In Carew sales training programs, we teach the Exploratory Process™ as a way to find the customer’s gap or desired outcome. There are several types of questions sales professionals can use in their exploratory conversations with customers that will reveal different information about the customer’s problem. One of these types of questions is the Dimensional/Insight question, and it is used when the customer has stated they are 100 percent satisfied with the current state of their business. Dimensional questions allow sales professionals to explore with their customers and open the door to new possibilities that will further improve upon their current satisfactory situation.
As sales leaders, we need to coach our sales teams to use Dimensional/Insight questions with their customers when the situation calls for it. Not only do these questions demonstrate our sales professionals’ abilities to provide value to their customers, but they also showcase their abilities to think outside the box. Asking Dimensional questions exhibits innovative thinking and helps customers realize success beyond what they could imagine. In staying true to their namesake, the use of Dimensional/Insight questions gives our sales professionals a way to provide their customers with insights that allow them to see their current situation in an entirely new dimension.
But perhaps more important in our role as sales leaders is using Dimensional/Insight questions to motivate our sales team. Just as Dimensional questions allow us to open up a new dimension for our customers to realize success beyond what they are already achieving, so too can they be used to help our sales professionals see their goals in a new light. Ask questions around how you can help your rep increase their results beyond what they are currently achieving (whether sub-par, par, or above-par) and you will open up an entirely new dimension in how they view their goals.
Say, for example, you have a rep who meets all their goals year after year, and although they are a top performer, you worry they may be bordering on complacency. Their goals are a limiting factor. This sales professional sees them as a box to be checked and becomes satisfied and loses a bit of drive once the goals are met. Employing Dimensional/Insight questions in your next meeting with them will show you are invested in helping them reach their full potential. Moreover, it will encourage them to look beyond the goals they have already achieved to see an entirely new dimension of success that wasn’t even on their radar before. In this sense, Dimensional questions can refuel their drive to push beyond their previous definition of “success” to attain an even greater level of performance.
Next time you are in a performance meeting with your reps, try asking some Dimensional questions! Just as these questions provide value to our customers in helping them realize an outcome they never before thought was possible, so too can they provide value to our team members in terms of their continued professional development.
