What Questions To Ask Prospects During The Sales Discovery Process
Summary
TLDRJeremy Miner's video discusses the art of asking probing questions to uncover prospects' true needs. He emphasizes the use of 'in', 'epq', and 'probing questions' to delve deeper into their problems, root causes, and emotions. Miner illustrates how repeating an emotional word or asking about the duration of an issue can encourage prospects to open up. He provides examples of such questions and explains how they build urgency and reveal the real motivations behind a prospect's need for change.
Takeaways
- 🗣️ Use probing questions to encourage prospects to share more about their problems and emotions.
- 🔍 Clarifying questions help to uncover the root cause of a prospect's issues.
- 🤔 Repeating an emotional word back to the prospect (probing statement) can lead them to open up more.
- ⏱ Asking about the duration of a problem can make the prospect reflect on their situation.
- 🔄 Pausing strategically in questions can prompt deeper thought from the prospect.
- 🔑 Questions that lead to 'pain reliving' can help clarify the impact of the problem on the prospect.
- 🔄 Example questions provided can be adapted for any industry or product/service.
- 👥 Questions like 'What's causing this to happen?' can uncover the driving force behind a prospect's need.
- 🏢 B2B sales can benefit from questions that reveal the company's motivations for change.
- 🌟 Role-playing scenarios can demonstrate how to effectively use these questions in practice.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of asking probing questions?
-The main purpose of asking probing questions is to encourage prospects to go beyond surface-level responses and reveal their deeper concerns, problems, and emotions, which can help in building a stronger connection and understanding their needs better.
What is an example of a probing statement?
-A probing statement can be as simple as repeating an emotional word back to the prospect. For instance, if a prospect says they're 'stressed,' you could respond with 'stressed' and prompt them to elaborate.
How can asking about the duration of a problem help in a conversation?
-Asking about the duration of a problem, such as 'How long has that been going on for?', helps the prospect to relive the pain and consider the impact of the issue over time, which can build urgency for a solution.
What is the significance of pausing when asking certain questions?
-Pausing during a question, like 'impact on you,' gives the prospect time to think deeply about their response rather than providing an immediate, thoughtless reaction.
Why are EPQ (Exploring, Probing, Qualifying) questions important?
-EPQ questions are crucial as they help uncover the root cause of a prospect's problems, clarify their statements, and probe deeper into their emotions and motivations, which can lead to a better understanding of their needs.
What does the acronym 'EPQ' stand for in the context of sales?
-In the context of sales, 'EPQ' stands for Exploring, Probing, and Qualifying. These types of questions help to uncover more information about a prospect's situation and needs.
How can asking 'What's causing this to happen?' be beneficial?
-Asking 'What's causing this to happen?' helps to identify the root cause of a problem, which is essential for offering a tailored solution that addresses the core issue.
What is the psychological effect of asking prospects to relive their pain?
-Asking prospects to relive their pain can trigger emotions and make them more open to considering a solution that could alleviate their discomfort or problem.
Why is it important to ask 'What's in it for you?' in a B2B context?
-In a B2B context, asking 'What's in it for you?' helps to uncover the personal motivations and benefits for the individual within the company, which can be key to closing a deal.
How can role-playing help in understanding the effectiveness of probing questions?
-Role-playing allows one to practice and experience firsthand how probing questions can lead to deeper insights and more meaningful conversations with prospects.
What is the goal of asking questions that make prospects think about the impact of their problems?
-The goal is to make prospects意识到问题的严重性和紧迫性,从而激发他们寻求解决方案的意愿,这有助于建立购买的紧迫性。
Outlines
🗣️ Engaging Prospects with Effective Questions
Jeremy Miner discusses the importance of asking probing questions to understand prospects' needs and emotions. He introduces the concept of EPQ (Eliciting, Probing, and Qualifying) questions that encourage prospects to share their problems and feelings, creating urgency for a solution. Examples of such questions include asking for clarification on emotional words (e.g., 'stressed') and inquiring about the duration and impact of issues. The goal is to uncover the root cause of problems and build a connection that leads to a sale.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡EPQ
💡Probing Questions
💡Root Cause
💡Emotions
💡Urgency
💡Clarifying Questions
💡Rephrasing
💡Impact
💡B2B
💡Implementation
💡Role Play
Highlights
Jeremy Miner discusses the importance of asking questions to uncover prospects' real needs.
