Positioning Questions vs. Challenge Questions
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2025 6:13 am
Try “telling” these executives, and you’re in for a very short meeting. “Listening” won’t get you shown the door, but if buyers don’t know all of the options available (improved performance, cost reduction, supplier reduction, etc.), for what information will you listen?
Top salespeople and sales managers know that the number one most critical skill leading to sales success is the art of query. Asking thoughtful, insightful questions of buyers that help them think differently about the solutions they have or could have is one of the core concepts taught in Sales Differentiation.
Ask The Right Questions
Listening is very important, but the right questions need to be asked, so there is pertinent information to be heard. This is the information that helps a salesperson construct a sale, to build a solution for a buyer.
I’ve found that most salespeople, when it comes to pre-call planning, focus their time on what they are going to say to a buyer. “I’m going to tell them about this product/service.”
Others pepper-in data collection questions into their meeting planner… “How many of these do you use?”
Of course, most salespeople plan to inquire about pain… “What is one thing you would like to have better than you have today?”
An effective pre-call planning exercise includes outlining both malaysia telegram data what you will say and ask, but the art of query necessitates another type of question… positioning questions.
Positioning questions are open-ended (non-yes/no) intended to help buyers think differently about the solutions they have or could have.
Challenge questions expose areas that the buyer perceives can be better or different than what they have today.
However, if you agree with my premise that salespeople are more well-versed in solution options than buyers, there is a missing question-type in these prospect meetings.
Positioning questions expose areas that a buyer does not perceive could be better or different.
Buyers look at the product or service they have and accept performance as “industry standard.”
What if you possess differentiators that can disrupt their status quo perception?
Top salespeople and sales managers know that the number one most critical skill leading to sales success is the art of query. Asking thoughtful, insightful questions of buyers that help them think differently about the solutions they have or could have is one of the core concepts taught in Sales Differentiation.
Ask The Right Questions
Listening is very important, but the right questions need to be asked, so there is pertinent information to be heard. This is the information that helps a salesperson construct a sale, to build a solution for a buyer.
I’ve found that most salespeople, when it comes to pre-call planning, focus their time on what they are going to say to a buyer. “I’m going to tell them about this product/service.”
Others pepper-in data collection questions into their meeting planner… “How many of these do you use?”
Of course, most salespeople plan to inquire about pain… “What is one thing you would like to have better than you have today?”
An effective pre-call planning exercise includes outlining both malaysia telegram data what you will say and ask, but the art of query necessitates another type of question… positioning questions.
Positioning questions are open-ended (non-yes/no) intended to help buyers think differently about the solutions they have or could have.
Challenge questions expose areas that the buyer perceives can be better or different than what they have today.
However, if you agree with my premise that salespeople are more well-versed in solution options than buyers, there is a missing question-type in these prospect meetings.
Positioning questions expose areas that a buyer does not perceive could be better or different.
Buyers look at the product or service they have and accept performance as “industry standard.”
What if you possess differentiators that can disrupt their status quo perception?