Seek Problems, not Projects

This is a great quick tip from sales trainer Tom Reilly. Enjoy!

Give me a problem any day versus a project. Too many salespeople ask customers the wrong questions:

"Do you have anything I can quote?"

"Are there any projects I can get involved in?"

"What can I do for you today?"

These questions have a common denominator; each depends on the customer's initiative for the opportunity. The salesperson is responding to something that is already in the works. This is reactive selling.

Proactive selling is creating—not just responding to—opportunities. Proactive salespeople seek problems, not projects. They want to identify areas of dissatisfaction or pain for the customer and find ways to make the pain go away. They dig for root causes to solve problems versus masking them with a band aid. Better questions to ask include the following:

"What is keeping you up at night?"

"What is the toughest challenge you are dealing with now?"

"What problem have you given up on that you wish you could solve?"

Once you have mastered the problem-solving method of selling, you graduate to problem-awareness selling. This is where you make buyers aware of problems that they did not know they had. When you bring solutions to un-recognized problems, buyers see you as a vital member of their team—a proactive, value-adding sales professional.

Tom Reilly is the president of Tom Reilly Training. He is an authority on value-added selling, and speaks to thousands of salespeople and managers annually on increasing their value to their company and customers.