So when you go to a prospect
and say, how are you,
immediately the prospect walls are going up
because they're like, oh, okay,
this person's like every other sales person
using the same exact line
that every other sales person uses.
So instead break the pattern,
use a different type of question
to open up your conversation.
Any question, or it could be a statement,
it doesn't matter, but really mix it up.
Particularly if you're starting with cold calls
or some type of a prospecting call,
or you're at a trade show,
or you're on a Zoom.
Instead of how are you, use something else
that gets the prospect to kind of wake up
from their stupor and not just immediately raise the walls
and immediately try to push back on you.
Number Two- What's keeping you up at night.
I will say that this is a question
that many years ago was super effective.
Because prospects weren't used to hearing that question.
The problem is that now,
there's an entire segment of salespeople
who are just spending all their time,
asking the questions like, what's keeping you up at night?
As a result,
prospects are really weary with these types of questions,
particularly when it comes to starting conversations.
So let's say you're dealing with a high level buyer
and you open up the conversation with,
you know what George, tell me,
what's keeping you up at night right now?
Immediately, that buyer is like, oh man,
I've been asked this question a million times,
it's super salesy, it's cheesy.
Don't start with that type of a question.
Instead, use something that's a little more engaging,
more specific than just what's keeping you up at night?
Number Three- What would get you to buy now?
There is no more salesy question out there
than what would get you to buy now?
When you ask a prospect,
what would get you to buy now,
immediately they're feeling pressure
'cause they know that you're trying to get them
to buy right this second.
And so whatever they come back with
is either going to be some form of resistance
or is going to be something about discounting
or something that you don't really want to hear.
So rather than ask questions
that are naturally putting pressure on the prospect,
instead, just focus on their commitment
to solve the challenges that they're facing.
Don't focus on getting them to buy
through some weird Kung Fu question,
but instead, really focus on them,
on the challenges that they're facing
rather than putting pressure on them.
Number Four- Are you the decision maker?
There is no question that is more destructive later on
in the sales process than, are you the decision maker?
Just imagine if you're the prospect
and I say, are you the decision maker?
You're basically going to go in one of two directions.
One is that you're going to start beating your chest
and you're going to say, yes, I'm the decision maker.
And now as the salesperson,
I don't really know
if you actually are the decision maker or not.
That's one scenario.
The other is that you're going to be kind of pissed off
or offended by the fact that I just said,
are you the decision maker?
Just imagine if you're selling to two homeowners
and you go to the husband and you say,
are you the decision maker?
Like really traditional.
And of course there's going to be beat his chest,
but is he really the decision maker?
Chances are no, that's ridiculous, of course not.
Even in a company setting,
there is typically no one decision-maker.
So either way we don't want to be asking,
are you the decision maker?
We want to I understand more
about their decision-making process in general.
So don't hammer them with,
are you the decision maker,
instead, slow it down and just find out
about their typical decision-making process.
That's how you're going to determine
who are the likely decision makers.
And more importantly,
what is their process really look like?
Number Five- Would a discount change your mind?
This is such a desperate question.
Yet I hear salespeople asking some version of this
all the time.
So this is where it seems
like the sale is starting to go South,
and now the salesperson is just trying to do
anything they can to get the prospect to move forward.
And put yourself in the shoes of the prospect
being asked this question, when a sales person says to you,
would a discount change your mind,
as the buyer you're thinking one,
well, clearly, they don't have any price integrity,
because they're just willing to ask
if I would accept a discount,
but two, it just shows a level of weakness.
If you're in a situation where you've lost a sale,
chances are not because of the price
and it's not about discount.
So asking about discount is putting yourself
in the salesiest cheesiest level
that you could possibly be at.
So instead, avoid these questions at all cost
and use the sales process to create value.
So that way you're not pushing back on price,
but you're really focused on the value
that the prospect wants to have.
So there are the five terrible sales questions
that you should never ask.
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