Transcription
Have you ever noticed when you ask questions, your prospects give you vague, generalized, surface-level answers? It's like they don't want to open up to you. They don't want to tell you what their real problems are.
Well, if that's you, come over to the Vibe Board. I'm actually going to show you how to tweak the questions you're asking to get them to actually open up and to defend themselves on why they're looking to change. You might want to see this real quick.
Now, first of all, I'm going to show you some questions that most salespeople ask in most industries. Now, these are generic that I'm going to show you, but I don't want you to use these. I'm going to show you questions that are bad questions, and then I'm going to show you how we tweak them. And make sure you write these down. These are very important for you. If you pay attention right here, could be a game-changer for you.
All right, so a lot of salespeople, depending on your industry, they ask some type of question like this: "Hey John, what's your, what's your biggest challenge?" Now, the problem with that type of question is, if that prospect's a laydown sale, they'll tell you. They'll be like, "Oh, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." But most of your prospects you talk to, not laydown sales, maybe 5%. So, what about the other 95%? Well, they give you more vague answers, right? They're like, "Well, I don't know if we really have any challenges, but we're just looking to improve." And they just kind of give you a surface-level answer. It's because the biggest reason why your prospects give you vague, generalized, surface-level answers is because you ask vague, generalized, surface-level questions. So, when your questions are surface-level and they're vague and generalized, you're going to get answers that are surface-level and vague and generalized as well.
Okay, all right, don't ask this question here. This is a horrible question: "What are two problems that keep you awake at night, Sally?" A lot of times, they'll come back, "Well, I mean, we're doing pretty good. I mean, I'd say, you know, nothing's really keeping me awake at night. We just kind of wanted to see what the options were." And why? Because this question right here, every single salesperson asks some form of question like this, pretty much in every industry, especially if you sell to companies, like business-to-business. Stay away, run from this question because your prospects hear it all the time. And if you ask questions that your prospects are used to from other salespeople in any industry, guess how they start to view you? At a lower status. They start to view you as just another salesperson trying to sell me something. That's probably not where you want to be viewed. You want to be viewed as the expert, the trusted authority.
Or how about this question? A lot of salespeople ask some type of question: "What's your biggest need right now? What, what are you guys need right now? What's your biggest need?" Now, easy prospects, laydown sales, right? Will tell you. But most won't because they know where this question leads. They're not dumb, they're smart. So they might say, "Well, I wouldn't say we have any needs right now. I just kind of wanted to see what the options were." And then where do you go from there, right? So, these type of surface-level questions are a big reason why your prospects are not emotionally opening up and telling you what the real problems are. They kind of like keeping it guarded because they know if they tell you that, you're going to use it against them to try to manipulate them into buying something.
Okay, now let me show you a few ways to structure this, okay? Here's a few tweaks. Now, I'm going to show you some generic examples so you can write them down for your industry. And I'm going to show you, I think I picked three or four different industry-specific examples that have nothing to do with each other. That way, you can see how the formula works. And it depends on if you call outbound leads, like they put in their name, email, phone number, they've responded to an ad, they know somebody's calling them, they just don't know when or where, compared to if you call, call. That's a different type of question you have to ask, a tweak. Compared to if you talk to somebody who's booked on your calendar, maybe you meet them at their home or at their office, if it's a company, or maybe you meet them on Zoom or the phone. It just depends. I'm going to show you a few tweaks.
So let's say, in this example, the first example, let's say you sell life insurance or final expense or anything like that, mortgage protection. This is the biggest industry be trained in the world out of 161 industries. And let's say from your situation, questions they've told you that they have an $80,000 work policy already. So what do I want to do? I want to eliminate this from being an objection. Okay? So I'm going to deliberately push them away to get them to defend themselves on why they feel like that's not going to be enough to financially protect their family when they pass away. I want to literally push them away to defend themselves on why that's not going to be enough. So notice how I tweak this and watch my tonality, okay? My facial expressions, right? I mean, I'm not understand. I mean, you guys have got this $80,000 work policy. I mean, what's caused you to feel like that might not be enough? What type of tone I use? Kind of a, kind of a skeptical, like I'm confused tone. Now, what they're going to do is they're like, "Well, the reason why we feel like it's not going to be enough is..." And now they tell me why they feel like it's not going to be enough. But more importantly, who are they telling? They're telling themselves why they feel like it's not going to be enough. Okay? Does that make sense to you?
