Good morning everyone,
I hope last week’s blog helped you to start deriving great questions. Today’s let’s talk about the philosophy of why creating questions that answer needs is so important for you and your customer.
Customers do not make changes in the supply base unless their needs are not being met. Needs are the “WHY” customers make the change. The benefits are the “HOW” features of your product affect the customer. The features are the “WHAT” things that help the customer. Unless needs change, suppliers fall short on agreements, or the customer is introduced to a new product or service that is full of mind-blowing awesomeness, the customer is more than likely happy where they. The customer will need a great deal of momentum to make a change unless any of those three items are happening. That is our job to influence the customer or potential customer to make a change. Knowing the “why” the customer needs to change is huge. Features and benefits are nice, but they do not make change. Only helping answer the “Why” for the customer will net you business.
To further understand the focus of questions during the sales process, let’s look at how your questions might mirror what Simon Sinek refers to as the “Golden Circle.” Simon is widely known for his TED Talk on the “Golden Circle.” He focuses in on how ultra-successful organizations don’t focus on what they sell. They go past the “how” and straight to “why” they are in business. He uses Apple as one of his examples of an ultra-successful company that focuses on why they exist. I use this example because these corporations are selling to people products and services where people are lining up for hours to get the latest product or service. Would'n’t you like to have that kind of influence with your customers?
Take a few minutes and watch his talk if you have not seen it yet. This will give you context to the mindset. Link -> https://youtu.be/l5Tw0PGcyN0
I have included the “Needs Bullseye” in the graphic below to help you visualize.
Simon’s Golden Circle Needs Bullseye
The “Needs Bullseye” makes it easier to visualize how you will hit the target in the bullseye. Just like on the archery range where you are trying to send an arrow from a distance away at the target, you should be focusing your questions to hit the heart of the customer. If you are asking questions for features and benefits instead of “NEEDS” you are not going to make as big of an impact when you present your solution later in the sales process. If you hit the bullseye with your customer, then you will likely make a connection with their emotion. Emotion is a huge driver in decisions to purchase solutions.
The customer has needs that need to be met in order for them to make the purchase. The larger the purchase the greater the need is going to be. The customer will really need to have a great sense of security and trust with the salesperson and that is done by meeting the needs of the customer. I will also state that meeting the needs is not completed by talk either. That is how the sales profession has gotten a bad wrap saying whatever is needed to get the customer to sign a purchase order. Do the work and prove yourself to the customer. Let’s change the persona of the sales profession!
Focus on the needs that you will answer with your benefits and features. What needs the customer has and how it will allow them to do whatever they want better. If you use a life insurance example. The need is security in the event something happens your husband or wife. If you passed away tomorrow how will they be able to pay the bills, pay for your funeral, taking care of the children, and be able to live under a roof going forward on one income. You want to take care of your family if something happens to you. Security is a huge need in this situation. Position your questions to ask the customer how your benefits of your policies offered will address that great need for security.
Keep in mind that you most likely are not in a blue ocean environment and your competition is also working to win over your customers with similar products. Think of questions that will differentiate you from your competition. You should be studying the competition and what they offer so that you can know their features, benefits, and needs answered in order to steer the customer to your product if it is truly a better fit for the customer. Please do this ethically and help the customer so there are no ramifications later. Even if you believe your product to be better, make sure the customer believes it as well. Otherwise you are a commodity and the only difference in commodities is price. No one wants to be the first in the race to lose margin.
Don’t get down on yourself if you don’t hit it out of the park right away with all of your questions. No one gets it perfect right away. It takes practice, a lot of practice. I recommend working with your teammates to derive questions. When two or more people come together for the same purpose great things happen! Trial and error will also help you refine your questions. As you get better you will be able to impact greater with your customers. You can do it! You have all the answers, now you just need to learn the right questions to answer the “WHY”.
If you have questions with this concept feel free to reach out. My mission is to help you sales professionals get better at selling so you become the most desired sales professionals in your industry.
If you have more questions about the entire sales process, pick up my book “The Sales Process Uncovered” price just reduced today for a limited time on Amazon.
Have a great weekend and I will see you next week!
Sincerely,
Kevin Sidebottom