Probe Architecture: Peel the Onion

use the word architecture because that's what needs to happen: You must design smart questions to ask. Probes unquestionably persuade more powerfully than any other form of verbal behavior. The success of a sales call depends more than anything else on how thorough your needs analysis is. The effort you invest in developing and asking smart questions to uncover customer needs, biases, perceptions, and fears that are not normally revealed to salespeople will pay off handsomely. The ultimate prize will go to the one who asks the best questions. I refer to the practice of asking smart questions as peeling the onion. As with dicing an onion, stupid questions (common questions) may cause your customer's eyes to glaze over and communicate impatience. The more layers you can peel away from suspicious, apprehensive customers, the sooner you get to the heart of their needs. Ask stupid questions and you get useless information, probably the same information your competitor walked away with. I think Werner Heisberg, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, said it best, "Nature does not reveal its secrets, it only responds to our method of questioning."

The object is to design probes to encourage your customers to reveal their needs—peel the onion. Standard practice is to distinguish between open and closed probes, but don't limit yourself to only these two.

Open probes are used to get the customer talking, to divulge information, and to perhaps reveal unexpected information. They get the prospect to explain and talk openly about their business and current situation. Open probes generate a talkative, conversational response. Some authors suggest the five Ws (who, what, where, when, or why) are good open questions to start with. I disagree. I consider them closed questions that can often be answered with one- or two-word answers. I offer the following open probe prompts:

• Tell me about ...

• Explain to me ...

• In what way ...

• Help me understand ...

• Can you elaborate ...

• Share with me ...

• Please tell me how ...

• How else ...

• What do you mean by ...

• What are your thoughts/ideas/experiences/reflections ...

• If you could build or design the perfect _______, what would it look like ... ?

These are excellent, field-tested prompts used to encourage a talkative response. Simply tell your customer up front that you need to ask questions to better understand their business. Customers love to talk about their business, their job, and their company. You can't ask too many questions. However, if your customer becomes impatient with your questioning, simply restate your objective and perhaps reschedule another appointment. Don't let their anxiousness draw you into a response before you understand their business. Be patient.

Closed probes are used to get very specific information. They usually limit the response to one-word answers. Closed probes are less powerful and have an uncanny ability to increase tension. They can be intimidating to certain personality styles. The other concern is that they end the conversation. Once a closed probe is answered you have to start another conversation. Closed probes should only be used for verification, commitment, or confirming (closing). Examples of closed prompts include the words:

• do

• have

• are

• will

• won't

• can

• can't

• shall

An excellent strategy to help identify the decision maker (the bag of money) is to use these three closed probes when talking with your customer or with senior management:

1. Do you (Does X) make the decisions?

2. Do you (Does X) have a budget?

3. Do you (Does X) talk with anyone else prior to a decision?

My experience shows that the customer will answer yes to the first two questions but introduce a second party when asked the third question. This is a red flag because the additional person is often the final decision maker. You must understand who is involved and how the final decision is made. Your objective now is to get an audience with that person, hopefully with the support of your initial contact. This simple strategy is so overlooked and yet effective that it alone will help increase your close ratio. We often waste a lot of time by getting sucked into dealing with the wrong people, people who think they have the final authority to purchase.

Reflective probes are used to identify personal biases of the customer, which is exactly what you want. Customers often answer questions with an eye to the corporation, answering with the best interests of the corporation in mind. However, you need to differentiate yourself by understanding and satisfying the personal biases and preferences of the buyer, the bag of money. Reflective probes are very effective for drawing out background information, personal feelings, and opinions. To get past common corporate responses, ask uncommon questions. Design specific, reflective probes, that encourage your customer to tell you things not told to the competition. The decision to buy from you will be based on satisfying both corporate needs as well as personal biases and preferences. Your customer can decide on vendor A or B, both are capable of doing a good job, but the final decision comes down to which vendor recognized and satisfied all aspects of their decision. For example, the customer may only have two years' experience with the current company but 15 years' experience in the industry. You want to tap into his or her total experience. That information can help you design a solution that satisfies both corporate needs and personal biases. In the training business, role playing is a good example—some customers like them and some are biased against feeling they are too artificial and ineffective. Know the human side of your customer. The key is to recognize your customer's work experience and ask well-designed reflective probes. Reflective probes include the words:

