NEPQ General Flashcards
What is the goal of sales?
To interact with a potential customer and discover if there is a potential sale to be made or not.
What are the three things you must do to sell in the modern world?
- Learn to eliminate sales resistance
- Focus on the customer
- Get the customer to think for themselves and question their current way of thinking.
What is is the D in DELTA?
Develop prospective customers interest so that they are willing to hear you out.
What is the E in DELTA?
Engage customers in a meaningful dialogue.
What is the L in DELTA?
Learn the prospect’s situation/problem/challenge.
What is the T in DELTA?
Tell your story after you clearly understand that your product or service is a fit for their situation, problem or challenge.
What is the A in DELTA?
Ask for a commitment - that is, when a commitment is appropriate.
What is sales myth #1?
Selling is a numbers game.
What is sales myth #2?
Rejection is just a part of sales.
What is sales myth #3?
You need to be enthusiastic about your product/service.
What is sales myth #4?
The sale is lost at the end of the sale.
What is sales myth #5?
If you assume the sale, they will buy.
What is sales myth #6?
Always be closing.
What are the 5 principles of the new model of selling?
- Be a problem finder and solver, not a product pusher.
- Timing is everything. Ask the right questions at the right time.
- Listen to what your prospect means. Not just what they say.
- Use the commitment formula. Summarise - Relate To Benefits - Qualify - Commitment Question.
- Eliminate sales pressure and resistance by building trust using neutral language, and prioritising the prospects agenda.
What’s your opener?
Hi, is this [company name]? (uncertain tone)
Hi there, this just James Kane… I was wondering if you could possibly help me out for a moment?
Prospect: “Sure, how can I help you?”
“Well I’m not quite sure that you could yet… I was just wondering if you would be opposed to looking at any possible issues with how you’re currently getting new customers, that may be causing you to waste time chasing unqualified leads or heavy price shoppers?”
Prospect: “Who’s this? What’s this all about?”
“Oh, I apologise, I didn’t mean to offend you, what we do is, you know how…”
Prospect: “We already have an agency.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty normal, and to be frank, I’m not sure we can even help you yet. I would have to know a little bit more about the the quantity and quality of the leads you’re getting to see whether we can even help you. And if we can’t, we can just end the call, or I might be able to suggest someone to you who could better help you in that area. Would that be appropriate?”
Prospect:
1. “What’s this all about?”
2. “Who are you?”
“You know how a lot of contractors nowadays are completely reliant on referrals and find it difficult to advertise with the increasing cost of ads and the changes going on in the online advertising space? Well we help contractors like that bring in higher quality leads at a lower ad cost so they can get back all the time they spend chasing time wasters and have a system that makes their income much more predictable and controllable”
(Pause)
“Does that resonate with you or is it something you/your company could be experiencing?”
If the prospect is really interested in your personalised opener, what do you say/do?
Go right into your first situation question, for example:
“Now I guess I should probably ask how you currently get new customers just to see if I could actually help you?”
What is the longer situation question that can be used after the problem statement and personalised introduction?
“Before i go through who we are, what we do, and all that kind of boring stuff, it might be appropriate if we knew a little bit more about your business and what you do to get new customers to see whether we could actually help you. If you don’t mind me asking, how do you currently get new customers?”
Prospect: “What are you selling?!”
“Oh, I apologise if I have offended you. I’m not actually convinced that I could even help you yet. And it might be appropriate if we asked each other a few questions to see whether what we do could even help you. Would that work? [or] Would that be appropriate? [or] Would you be opposed to that?
How do you know if you are connecting with a prospect?
By how much of their history they share with you. The more skilled the questions. The more they will open up.
What three destination points will you eventually arrive at with your prospect?
- They have no need
- They have a need but no real desire to change their situation
- They have a need and a real desire to change their situation.
When you share data about your product or service, what must you do?
Follow it up with a question about what they think about that information and how, if at all, it might benefit their situation.
Why do we ask targeted questions?
Because the customer elucidating benefits or consequences is much more powerful than us simply telling them. When we do that, they are likely to become skeptical.
Why do we include verbal pausing?
Because without it your message can become confusing.
Name 6 verbal cues.
- “Right!”
- “Tell me more…”
- “Uh-huh.”
- “Oh, I see.”
- “Hmmm…”
- “Is that right?”
