The Art Of Probing
As a rookie in sales, the first Tuesday of each month filled me with dread. On that day a “silent” reviewer would join me on a sales call, analyze my sales probing techniques and relay feedback to my boss, who was typically unsparing in their critique.
Despite the initial discomfort, the experience taught me the crucial significance of uncovering the true motivations behind a prospect's decision to meet with me. Little did I know that this skill would also significantly boost my closing rate from 25% to 75%, resulting in a threefold increase in my commission earnings.
The purpose of sales probing is two-fold: to identify the underlying reasons behind a prospect's needs and interest in your product or service as well as to identify any potential objections or challenges that must be resolved. However, many salespeople struggle with probing, either by failing to ask the tough questions or by not delving deep enough. While these are valid concerns, it is important not to overlook the critical role that probing can play in establishing rapport with prospects. By using probing techniques to understand their needs, interests, and goals, salespeople can build trust and credibility, ultimately leading to more successful sales outcomes.
When creating your Probing Meeting playbook, it's important to take into account several crucial elements
1. Setting the stage – do your background research on the company and the individual you are speaking with and be clear with your prospect what the purpose of the meeting will be. Most likely at this stage your credibility score will be low so asking for a hour long call will probably be met with resistance, ask for 30 mins and let it run over (other benefit being if the prospect is willing to continue then you have their attention)
2. Story telling – Ensure that you have a handful of success stories ready to share during your conversation. These stories will demonstrate your ability to solve your prospect's problems effectively. However, be mindful not to overwhelm the conversation with too many examples. Limit yourself to sharing two or three that best highlight your expertise.
3. Relate to your prospect’s personal gains – Ultimately, most prospects prioritize job security when considering which product to choose. To gauge how your company and product can be positioned as a safe bet, ask questions about their previous projects or any challenges they've faced. This will provide you with valuable insight into how you can address their concerns and demonstrate your product's reliability
4. Who I sound like – Typically, prospects begin the conversation by discussing product functionality. The challenge is to shift their focus towards key business drivers. For instance, if a prospect requests a specific feature, you could respond by saying, 'Many people who require that functionality are looking to improve operational efficiency, what are your thoughts on this?' By shifting the conversation towards business drivers, you can establish yourself as a business expert, not just a product expert. This can increase the prospect's trust in you and improve your chances of securing a meeting with their C-suite.
5. Follow-on – depending on how complex your sales cycle is you most likely will only begin to uncover the prospects pain points after several calls . It’s a clear indicator that your probing has failed if the prospect doesn’t need a follow-on meeting, they are most likely using their time to speak further with the salesperson that impressed them most. Plan on having a multi layered approach and be sure to gather other key influencers details early in your call.
6. RCA – Take the time to learn effective probing techniques such as root cause analysis, which provides a methodology for constructing question chains that allow for natural probing. With practice, you will develop a pattern that relates to your product or service. A good starting point for a question chain is productivity, for example -
What are some of the biggest challenges your team faces when it comes to productivity?
How do these challenges impact your team's ability to meet goals or deadlines?
What have you tried in the past to address these challenges?
How effective were those solutions?
What was the result of not providing a successful solution?
What does success look like for you moving forward?
How would you like to convey this success to your management and peers?
7. The goal? – Think of your probing process as a detective investigating a case. Just like a detective needs to find the culprit and discover their motive to assist with prosecution, you need to identify the main reason why your prospects are interested in buying from you. Continuously restate this reason to all stakeholders involved in the buying process. Additionally, it's important to uncover other needs and concerns such as compliance, usability, and price point. By doing so, you will allay any concerns other stakeholders have and increase your chances of making a successful sale.
In conclusion
While there are some basic techniques and strategies that can be learned, the ability to ask thoughtful, insightful questions that elicit the right information from prospects is a skill that requires practice and finesse. Like any art, effective probing requires creativity, intuition, and the ability to read and respond to subtle cues from the prospect.
In addition, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to probing. Every prospect is unique, with their own set of needs, desires, and objections. Effective probing requires the salesperson to be able to tailor their approach to the specific prospect, using a combination of open-ended questions, follow-up questions, and active listening skills to get to the heart of what the prospect really needs.
Ultimately, the best salespeople are those who can use probing as an art form, combining their knowledge, skills, and creativity to connect with prospects on a deeper level and offer solutions that truly meet their needs.