You may get in the door by saying the right things, but most prospects won’t buy from you unless you know the answers to these five questions:

1. Do you understand the ins and outs of my industry/business? This includes everything from the latest trends to what top companies are doing to maintain their edge (and how your offer can help prospects do the same). Prospects want to do business with salespeople who they consider experts — consultants who are capable of offering solutions that help them overcome their biggest challenges.
2. How can you help me increase profits and/or decrease costs? Budgets are tight and competition’s even tighter, which is why salespeople who can quantify value and return on investment in dollar-and-cents terms are in a much better position to help prospects justify a new purchase (or a switch from an incumbent supplier).
3. What do you know about my company’s past buying history? This is valuable information that helps salespeople understand how the prospect’s buying history works and what his/her priorities are when considering a buying decision. Some things you may be able to glean from pre-call research, other things you may have to actually ask the prospect about. The most important part: Be sure to go through your own records to determine if the prospect’s company has ever done business with you in the past, and, if so, why the relationship ended.
4. What differentiates your offer from the competition’s? The first thing prospects do when considering a purchase these days is hop online and do some competitive shopping to see what other offers are available. Salespeople need to anticipate that and perhaps even construct their own competitive analysis which highlights all the areas where their products/services offer more value than competitors’.
5. How have recent changes in the economy/industry impacted our business? Buyers want solutions that put them on the cutting edge of their industry, and they want to do business with salespeople who understand why and how their industry is changing. Industry journals, organizations, conferences and trade shows are ideal sources of info like this. But social networking and online message boards/blogs are also a great, no-cost way to stay on top of the latest industry news and views.

Adapted from “Proactive Sales Intelligence,” a CSO Insights White Paper by Jim Dickie & Barry Trailer

Tags: blogs, message boards, profits, prospects, salespeople, social networking, supplier, trends