Each type of Exploratory question learned during Dimensions of Professional Selling® (DPS) sales training plays a role in establishing a productive and comfortable flow of information, uncovering customer gaps and developing winning solutions for the customer. Focusing questions are one type of Exploratory question taught in DPS sales training.
Focusing questions are used to:
- Learn specific customer needs and expectations
- Uncover the customer’s ideal situation
- Understand why the customer wants to be there (ideal situation)
Above all, Focusing questions ensure a clear connection between the customer’s goals/expectations and our proposed solution. Here are examples of effective Focusing questions:
- How do you measure the success of your company? Of your department?
- Tell me about the goals you have in place for your department?
- Help me understand the importance of your current goals.
- What is the level of difficultly in achieving these goals?
- What impact would achieving these goals have on your company? Your department?
- What about the reverse impact of not achieving these goals?
- Are there any barriers that are standing in the way of reaching these goals? If so, can you share with me what those barriers are?
- What changes are needed to make your job easier or less stressful?
- What is your biggest challenge relative to sales/customer satisfaction/customer retention?
If we skip over, or ask insufficient Focusing questions, we greatly increase our risk of proposing a misguided solution. When this happens, we lower our chances of winning the business on any given day. Long term, we undermine our overall credibility with the customer and our progression to Preferred Position.