How should a sales call be structured in the new model of selling?
- 85% Engagement.
- 10% Presentation.
- 5% Closing.
What are clues?
Something the prospect does or does not say that generates a follow up question that promotes further clarification.
How do prospects convey clues?
Emotional tonality and body language.
Why be silent and pause when you ask a prospect a question?
Because it is respectful and courteous. By being open your prospect will be open as well.
Name the 7 different types of questions in NEPQ in order.
- Connection questions
- Situation questions
- Problem awareness questions
- Solution awareness questions
- Consequences questions
- Qualifying questions
- Transition questions
What are connecting questions?
Questions that take the focus away from you and out the focus on the prospect.
What are situation questions?
Questions that help you find out what their present situation is.
What are problem awareness questions?
What problems do they have, if any, what caused them, and how are they affecting them?
What are solution awareness questions?
Questions that involve your prospect and their idea, which causes them to emotionally attach themselves to solving their problem and doing that with you while seeing what their future will look like when the problem is solved.
What are consequence questions?
Questions that help the prospect question their way of thinking and explore the consequences of not changing their situation.
What are qualifying questions?
Questions that confirm how important it is for them to change their situation.
What are transition questions?
Questions that help you naturally transition into going over how your solution will help them solve their problem. These questions give you the correct setup to present your solution at the right time.
What are the two main things you should ask yourself when it comes to a sales interaction?
- “What is my purpose?”
- “What do I plan to do?”
What are the 8 laws of sales intent?
- I intend to have empathy and see things from the customers point of view.
- I intent to focus on them and not me.
- I intent to find people who truly want what I am offering.
- I intend to be seen as different, unique, and the consummate professional.
- I intend to master the knowledge I need to be seen as an expert in my business.
- I intend to prepare for every call, not because it is important to me, but because it is important to my customers and prospects.
- I intend to use words and find language that will resonate with my prospects and be compelling.
- I intend to have an internal locus of control because I understand that I am responsible for the outcomes of my actions.
“Could you tell me what [your service] is all about?”
“Oh, for sure I can go through all the details with you if you’d like, but I was just curious… when you [how they came across your service], what was it about it that attracted your attention?”
What kind of question is this?
“What was it about [my service] that attracted your attention?”
Connection question.
Why do we ask the “what was it about [our service] that attracted your attention?”
Because they’ll tell you, and more importantly themselves about why they were interested in the first place. This is the first step towards them persuading themselves to fully listen to you and what you have to offer. The second reason is that you’ll start to see a picture of why they’re interested and what they need.
What should you always follow up the initial connection question with?
“Was there anything else that attracted your attention?”
What’s the third connection question?
“Do you know what you’re looking for?”
What kind of question comes after the connection questions? Give an example for your niche.
A situation question, depending on what you sell. For home improvement: “Can I ask how you’re currently getting new customers?”
How do you set the frame on a discovery call?
“The first part of the call I would say is for me to find out more about what you’ve been doing to get new customers, and really what you’re looking for now, just to see if we could actually even help you, as there are some people out there that there’s just not much we can do for them”
What do you follow up the call framing statement with?
“And what were you hoping to get out of the call today, just so I understand better?”
OR
“And do you what you’re looking for?”
Which questions are the DNA of the sales conversation? The foundation upon which you’ll build your entire sales conversation?
Situation questions.
What is the goal of situation questions?
To learn what a prospects present situation is, what problems they’re having, the cause of those problems and how said problems are affecting them (what emotion they are feeling).
Why must situation questions be answered before the offer?
To see whether we can even help them. We can’t change what the customer thinks unless we know what they think and how they approach a situation where our service might be the right solution.
What do you say to transition into situation questions?
“It might be appropriate if I knew a little bit more about your business and what you do to see whether we could actually help you in the first place. For example, how do you currently bring in new customers?”
Summarise the steps to take when calling a lead.
- State who you are.
- State where you are from.
- Reference the medium they booked through and remind them they agreed to the call.
- Ask them whether this is still an appropriate time.
- Indicate that you are not attached to the sale by stating the obvious.
- Find out what their present situation is and, using connection and situation questions, ask how you can potentially help them.
What is the #1 way to decrease anxiety in the sales process?
Focus 100% of your attention on the prospect and their needs.
What is the maximum limit of situation questions you should ask in a row? And why?
