The ability to ask questions is at the very heart of consultative selling and today’s most successful sales people are consultative sales people.

They use questions to understand their client’s needs and they also use questions to motivate their prospects to buy.

And some have developed the powerful skill of asking questions in such a way that their prospects sell themselves.

Time does not allow me to give you a full explanation and example of what I mean here but I would like to share with you 3 Magic Questions that you might like to start using with your prospects.

Magic Question Number 1

“Mr Prospect - what do you currently have (or use or do)?”

It amazes me the number of sales people who fail to find out what their prospect currently has before they make their recommendation. Absolutely insane!

And after you ask this question, it is then important to listen without interruption and after your prospect responds, draw them out with…

• “How long have you had that?”
• “Why did you select that one?

Truly seek to understand them.

Magic Question Number 2

“Mr Prospect, what do you like most about what you currently have (or use or do)?”

Again after you ask a question listen without interruption. Again you might like to draw them out with further questions like…

• “How do you mean?”
• “Why is that important to you?”

Magic Question Number 3

This one is vital.

“Mr Prospect if you were to ever replace or update what you currently have, (or use) what would you want to change or improve?”

Again listen carefully and perhaps draw them out more with…

• “How do you mean?”
• “Why is that important to you?”

Now the reason I call these the three “Magic” questions is because in three questions you will reveal:

1. What they have or use now
2. Why they like what they have or use now
3. What extra benefits they would like to have if only they could

If you know these three things, you can now put together a recommendation that incorporates all of the good things they now like, plus all of the extra things they would like to have to improve on their current situation. They’ve actually begun to sell themselves because they are speaking in terms of features and benefits that are important to them, not you and the words are coming from them, not you.

Have a great week. Make it a great week!

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