Canned presentations and rehearsed answers are a surefire way to kill a sale. While many salespeople feel that preparation and product knowledge are the keys to a great sales call, those salespeople who have read Questions: The Answer to Sales know the truth. You must customize your knowledge and expertise to each individual customer situation in order to win the sale. To do that, fine-tuning your questioning and listening skills is essential.
In Questions: The Answer to Sales, you'll learn why three quarters of selling takes place when the salesperson is seriously listening to a customer's wants and needs, and not when the salesperson is talking.
"EPS grew 500% by asking better questions. Read this sales book and you'll learn how." Chris Spaeth, Director of Sales & Marketing, Energy Panel Structures
Key Concepts:
Questions: The Answer to Sales is an easy-to-read sales training book in story format that is based on Sparks' own sales training program that has improved performance for more than 350,000 successful salespeople.
In Questions, you'll learn how to uncover your customer's wants and needs by asking the best questions - questions that cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." As a salesperson, you must ask the best open-ended questions that dig deep into a customer's issues, revealing their true source of personal gain, thus allowing you to tailor your answers to solve their specific needs in a way that gives them what they want.
Once you master these questioning (and listening) skills, you'll recognize the value of not just asking standard questions but asking the best open-ended questions, and then listening with a keen ear as your customers tell you exactly what you need to hear to gain commitment from them.
Overview:
The success rate of sales calls rises significantly when more than two specific customer needs are uncovered by questioning. In other words, if a salesperson's questions lead a customer to identify at least three needs relevant to a product or service, the chances of closing a sale increase dramatically.
The Story:
Mitch is a top pitchman, with charisma to burn. So why is his career in sales going down the tube? In desperation, he puts the issue to his old pal Harry during a game of golf. Thanks to a system called Action Selling, Harry already knows what Mitch has yet to learn: Great customer relationships aren't forged by great presentations but by great questions.
Can Mitch change his sales game and turn pro? Or is he a gabby dinosaur, headed for extinction?
After reading Questions: The Answer to Sales, you'll understand why questioning skills are a salesperson's most valuable selling tool. You'll also learn how to ask the questions that matter most, and how, when and why to ask the best questions during a sales call.
Testimonials:
"Stop wasting time and losing sales. Learn to Ask the Best Questions."
- Jerry McLeod, VP, Business Development, AGCO
"An excellent complement to Action Selling, with incredible ideas on asking and listening!"
- John Thorvilson, Partner, Silverman, Olson, Thorvilson & Kaufmann CPAs
"In a unique way, this book brings to the forefront what professional selling really is and what it is not. Well done!"
- Bobby L. Butler, Author, The Sales Mentor
"Yesterday's sales gimmicks won't differentiate you in today's world. Asking the right questions will. Duane Sparks explains why - and how."
- Karen Borre, Training/OD Manager, MTS Systems
In his more than 30 year career, Sparks has played a key role in building every sales organization he's worked for. He developed Action Selling while owner of one of the largest computer marketers in the United States. Even in the roaring computer business of the 1980s, his company grew six times faster than the industry norm, differentiating itself not by the products offered but by how his salespeople sold them. He founded The Sales Board in 1990 to teach the skills of Action Selling to others. Sparks personally facilitated more than 300 Action Selling training sessions and continues to engage in the business and art of the strategic sales process.
Sparks is author of five sales books. Most recently, he released his fifth book in the Action Selling Book Series: "Sales Strategy From the Inside Out: How Complex Selling Really Works." Additionally, The Sales Board launched Strategic Action Selling Plus, which has brought the Action Selling sales system to the next level, focusing on strategic planning and sales strategy in highly complex selling environments.
All Books:
The Action Selling Sales Books teach salespeople how and when to use the critical selling skills that have the greatest impact on gaining customer commitment. Each book expounds in a deeper way how and when each selling skill is used within the Action Selling Process and why they are so effective at maximizing sales productivity. The Action Selling process paired with Sparks' unique story format allows the reader to get inside the thought process that occurs with both the buyer and seller.
Click on a book image above for further detail.
Action Selling is a tool to manage your entire sales force.
Podcast Discussion: Questions - The Answer to Sales
In his more than 30 year career, Sparks has played a key role in building every sales organization he's worked for. He developed Action Selling while owner of one of the largest computer marketers in the United States. Even in the roaring computer business of the 1980s, his company grew six times faster than the industry norm, differentiating itself not by the products offered but by how his salespeople sold them. He founded The Sales Board in 1990 to teach the skills of Action Selling to others. Sparks personally facilitated more than 300 Action Selling training sessions and continues to engage in the business and art of the strategic sales process.