• feel

• opinion

• perception

• sense

• personally

• aware

• belief

• view

• experience

• previous

Examples include; "What are your personal feelings about . . .?" or "What is your perception of ...?" or "What is your previous experience with ...?" A favorite of mine is "If it were" your company what would you do?" That usually gets them going.

You'll be amazed at the unexpected responses, yet pleased with the helpful information reflective probes reveal.

Conversational probes represent a style of questioning that is gaining in popularity. I have been experimenting with conversational probes, and along with other sales entrepreneurs I have found that it's a much more relaxed, natural approach. Conversational probes are used to start, encourage, and maintain a normal conversation. The questions themselves are not anything special or unique, but I suggest it's a matter of using a mixture of open, closed, and reflective probes while pursing a normal conversation.

Quite frankly, I suggest you quit worrying about labeling your probes opened or closed and simply ask your customer a series of smart questions and enjoy a professional, social type of conversation. Continue your conversational probes until all the customer's needs and expectations have been explored and all the parameters to a possible solution have been covered. In other words, keep asking questions until a solution presents itself, until a 100-watt light bulb goes off in your head with a solution that excites both you and your customer. I would suggest that in a typical sales call you should be asking upwards of 50–60 questions. A lot of these questions are what I refer to as clarification questions. For example, if the customer responds to your "What is important to you?" question with "Service is important" then you must clarify it by asking "What does good service look like to you?" Likewise, if they respond with "Quality is important" or "Delivery is important" you must clarify by asking exactly what they mean by quality or delivery. The danger is sales representatives are far too zealous to respond rather than taking the time to fully understand the customers' issues. Hence, by using a combination of conversational, reflective, and clarification probes, it doesn't take long to ask 50–60 questions.

Should our communication strategy change when talking to a customer versus a friend or spouse? It shouldn't. Keep it simple and relaxed. I've yet to hear a salesperson say, "I look forward to getting home and asking my spouse a bunch of open and closed probes!" Imagine your spouse responding with, "Honey, I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask me so many closed probes, please ask me more open probes." Sounds a little ridiculous, I agree. My point is this: Why be guided by a mechanical, clinical approach to probing during the day, then take a relaxed, more natural social approach with friends and family. Adapt one simple, consistent approach that accommodates both business and social interactions. You will feel a lot more confident and relaxed in both kinds of interactions.

How often has your sales manager questioned you about open or closed probes? I've yet to hear a sales manager ask, "Sounds like you had a great call. Congratulations. Tell me, how many open and closed probes did you ask?" Who cares! As if we don't have enough to think about during a sales call. The point is you closed the sale with a win-win solution.

I appreciate that my probing approach may be unconventional, but it's proving to be a simple, less stressful approach and is certainly appreciated by my customers. It's a refreshing change for both parties.

In their unbridled enthusiasm or nervousness, salespeople often overlook an important aspect of the discovery stage—asking permission to ask questions. Asking permission can be as simple as, "Ms. Smith, we've been able to help hundreds of companies with various training solutions. We may be able to help you. I don't know if we can or not but to determine that, may I ask you a few questions?" Alternatively, you might ask, "To make the best use of our time today I'd like to ask you a few questions. Would you mind?" By asking permission, you help relax the situation. Your customer becomes a willing participant in the task of finding a possible solution that makes life a little easier.