All right, I mean, you've already got this $50,000 work policy. I mean, what's caused you to feel like that might not be enough? Now, notice right here, this is what's called verbal pausing. Because if I ask the question too fast, pay attention. If I ask it like this way, this way: "I mean, you've already got this $80,000 work policy, what's caused you to feel like it's not going to be enough for you guys?" "Well, I'm not saying it's really not. I mean, we just kind of see what the options are." See, if you ask your questions too fast, you give your prospects no time to internalize what you're asking, so they don't think deep about it. But if I slow down, I pace it out, verbal pacing, verbal, you know, these periods are like little verbal pauses. "I mean, you've already got this $80,000 policy. I mean, what's caused you to feel like that might not be enough?" Okay? That causes them to think deeper, right?
Now, let me show you some other examples here. Now, this is generic here, purposely, okay? So let's say I'm cold calling. The last one would probably more of an inbound lead or an outbound lead, somebody who's responded, they've requested information, they've already raised their hand that there's some type of interest, right? Now, let's say if I'm cold calling, I could even use this if I was an inbound salesperson or outbound, it doesn't matter. So I lean in after I find out what they're currently doing for whatever they sell. It's all going to depend on your industry. I lean in and say, "So, are you 100% satisfied with the results you've been getting?" "So, are you 100% satisfied with the results you've gotten?" Now, why would I say 100%? Why not say, "Are you satisfied with the results you're getting?" Here's why: Because no one is 100% happy or satisfied with anything they've ever bought or anything. Think about the person you're dating now, right? When you started dating them, a month or two in, you thought they were perfect. You thought they were 100% perfect. Nothing could be wrong. They, nothing you would ever change about them. And then six months later, what have you discovered? Some things you might not like, right? That's just human nature. You might buy a $500,000 Ferrari, and then eight months later, you don't like that the tires cost, you know, $1,000 each. There's always something you want to change or actually something you don't like. So, putting that word, "100%," "Are you?" "So, are you 100% satisfied with the results you've been getting?" Now, see these little periods? Those are verbal pauses. I'm pacing out the question. Now, you know what most prospects do when you use this? Like, "Well, I wouldn't say 100%. Not 100%." See what I'm doing there? The prospect says, "Well, I wouldn't say I'm 100% happy." You're just simply going to back, "Not 100%. What don't you like?" And now they start telling you what they don't like. But more importantly, who are they telling? They're telling themselves. When a prospect tells themselves what they don't like and why they want to change, is that more persuasive than you telling them what they don't like and don't change? Exactly.
Now, if you want to see more videos like this, go ahead and subscribe to this channel. Let me give you a warning, though. If you're a salesperson or a business owner, do not share this channel. I'm dead serious. My channel with your competitors. Because what I'm going to show you in this channel, you don't want people who compete with you to know the same skills I'm going to show you that. So, if you are going to share it, that's really great, but make sure you share it to friends and people you know that are in a different industry. Do not share it with your competitors. I promise you that. You don't want them to know what I'm training you on this channel, okay? Let's keep going here. All right, so hit the subscribe button if you want to learn more here.
All right, here's another example here. This is a generic example, okay? "I mean, you've been with XYZ company the last two years. I mean, they're fairly decent. I mean, what's caused you to feel like you might want to look at someone else?" Now, I did a couple things there. See how I'm skeptical? What's my tone sound like? Kind of a skeptical slash, skeptical slash confused, like I don't understand why would you're even talking with me. I'm not saying those words, but my tone implies. What am I doing? I'm getting them to defend themselves on why they want to look at someone else. Now, notice what I do, because I don't want to, like, if they're already with a company or a vendor, depending on if you sell B2C or B2B, I don't want to say, "Oh, that's a great company you're with," because I don't want to make them seem like they're awesome. But on the flip side, I can't say, "Oh, they're horrible, they're so bad," because of course, the prospect is going to be like, "Well, of course, you're going to say that, you're trying to sell me something." So I want to be in the middle. But my tonality implies that they might not be that good. They're fairly decent, okay? Now, I don't want to say, "I mean, you've been with XYZ company the last two years, they're fairly decent." What's caused you to feel? See, that's a flat tone. Will not work. "I mean, you've been with XYZ vendor the last three years. I mean, they're, they're fairly decent. I mean, what's caused you to feel like you might want to look at someone else?" "Well, I mean, they are good, Jeremy, but the reason why we're out looking is because..." Now they tell me why they're looking. And more importantly, they're telling themselves why they're looking, right? "Fairly decent." That tone, I'm seeding doubt that I might know something about that company that's not so good. I'm just not saying it. It actually builds trust with the prospect.
