5 Questions to Get Prospects to Take Action (And Keep the Sales Cycle Going)

Not all tele-sales calls end with a sale. Depending ondiscover that this question can help garner a buying
your product, the market, and the price your salessignal. It's a test close, plain and simple. If the client
call might have a longer sales cycle. But the longergives you specifics on how they wish to 'proceed
the sales cycle the more time it takes to meet yourwith the sale' they are, in effect, giving you an
objectives and make your commissions.indication that they want to buy.
Here are some excellent QUESTIONS that get your4. What do you need to feel comfortable to continue
client to take some sort of action.forward?
1. How can we make this work?This question more or less screams "I am in your
Talk about a brilliant question! Use this question aftercorner.' You are empathizing with the client and he'll
you have done your needs analysis and you'vesense it because you are appealing to the emotional
presented your solution. It's brilliant because it can actside of the buying equation. By asking what make
as an actual close or it can act is a propellant to gethim feel comfortable, you are really asking for any
the sale moving. Either way, the question createsobjections or concerns. Once those are laid open,
momentum.you now have the formula to proceed with the sale.
2. What do you see as the next steps?5. To keep the momentum going, why don't we set
This is another superb question because it gets theup a telephone appointment for Thursday morning,
client to open up and elaborate on what mustat, say 8:15 and we can review the proposal in detail
happen for the sale to continue. In effect, you areand determine the next steps if any.
getting the prospect to give you a road map toThis approach is often called the "advance" because
close the sale. For example, the prospect might tellit moves a sale forward by getting the prospect to
you that they need a proposal, that the proposalcommit to an action (review the proposal) by a given
goes to a committee of three whose names aredate and time (Thursday, 8:15 a.m.) If the client
____ and that the final say on the sale rests on Mr.agrees to this action, date and time she's engaged.
Big. In one fell swoop you not only have the processAnd that's a good thing.
for buying but you also have the three influencersSummary
and the final decision maker.Moving the sale forward is as easy as asking for a
3. How would you like to proceed?'road map.' Get the client to tell you what needs to
Here's yet another open ended question that getsby done simply by asking. Try these questions and
the prospect to tell you how momentum willget a move on!
continue. Peel back the onion a bit and you'll also