Sales Results Media
Aiming Straight for the Iceberg in Sales
Whether you are a Discovery Channel buff or have seen the movie Titanic, you've probably been exposed to icebergs at some point or another. The reason I find icebergs so interesting is that, like in life, you don't always see the big picture. As a matter of fact, the ratio of the iceberg that is below the surface of the water is typically over 80%. Therefore the phrase was coined, "tip of the iceberg."
So, how does this fit in with your line of questioning in sales? The simple truth is that most salespeople, even the most experienced ones have a hard time getting below the surface of in their questioning of prospective clients. When observing how and why prospects make decisions, we must look at ourselves in the mirror after the sales call and ask, "Did I really ask enough questions in order to understand their pain or compelling reasons for committing to our solution?" If the answer is consistently no, then there might still be some room to grow as a sales professional.
The questions that are typically asked during a sales meeting would generally include background questions and general “what’s your issue” questions. At this level, our iceberg of questioning is still above the surface of the water. Background questions include asking the prospect about her business, number of locations she has nationally or who their competition is. Issue questions or what we call, “surface pain” questions would include: what her frustrations are with their current vendor? Why is she so unhappy with her business' results? Or what she believes the problem is with their new hire? While these are all great questions and give us an understanding of her business and problems, we are still dealing with the "tip of the iceberg."
The golden takeaway from our iceberg analogy is in revealing, through questioning, the ice below the surface of the water where the prospect's real pain or compelling reasons lie. This information is critical to closing a sale because of the direct correlation between the prospect's pain and her desire to change things for the better. Here we are asking some in depth and more personal questions including: why do you believe these problems exist? How long have they been going on? Have you tried to fix this in the past? How much do you believe it's costing the company every year? And what's the impact on the company and you personally? There may even be an opportunity to ask a commitment question or two if they are opening up to you. For example, is this problem something that you are 100% committed to fixing? Your confidence in asking commitment questions will increase if you can learn and perfect the art of questioning to obtain their compelling reasons.
Finding the ice lying beneath the surface of the water is one of the most challenging aspects of sales. We are taught from a young age not to ask personal questions, while discussing money is definitely off limits. Unfortunately, without diving down deep under the surface and really understanding the prospect's problems and compelling reasons, you are at a "titanic" disadvantage in moving them forward to a sale.
2009 All Rights Reserved – Do not reproduce this document without written permission from Steve Fretzin at Sales Results, Inc.