3 - 4. If you ask more than that, your prospect may feel like you’re interrogating them.
When do you ask problem awareness questions? And how should you start?
Right after you ask 2 - 3 situation questions. Always start out by asking them whether they like what they have now.
What do you say if a customer says that they do like what they’re currently doing?
“Well [name], it sounds like things are going fairly well for you… is there anything you would change about how you’re currently getting new customers if you could?”
If the customer responds to the problem awareness question that they don’t like something about their current strategy, what kind of question should you ask?
A probing question. E.g. “But why though?”
What are the 5 benefits of problem awareness questions?
- They encourage your prospective customers to share their opinions, emotions, feelings and worries. They feel safe with you, trust you, and feel they can open up.
- They encourage your prospects to share their likes and dislikes and how their problems are affecting them.
- They give both of you a front-row seat to what their problems are, what causes those problems, and why it’s important for them to change.
- They make you look extremely smart, professional and considerate. You’ll become a trusted expert, and you’ll also be come the trusted authority in your prospects mind. Plus, you’ll form a priceless emotional connection.
- While most sales people only get to the facts, you’ll be getting their emotions and feelings.
Why must we turn our statements into questions?
Because trying to fully understand the prospects concerns helps them to sell themselves on the change they need to make.
Give some examples of phrases you can use to turn your statements into questions.
- “What if”
- “What do you think about…”
- “Do you think…”
- “If you could…”
Pro tip when asking uncovering prospects concerns?
Don’t tell your prospects about what you know or what you have. Instead, ask questions that will uncover and explore what they know about the situation first.
What do probing questions do?
They invite the prospect to elaborate and bring out their emotions and feelings?
What happens if we don’t ask probing questions at the right time?
You don’t bring out the emotions of the prospect, so they don’t feel the need to change.
Give 5 examples of probing questions.
- “How long has that been going on for?”
- “Has that had an impact on you?”
- “In what way?”
- “What bothers you the most about this?”
- “How tough a position did that put you in?”
What do clarifying questions allow you to do?
They allow you and your prospect to go much deeper than they would normally with a typical sales person. They uncover problems that demand satisfaction and the prospect will own their problems. You are both now connected and determined to solve their problems.
Give 6 examples of clarifying questions.
- “Can I ask why you said that?”
- “What do you mean by that?”
- “How do you mean?”
- “When you say that… what do you mean exactly?”
- “How do you feel about that?”
- “Can I ask why you want that though?”
Give 10 more examples of clarifying questions.
- “Could you tell me more about…”
- “Could you elaborate more on that?
- “I’m not sure I understand…”
- “How does your spouse/boss feel about that?”
- “Why do you say that?”
- “Why now though?”
- “Is there anything else I should know about that?”
- “Why do you feel that way still?”
- “So what you’re saying is…?”
- “Can you help me better understand…?”
When do we start asking solution awareness questions?
After asking the appropriate problem awareness, probing and clarifying questions.
What is the purpose of solution awareness questions?
To figure out exactly what your prospect understands about what they’re looking for.
Why are solution awareness questions so important before moving to the commitment stage?
Because they’ll know how things are in their world and how they got to that point. But they may not yet fully understand how your service fits into that picture of their world, and they may not know how to connect the past and the future together.
What happens in your prospects mind as they answer your solution awareness questions?
They will consciously and subconsciously see, that by taking action, they can indeed change their situation and solve their problems. They will start to feel the benefits of having their situation changed as they listen to their own words. This is called their ‘objective state’”
How do solution questions differ from the other types of questions we ask?
They can be asked at any time during the sales conversation.
What are the two basic versions of solution awareness questions?
- “What have you done about changing your situation?”
- “What would you do if you could?”
When asking solution awareness questions, what question is the foundation for finding out what they have done, if anything?
“Have you been out there looking for anything that would give you what you’re wanting?”
In the post-trust era, prospects naturally fear that once they transfer their money to you for your solution, you might let them down. What do you do if that happens?
Immediately interject with a pretend question, to provoke the potential customer to make smaller decisions that move them forward in the buying process.
What’s the 3 stage evolution of a pretend question?
- “How do you see your life being different than it is now?”
- “How would it be different for you by making that change?”
- “How would that make you feel?”
Why do we ask pretend questions?
It removes sales pressure because it allows the prospect to imagine pulling the trigger solely as a hypothetical.