'I didn't prepare'
This is the number one reason why most salespeople fail to ask great questions. Without proper preparation, you are choosing to wing it and when you wing it you ask narrow, mind-numbing questions.
Don't believe me? Record your voice during a customer phone call. Play it back and analyze how much time you spent making statements versus listening (dead air is the goal!).
Then pay particular attention to the quantity and quality of questions you asked. Are they open or closed? Did your questions get the customer to think differently or were they the same questions every other rep has asked them? Did they explore need, budget and timeframe or were they designed to stimulate thinking around your specific benefits?
Asking great questions is a skill that top performers master. They refine their questions every week and benefit from increased insight, opportunity and bottom-line sales.
Want to improve the quality of your business? Then improve the quality of your questions.
Source: Sales speaker/consultant Tim Wackel
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