Here's another one. Let me just give you an industry-specific example. Let's say you sell financial services. This is a huge industry. We trainers. Well, I got to get a drink of water here. You guys are making me thirsty. So, let's say you sell financial services. Let's find out. Let's find out that they, they're with a major prize, okay? That's actually the company that I use. Major prize. I don't think you're one of our clients, so I'm going to have to include you in some of these videos here. "I mean, you, you've been with your advisor with a major prize the last five years. I mean, Major Prize, them, they're fairly decent. I mean, what's caused you to feel like that plan's not going to be able to retire you by 62?" And you're just repeating back what they said. Let's say if they, what they told you that they want to retire by 61. Now, in this, see, I've got to, I've got to tweak it a little bit based on the industry. "I mean, you've been with the same guy at Major Prize the last five years. I mean, they're fairly decent firm. And what's caused you to feel like their plan might not be able to retire you on time?" "Well, I mean, I like it, Jeremy, but the reason why I'm looking, you know, the reason why I feel like it's not, it's not going to get me there in a time is last year I lost 5%." And they start telling me what the problems are. More importantly, they start telling themselves. That's self-persuasion, rather than you trying to do it.
Let's say if you sell for a marketing agency and you're talking to a company about generating leads, and let's say you find out they have their own internal marketing team right now, okay? Let's say this is inbound. "I mean, what's caused you to feel like your internal marketing team might not be able to scale your business?" "So John, I'm not understanding. I mean, what's caused you to feel like your internal marketing team isn't going to be able to scale the company?" "Well, I mean, don't get me wrong, they're good, but..." And then they start telling you what they don't like. And they start telling you more of their problem. See what we're doing right there?
Okay, let's go to another one here. Same thing. This is a generic version here, okay? "So, I mean, you've been with XYZ company for six years. I mean, it can't be all doom and gloom over there. What do you like? What, what do you like about what they've done for you?" "Well, they have done a good job with this, with that, with this." Then you're immediately going to say, "What would you change if you could?" See, this is a way to also get them to open up. It's almost like you're making fun of them. "I mean, it can't be all doom and gloom over there. What do you like about what they've done?" "Well, I mean, I wouldn't say it's horrible, Jeremy. It's, you know, they do do a good job with this and that and this." And then you're immediately going to say, "What would you change if you could, though?" "Well, I mean, if we could change something, it would be..." And that's your in. Now they start to open up. And then you have to clarify and probe. If they say, "Well, you know, last year, you know, we lost, I don't know, it was probably like $787,000." "Hold on. You lost $785,000? What actually happened?" And now I'm clarifying, I'm probing, I'm getting them to go below the surface.
Remember, what are the two biggest emotional drivers that cause a human being to want to change? Pain and/or the fear of future pain. So, if we can't help our prospects relive their pain of their current situation and have a fear of future pain, they don't feel any need to change. And if your prospects don't feel any need to change, that's why they don't buy from you. That's why you get tons of objections.
All right, hope that helped you today, that little video. Now, if you want to start learning more sales techniques, if you want to start learning how to get your prospects to open up, go below the surface, you want to start learning how to prevent objections from happening so you don't have to handle so many, because who'd want to do objections all day when you can prevent them from happening? If you want to acquire skills that work with human behavior, where your prospects do all the work instead of you doing all the work, where your prospects actually sell themselves rather than you have to do it, because that sounds exhausting, where your prospects pull you in rather than you pushing and pressuring, you're welcome to subscribe to this channel. Like I warned you earlier, if you subscribe, do not share this with people who are in your industry who are competing with you. Now, if you don't compete with them, okay, with sharing it with them, share it with people who are in sales, business, who do not compete with you because they're in a completely different industry. Hope that helped you today. See you soon.