Question Category

Market Segment

/ Product/Service / Actual Prospect
/

Profile

Question Category

Intent: Qualify the prospect and identify the buying influences / /

Research

Question Category

Intent: Gain customer and competitor information and develop a win/win strategy
What does your company do?
What size is your operation?
Who are the people in charge of buying______? / How do you currently______?
Are you expanding in this area?
Who do you use to provide you with______?
Key Qualifying Characteristics:
1.______
2.______
3.______/ Customer’s Products/Services :
Customer’s Business Plan :
Customer’s Selling Environment:
Decision Makers – Buying Influences
Final Authority / Consumers/End Users / Competitor:
Specifiers / Coaches / Mentors / Competitor’s Strengths / Offsetting Benefits
Negotiators / Recommenders / Competitor’s Weaknesses / Your Strengths [F.A.B.]

/

Orientation

Question Category

/ /

Symptom

Question Category

/ /

Problem

Question Category

Intent: Focus the conversation in areas where you are strong, the competitor is weak, and the customer has needs / Intent: Identify both the obvious and the hidden needs not being met by the competitor. / Intent: Define the root causes of the symptoms and confirm the existence of problems.
Let’s focus for a moment in the area of______
There are three areas I’d like to address (list ) ______, ______, ______. Which of these would you like to discuss first? / What are your greatest concerns related to ______?
Where’s the Pain ? What gives you the biggest headache in this area?
What would make it better for you? / That points to a problem with ______, doesn’t it?
What do you think is causing that?
That could be a problem … (connect to Effects Question)
Tell me about that.
What’s going on in this area?
Talk to me about that.
What are you seeing here?
/

Effects / Consequences

Question Category
/ /

Criteria for Selection

Question Category

Intent: Quantify the seriousness of the problem to establish the value of the solution. Determine what it will cost in the future if the problem is not solved / Intent: Agree on the requirements that must be met to solve the problem. Include your Unique Selling Points in the Criteria.
What effect does that have on your ______?
How often does that happen?
What will it cost if the problem is not solved? / So one of your criteria to consider a supplier would be … (Feature, Advantage, Benefit). Is that pretty much how you see it?
After you have set your USPs / DSPs as criteria then …Are there any other criteria that need to be included in selecting this type of product or service?
/

Benefit

Question Category

Get the customer to defend the
benefits you provide to create an
attitude that is resistant to change. / / Triggering Events
Question Category
Intent : Identify the prospect’s primary buying motives and rehearse a defense of the Criteria so they can sell internally for you. / Intent : Develop a win / win plan to advance the sale and achieve customer satisfaction.
What additional value would you receive from having your criteria met?
What other benefits would ______get? / I guess my next step would be to demonstrate how we can meet your criteria?
What do you see as our next step?
How will you ask? / Action items to complete during the first interview :

______

______

______

______

______

What potential benefits might this person receive that you can offer as examples to help communicate what you are looking for? / Action items to be completed by both you and the prospect before your next meeting or contact in order to advance the sale toward closure :

______

______

______

______

______

Who else in the organization might also receive benefits? What potential benefits might they get? / Spreadsheet Check
The ORIENTATION, PROBLEM, and Feature of the CRITERIA should resemble each other
P / R / O / S / P / E / C / B / T
F
A
B
The SYMPTOMS, EFFECTS / CONSEQUENCES, AND THE Advantages/Benefits in the CRITERIA should resemble each other
P / R / O / S / P / E / C / B / T
F
A
B