"What's it going to take to get your business?"

Tele-sales expert Art Sobczak recently received a cold call where the opening statement started with "Hey, Art. Bill at Audio Duplicators. We duplicate CD's and DVD's. I was wondering what it would take to get your business?" The main problem here? Using "What would it take to get your business?" without actually knowing the person you're calling or their situation.

Of course, using this early begs all kinds of comments and questions from prospects and customers, some spoken, some not. Some logical, some smart-alecky. All justified. For example,

"Why should I even consider answering the question?"

"Who ARE you?"

"If you gave it to me for free, maybe."

"I'm satisfied with the company I'm using."

According to Sobczak, "The problem with this question, used early, is that it is much too early, and no value whatsoever has been even hinted at yet. I had no reason to stay on the phone with him, and he is asking ME to explain how I would give him my business! Come on."

WHEN IT'S OK
Let's fast forward to a call...one where there's a good opening, nice qualifying and need-development questions, a strong presentation, perhaps an attempt to close, and the prospect hems and haws with, "I'm just not sure."

Then, this would make more sense:

"Pat, we seem to be in agreement that this is what you're looking for, and the price is within your budget. What is it going to take for us to move forward?"

OTHER DECISION-MAKING CRITERIA QUESTIONS
Here are questions I like to ask in the probing stage, especially when you are competing with someone else for a piece of business.

"How, specifically, will you make your decision?"

"What decision-making criteria will you use, and which areas will be most important to you?"

"If we are at the top in all of those areas, will we be the one you choose?"

"If you made a decision today, where would we stand?"

Art Sobczak, President of Business by Phone, Inc., specializes in one area only: working with business-to-business salespeople - both inside and outside - designing and delivering content-rich programs that begin showing results from the very next time participants get on the phone. Learn more at www.businessbyphone.com