1 Establish Customer Needs By Asking Effective Questions Define current Customer situation Structured questions to define Customer need that support the call objectives Confirm the need with Customer

2 Why people ask Questions? Gain information Check understanding and level of interest Determine your counterpart’s behavioral style Gain participation Give information Start someone thinking Bring back attention to the subject at hand Reach agreement Reduce tension Understand what Customer wants

3 Why effective Questioning? If Salesperson depend on statements, the Customer is pushed away The most effective Sales Professional are the best interviewers! When Salesperson asks questions they will pull the Customer in! Effective questioning – efficient decision making

4 The key elements to help you identify need Observing Listening

5 Average Sales Representative during Sales Call 30% 70% 30% of time Listening 70% of time Talking

6 Top 10% of Sales Representatives during the Sales Call 30% of time Talking 70% of time Listening 70% 30%

7 Most of us… Only ½ listen to the response Are more concerned about what we are going to say rather than what the Customer is trying to tell us Will have to LISTEN because your next question is dependent on the answer to the previous one

8 Listen To This! Effective listening is a “Skill” – it is one of the most energetic of the “Communication” skills It is most effective way to understand your Customer needs and get full benefit from your questioning skills Remember, you have two ears but one Mouth

9 Funneling Tool Exploratory DefiningClarifyingPrimaryBusiness Personal Questions Customer Needs Open

10 Funneling Tool Exploratory DefiningClarifyingPrimaryBusiness Personal Open Open Ended Questions Clarifying Questions

11 Open Ended versus Closed Questions Who? What? How? Why? Where? When? Tell Me Open Ended Closing Do Is Are Can Will Would

12 Funneling Tool- Open Questions Exploratory DefiningClarifyingPrimaryBusiness Personal Open What is the purpose of open Questions and why do we use them? General questions used to open up the fact finding process

13 Funneling Tool- Open Questions Exploratory DefiningClarifyingPrimaryBusiness Personal Open SMART objective- To gain placement of the new Butterfinger Bites displayed in prime positions on both check out and endcap for the duration of the 6 week launch campaign EG. What role do you see confections playing in growing your business?

14 Funneling Tool- Exploratory Questions Exploratory DefiningClarifyingPrimaryBusiness Personal Open What is the purpose of Exploratory questions and why do we use them? Questions used to explore & establish the current situation

15 Funneling Tool- Exploratory Questions Exploratory DefiningClarifyingPrimaryBusiness Personal Open EG. How is Kit Kat performing currently from a value perspective? SMART objective- To gain placement of the new Butterfinger Bites displayed in prime positions on both check out and endcap for the duration of the 6 week launch campaign

16 Funneling Tool- Defining Questions Exploratory DefiningClarifyingPrimaryBusiness Personal Open What is the purpose of Defining questions and why do we use them? Questions used to establish the ideal/ inspirational situation

17 Funneling Tool- Defining Questions Exploratory DefiningClarifyingPrimaryBusiness Personal Open EG. What level of sales value would you like to be achieving from the Butterfinger brand? SMART objective- To gain placement of the new Butterfinger Bites displayed in prime positions on both check out and endcap for the duration of the 6 week launch campaign

18 Funneling Tool – Clarifying Questions Exploratory DefiningClarifyingPrimaryBusiness Personal Open What is the purpose of Clarifying questions and why do we use them? Questions used to summarize the need and therefore the opportunity

19 Funneling Tool – Clarifying Questions Exploratory DefiningClarifyingPrimaryBusiness Personal Open EG. So what you have just said to me is that the Butterfinger brand is important to you to drive the $... growth just discussed? SMART objective- To gain placement of the new Butterfinger Bites displayed in prime positions on both check out and endcap for the duration of the 6 week launch campaign

20 Funneling Tool PrimaryBusiness Personal Customer Needs Exploratory Defining Clarifying Questions Open

21 Needs Pyramid Exploratory DefiningClarifyingPrimaryBusiness Personal Open What are the driving needs? E.g. Profit, Growth, Sales

22 Needs Pyramid Exploratory DefiningClarifyingPrimaryBusiness Personal Open What are the contributors to achieving the primary need? E.g. Increase basket spend, Increase foot traffic, display solutions, to be known as destination category

23 Needs Pyramid Exploratory DefiningClarifyingPrimaryBusiness Personal Open What are the individual needs? E.g. Driven by personal style preferences: Power – not to waste time, Conceptual – visual presentation, Securing – Data driven presentation, Social – personal interaction. Individual needs will be applicable to all, e.g. incentives, personal KPIs

24 Exercise: What did you learn about questioning? Now you are ready to practice. Write a SMART objective that is current for a situation at your account. Identify at least two questions for each element of the funnel

25 Funneling Tool Exploratory Defining Clarifying Primary Business Personal Open Linked to Your SMART objective General Q’s used to open up the fact finding process around your objective Questions used to establish the current situation Questions used to establish the Customer ideal Question used to summarize the opportunity and need Bucketing the Need What are the driving needs? What are the contributors to achieving this primary need? What are the individual needs of the Customer?

26 Key messages Never assume anything Don’t interrupt Don’t ask two questions at once 2 Ears/1 mouth – proportion of use 70% occupancy of conversation