Salespeople have a stream of questions they’re supposed to ask customers. The answers provide info needed to open new accounts or establish long-term relationships. But obtaining internal info is just as critical.
Here are 16 questions to ask your sales manager today:
- Which of our products or services are key to our company’s success?
- Which are the best door openers?
- If I could sell only one of our products/services this year, which would it be?
- Which of our products/services are our existing customers most interested in?
- Do we have any products/services that aren’t really all that popular?
- If we’re selling into multiple industries, where is the best place to start?
- Which market segments present the best opportunities right now?
- Who are the most influential people involved in the decision-making process?
- What factors, if any (such as time of year), tend to impact sales?
- Can you give me an overview of the primary products or services I’ll be selling?
- What’s the target market for these offerings? Why are they a good fit?
- How do they help customers/companies? What outcomes do they generate?
- What’s the best way for me to differentiate our products/services from the competition?
- What competitive advantages do we have over the competition?
- What competitive advantages does the competition offer that we can’t match?
- How should I handle customer complaints?
Adapted from: “Agile Selling,” by Jill Konrath, a renowned sales strategist whose clients include IBM, Microsoft, Staples and Hilton.
