Asking the Right Questions

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein, the Nobel prize winning physicist, famously said  'If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions because once I know the proper question, I can solve the problem.'
Put another way for sales folks, I'd rephrase Einstein: "if I had an hour to prepare for a sales call, I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the questions I'd ask and 5 minutes thinking about what the answers should be."
In order to develop a line of questioning for a particular customer, a good sales person needs to really understand the customer, his company, and how your product fits into the mix.
So, how do I approach a customer, even an old customer?
1.  I Google the company to see if there have been any changes in ownership.  We're in an environment where the buying and selling of companies has become common.  One of my old time customers was recently bought by a corporation who also owns one of my competitors.  I need to know that going in.  It helps me frame my questions.
2.  I go to www.linkedin.com and I search for the person that I'm meeting with.  You will see insights into the person that you can't even imagine.  And, if the customer's information on LinkedIn is up to date, that means he's approachable.  If you don't have a LinkedIn account, get one.  It's essential to successful sales.
3.  I go to Facebook.com or Twitter and search for the customer.  I do NOT friend him, I just try to get an insight--similar to looking around a customer's office to understand his interests and hobbies.  Make sure you have the right person when you do this, or you could be led down the wrong path.  LinkedIn gives you an business insight, Facebook gives you a personal one.
4.  Now I'm ready to start framing the questions I'm going to ask to show how my product fits into the customer's and his company's needs.
NEXT, "Framing the Questions"