And yes... that's where we are. As I reread this article, I'm thinking that maybe we're going a little too far. But knowing how to ask the right questions can be decisive. Decisive in the sales process, decisive in the recruiter's recruitment, in consulting or coaching, in medicine, in short, just about everywhere.

Mastering an appropriate questioning method is essential in these areas.

In sales, when we talk about "questions", we often also talk about a "discovery plan".

We've already shared our 5 tips on how not to miss your discovery phase in another article.

As a reminder, a discovery plan should enable you to identify your prospects' potential "problems" that your solution could solve, and subtly convey that these problems can be solved by your product.

Today, we return to the questions that make up a good discovery plan. 👇🏼

To begin with, here are the 2 types of questions you'll use in your sales pitch during the discovery phase:

1. Open questions: who, what, where, when, how, why?

The open question:

• Perfect for letting prospects speak for themselves, setting the tone, the expected level of granularity and practicing active listening.
• Ask for a detailed, well-constructed response.
• Start a conversation and get your prospect talking.

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2. Closed questions : yes or no answers.

The closed question:

• Gather factual information.
• Calls for a brief, rapid response.
• Don't take part in the discussion.
• Perfect for summarizing what you've just told yourself, so you can move on to the next step.

Be careful, this meeting must not resemble an interrogation! The art of questioning or asking discovery questions is to learn as much as possible about your prospect while maintaining a semblance of conversation.

Don't forget: the best of us, during our sales meetings, manage to make you forget that you're a salesperson.

The discovery plan consists of 3 stages:

1. Basic discovery questions

Objective: to check whether your prospect is part of the target group, and to gather important information for further discussions.

You can mix question types: open and closed questions. ‍

Examples of basic questions: ‍

• What is your position within the company?
• How many employees do you have?
• What is your supplementary health insurance?
• Do you have a car?
• Etc...

If, at the end of this phase, your prospect doesn't fit the profile, it's time to end the conversation. Now you've got the proof that your prospect fits the bill: you can refine your knowledge by tackling the qualifying questions.

This discovery plan phase will make a lot of sense to you, because it will enable you to quickly determine whether your prospect could be a potential customer, but it will make much less sense to your prospect. So try to move fast.

Tip: To avoid giving the impression of an interrogation, invest no more than 5 minutes.

2. Qualifying discovery questions.

In the qualifying discovery phase, you're at the heart of prospecting. Now that you know that the person you're talking to is a potential buyer, you're going to find out more about their habits, their behavior, their motivations - even their motives! Etc.

At this stage, it's crucial to use an effective questioning technique: ask open-ended questions and, above all, let the other person talk.

This is where you need to be a conductor.

1. Use this type of question to highlight the problem.
2. Give your prospects the desire, even the urgent need, to solve this problem, and turn them into potential new customers.

This phase is similar to a discussion, and is therefore much more lasting for your prospect. It's often the most technical phase of the discovery plan, and you need to invest more time in it, especially in the argumentation.

For example, and very concretely at Modjo, we could ask them how the prospect manages his current customer interactions and whether he uses a CRM for this, and presto! Our solution is proposed because we've highlighted the problem with the right question.

Tip: Invest at least 27 minutes, but allow time for "next steps" at the end of the conversation.

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The essential questions: ‍

How do you deal with (the problem you detected)? ‍

Obvious question. In addition to acknowledging that the person you're talking to has a "problem", they'll also share their frustrations with you. This is where it all starts. If there are no frustrations, I regret to say that it will become extremely complicated to make a successful sale. If there are frustrations, carry on. ‍

"I must confess that as we no longer have running water, we only take our showers on rainy days.... "

‍ ‍ Howlong has it been? ‍

This question is very important, because it tells you how long your prospect has been facing this problem. You help him to take a step back. ‍

"It must be over two years now"‍

‍ AndHave youconsidered a solution or do you not intend to solve the problem immediately? ‍

I love this question because it immediately sets the tone for the rest of the conversation. If the prospect is satisfied, you'll have to look for the little bugger. If, on the other hand, your prospect is already starting to complain, you're in great shape.

‍ "Yes, we tried to do some plumbing ourselves so as not to cost us too much, but we blew up the boiler.... We need to find a solution that doesn't cost us too much." ‍

‍ What to doDo youappreciate our service/product? ‍

This may seem extremely surprising to you, but whether your prospect is an inbound or outbound lead, BtoB or BtoC, you'll find that they'll respond. Some may say "you contacted me, I don't know anything about your product", but we've thought of everything and here's what you can say. It's up to you to create the need by asking a question or even several questions that highlight the added value of your product or service, in order to win the prospect's loyalty and convince them to take action. ‍

"I have to admit I don't know much about it, but in broad terms, I like the fact that your tool allows you to do..."

‍ And what did I doDidn't youlike it at all? ‍

Likewise, take notes to guide your speech and try to find out why. If your proposal avoids these pitfalls, insist. On the other hand, if what you're selling presents the same problems, evangelize the prospect about the reality of the market.

"I think your product is too expensive for what it pays"‍

If you've reached this point, it's a good sign. Your prospect understands that your product brings value. He simply minimizes this value and, in his mind, the "it's too expensive" objection takes shape.

But to avoid the end of the drawing, keep going.

3. Questions that put your finger exactly on the spot

These questions are part of the qualifying questions phase. Now you've identified your prospect's problems. Now you need to ask them specific questions to let them know that it's time for a change.

That's where the best of us are. Put yourself in your prospect's shoes for two minutes, and that's when he'll understand the whole circus you've set up.

Whether you've asked him a series of questions to formulate or reformulate a problem.

That thanks to your questions, he himself recognized that the problem was significant and that a solution had to be found.

That's when you know how to ask a question, or rather THE QUESTION, in a different way, to enable him to see the situation in a new light, and he'll have to move on, probably even investing in a solution that resembles what you're selling, thanks to a skilful reformulation of his problems.

• What would happen if the problem persisted?
• How does this affect your objectives and those of the company?
• How does this affect your delivery times?
• What effect does this have on your employee(s)?

End of the discovery plan. Congratulations!

If you've got this far, it's because you've succeeded in increasing the chances that this prospect will be very interested in going further.

To end on a good note:

1. Summarize the meeting by asking closed questions. Your goal: get positive responses, or more precisely, as many "yeses" as possible!
2. Suggest a next step based on your conversation, such as a demo appointment.

You'll find several articles on sales techniques on our blog to help you make the most of your chances at the demo, so don't miss out on our top tips!

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Has this article given you any ideas? Do you have any questioning techniques or a discovery plan that works?

⚡ Send me an e-mail at: paul.berloty@modjo.ai

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Better,