Once you have their permission (which will be 99.9% of the time), you now have license to proceed with a series of planned, well-thought-out questions. The secrets to a smooth and speedy close are often contained in the answers. Your customer's answers help pinpoint the area where you may be able to help them. It's like a game. Questions unlock the secrets to closing the sale; ask the right questions, get the right information, and present the right solution. The quality of your questions and your confidence to ask them in a logical, fluid sequence is what demonstrates to the potential customer that you are a competent professional.

Tim Commandment #5

Use quality questions to unlock the secrets to confirming more sales.

Ask: Am I asking enough smart questions? Do I understand their needs and expectations?

As the questioning proceeds, your customer is drawn more and more into the conversation because answering demands total attention. The average person speaks at approximately 130 words per minute, but can think at approximately 1,000 words per minute. While you are talking (feature dumping) it's very easy for the customer to listen as well as think about other things including possible objections, problems at work or home, an argument with the teenager last night, missing a Visa payment, or the prediction of rain for tomorrow's 2:30 tee-off time. Questions minimize mental drift and help keep control of the sales call. The longer you talk, the more opportunity the customer has to drift into another world. However, the instant you ask a question the customer snaps back to the conversation and refocuses on you. Control lies with the person asking the questions. Your goal is to do more listening than talking. As long as you're talking, you're going to hear stuff you already know. Think about it. To learn, you must be silent and listen. By the way, silent and listen contain the same letters and I find it interesting that ear is found in learn and earn.

Your needs analysis will reveal one of three possible scenarios. The customer is aware of your product but is currently using the competition and is not interested in you; the customer is unfamiliar with your product and shows no interest; or the customer is unaware of your product but expresses an interest. The latter is what I call creating demand—introducing a product or service never used before by an existing or a potential customer. Demand is created by understanding the customers' needs and presenting the product or service as a benefit to their business. Customers are always on the lookout for a competitive edge. The introduction of your product or service just might help to achieve that competitive edge. However, you must appreciate that even though you created the initial demand, the customer may invite your competition to present their product for comparative reasons and to validate the legitimacy of the new product or service.

Of the three possible scenarios, the first one is most common: A customer has a need but is currently using a competitor. Thus, your goal is to ask carefully planned questions that encourage the customer to review the performance of an existing supplier. Your questions may reveal some instances of poor service or quality. Through this tactful method you do not criticize your competitor; your customer does.

Some authors suggest that selling is a "hurt and rescue" business. Find the hurt, uncover the pain, discover the problem, and come to the rescue. This concept suggests that the customer has been living with an intolerable situation and that your product or service will provide instant relief from all suffering. Sales representatives buy into this concept thinking customers are suffering from a gaping wound that only their product or service will heal. Wrong! The reality is that your potential customer is doing just fine without you or your remedy for instant relief. The challenge is to discover an inconvenience or dissatisfaction that the customer is experiencing with their existing vendor, and then provide a solution that resolves it. Even though the customer is somewhat satisfied, your solution must focus on alleviating the inconvenience. Otherwise, why would they switch to you? They won't.

An inconvenience is a situation that is less than ideal, but your customer is prepared to tolerate it. The customer may feel that fixing it may not be worth the effort, or a different vendor might make things worse. I suggest that it may only be an inconvenience because as I mentioned earlier, your competition mirrors approximately 90% or more of your features so you know they are doing a pretty good job servicing the customer. Very few products or services are perceived as providing a unique advantage.

Differences between competitors are much more subtle today than perhaps even five years ago. Today we sell in an intensely competitive marketplace. Enhanced competition, pressures to differentiate and global impact have made even the best features and benefits temporary as well as tenuous. Often the customer is left struggling to sort out the differences. Remember, your customers buy from you based on less than 5% of your features. Unfortunately, price becomes the easiest and quickest way for a customer to validate differences between competitors and justify a purchase. That's why price gets the attention it does.

By asking a series of smart, well-thought-out questions, customers will reveal clues as to the features that will satisfy the sale. Just as in baking or cooking, there must be the right mix of ingredients (features) to produce the desired results.