Sales Follow-Up Questions

Preparation is key to success in sales like doing pre-call prep work.

For example listing sales questions to ask prospects before your appointment.

But using questions to prepare for a sales call in advance has its downsides.

Like when the buyer gives you the perfect opening to pitch but you’re too focused on your prepared questions that you miss it.

And being worried about getting through all your questions can lead you to not truly listening to your prospects.

Instead listen to what the buyer is telling you and the signs that they’re holding back.

You can do this with the following follow-up questions:

Why is that?

Salespeople love when buyers tell them about their issues.

But are these issues the real problem or are they due to a separate cause?

To find out the answer to this, ask buyers why the issue is happening.

This will tell you:

• How they understand the scenario
• How it affect the company

So what you’re saying is … ?

Rephrase buyer’s words to:

• Avoid any misunderstandings
• Help prospects give more detail

And doing so tells buyers you’re engaged in the conversation.

And what does that mean for you/the business?

You can only understand how important solving a problem is after knowing how it affects prospects or the company.

So getting buyers to talk about the problem and its effects will help them realise the importance of solving it.

Is that like what you said earlier about …?

Making connections between points in the prospect’s conversation:

• Show your interest
• Helps you fully understand the problem

So get a full scope of the problem by putting all the pieces together.

Same question above but slightly different

If you’re not satisfied with the buyer’s answer to your question, rephrase and re-ask. 

Don’t pretend you understand their answer and move on

Remember, you can’t help the prospect without fully understanding their needs.

Oh?

The simplest but most impactful on the list can be used if the prospect is holding back and needs a little prompting.

Because you will break the buyer’s train of thought by asking another question, but “Oh?” will keep the buyer talking.

Conclusion

So on your next sales call, think like a journalist.

Don’t stick to your list of questions, instead listen for openings and go for them.

Let the conversation flow so you get a better understanding of the buyer’s business needs.

Now it’s over to you.

Tell me your go-to follow up questions on sales calls?

Let me know in the comment section below.