Last week we talked about moving your key account relationships beyond solution or needs-based selling. We discussed the passion, commitment and investment that you can attract when you begin to appeal to your clients’ hearts instead of their heads.
Many of you wrote to me and said our “Beyond Solutions Selling” memo was our most valuable memo yet. So, okay, you can see the merit in filling a want versus filling a need, but how do you get there?
In early-stage selling you generally begin your relationship by asking questions like “What keeps you up at night?” or “Why do some customers deal with your competitors instead of you?” These questions are designed to help you uncover current problems or needs you can solve.
Once you have clearly demonstrated your sincerity and ability to solve those problems, you can earn the right to move on to the next level ….. finding the client’s dreams, wants or passions.
At this stage, your questions will be more future or want-based. You’ll learn to frame questions like;
- “What was your goal or vision when you started this business? Why”
- “Where do you want to be five years from now? Why?”
- “In a perfect world, what would your life at work and outside of it look like. Why?”
Future vision questions should always be asked outside of the client’s stressful daily environment. Book a meeting room in a conference facility, go on a boat trip, or reserve a quiet and private corner of a quality restaurant, to get the client away from the harsh realities of today, and get them thinking about a brighter future scenario.
CAUTION: It is absolutely imperative that you sincerely and genuinely care about your client’s future more than you care about making a sale at this juncture. This level of business relationship transcends all of your goals and is strictly about helping someone find and achieve their dreams and goals.