Introduces the concept of EPQ (Exploring, Probing, and Qualifying) questions.
Explains how to use clarifying and probing questions to get meaningful insights from prospects.
Stresses the importance of understanding the root cause of prospects' problems.
Describes how repeating an emotional word can encourage prospects to open up.
Suggests asking about the duration of a problem to make prospects reflect on their situation.
Advocates pausing strategically to prompt deeper thinking from prospects.
Provides examples of EPQ questions that can be used across different industries.
Emphasizes the need to understand what's driving the prospect's desire for change.
Discusses the significance of asking about the benefits of solving the problem for the prospect.
Illustrates how to use role-play to practice asking effective questions.
Points out the importance of identifying key words that represent human feelings in a prospect's statement.
Explains how to use a prospect's own words to uncover their problems and needs.
Provides tips for asking questions that reveal a prospect's motivations and emotions.
Encourages salespeople to find out what's behind a prospect's desire for a solution.
Concludes with a summary of the key questions to ask to understand prospects' real situations.
Transcripts
hey guys jeremy miner here today we're
going to talk about what questions do
you need to ask to go under the surface
with your prospects and have them tell
you what's really going on rather than
shutting you down
[Music]
now let me give you some more examples
of what are called in epq clarifying and
probing questions that need to be asked
these are very important to get your
prospect to go under the surface with
their answers and tell you what's really
going on in the world like what problems
do they really have and what's causing
the problems the root cause these
questions also help you clarify what
your prospect is saying so you uncover
the true meaning they also help you
probe deeper to pull out your potential
customers emotions which psychologically
gets them to want to change their
situation now with you which builds
urgency rather than them waiting down
the road these questions have some of
the most persuasive powers
you will ever ask and they're so simple
to ask how about this one this is a
simple one john when you say
how do you mean by that or how do you
mean exactly if the prospect says
they're stressed you simply can just
repeat back that word stressed or if
they said they're frustrated you could
say frustrated or if they said i'm
annoyed how do you mean by annoying or
annoyed
just repeating that one word is called a
probing statement you just repeat back
that one emotional word and watch how
they open up i want you to do that today
and see how they respond to that or you
can say it like this
when you say stress
how do you mean exactly or what do you
mean by stress okay you could reword it
this way how long has that been going on
for so when they tell you a problem how
long has that been going on for oh for
three years prospect says this question
gets them to relive the pain in their
mind of how long it's been happening to
them
so this stress that you've had the last
three years has that
has that had a
impact on you
see that question notice how i paused
there when i said impact on you
why did we do that from there because it
causes them to think deeper about that
question rather than just throwing out a
knee-jerk reaction
let them answer oh yeah you have no idea
okay then you're going to ask this
question well hold on and in what way
though okay that helps them relive more
pain and clarify that pain in their own
mind here are a few more examples of any
pq clarified and probing questions to
ask that will work for any industry any
product service that does not matter we
train hundreds of industries at this
point
john
what's causing this to happen or james
what's prompting you to look into
changing this now though
or
earl can i ask what originally led you
to this decision in the first place or
amy why so important to you now though
or
cindy can you be more specific
or
give me an example what do you mean by
that here's another way tell me what's
driving the need to change your
situation now or how about this can you
walk me through the steps that led you
to this conclusion though how about this
one what would it mean for you to be
able to solve this problem
how about this one what's in it for you
to implement this for your company
though now if you sold b2b this would be
an excellent question what's in it for
you to implement this for the company
though you see that question helps you
find out what's behind this person's why
and what it's going to do for them to
bring you in to solve these problems in
the company brings out their emotions
let me give you another example and i'm
just going to role play with myself
prospect says you know we've been we've
been trying to get both of these
projects off the ground for months now
you would ask
hold on you you mentioned you've been
trying
what hasn't worked for you so far you
see trying is the key word there that
word represents a human feeling of
frustration about not being able to
accomplish the goal that's your golden
opportunity to bring out the prospects
problems to the surface of his or her
mind to have them relive the pain and
their feelings and then that triggers
them to be open to your solution to
solve that pain do you see how that
works okay we just went over what
questions to ask to go under the surface
with your prospects and have them tell
you what's really going on the truth
that
is your tip for the day
[Applause]
[Music]
you
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