Safety Zone

Customers want to share information because it makes good business sense to do so. When you ask questions that customers would want to ask themselves, it decreases uncertainty and the risks of wasted efforts and unfulfilled goals for them, too. However, for customers, disclosing information must be risk-free and not weaken their negotiating position while strengthening yours. Only one place exists where customers know they are risk free and in control—their measurable goals. Customers know that without their consent, their well-defined destinations are not easily changed. They relax because they are in control. Therefore, relate your questions to their goals. The more measurable the goals, the bigger you make the Safety Zones. Like heat-seeking missiles, let your goal-seeking questions fire away. No one will get hurt— other than competitors and time robbers.

The Power of How's Zat?

The Safety Zone strategy revolves around the most powerful words in your sales vocabulary: How's Zat? You use them to understand "How does that customer's response affect his or her goals?" The phonetic term How's Zat? also includes how, why, and all the other forms of the open-ended questions. Use them as the first words to start a follow-up question to reference customers' responses on how they think their comments affect their ability to achieve goals.

Follow the Customer's Lead

Customers want to take the lead in discussions. It gives them a further sense of control. Let them lead, while you address the topics they bring up. Their responses tell you which questions to ask next. You know exactly what to ask, without guesswork or fishing expeditions.

Your follow-up questions should seek to make crystal clear their goals, filters, measurable benefits, and SOEs. Again, obtaining measurable specifics is the only concrete way to understand how customers define value and how your products generate value. In addition, fighting for control does not make you more productive or successful; so why waste your time. As mentioned before, following their lead lets customers know you are receiving and understanding their messages. The reward is that customers supply plenty of details.

Finally, when you follow the customer's lead, your questions motivate the customer to pull you to the next goal or filter. You are not the first one to bring up a new goal or filter, the customer is. Again, his or her sense of control benefits you.

Ask Specific but Open-Ended Questions

Give customers the opportunity to tell you everything they know—at least, everything they know about their goals, filters, measurable benefits, and SOEs. Open-ended questions accomplish that for you. They let customers tell you a lot of things you do not know. Open-ended questions start with words such as who, what, why, when, where, and how. One word of caution: An open-ended question that does not reference a goal or filter could spell trouble. In the mouths of long-winded customers, they could end up as lengthy monologues about nothing (like most Seinfeld episodes). Avoid questions that are no more specific than "How do you feel about life in general?" However, do not take the other extreme and box customers in either.

Yes-or-no questions box in customers and force them to select their answers from limited choices, so they only provide limited information. Customers do not have much incentive to add information. For instance, yes-or-no questions usually result in only yes or no answers. These questions also require playing a game of hit or miss to everyone's discomfort.

They can sound more like guesses or stabs in the dark than questions. "Can you see where you can save money?" "No." "Well, how about saving time?" "No." You will find that getting three consecutive no answers is usually fatal to the sales call. Your sales call just went from collaborative to confrontational as you hope your next question brings a positive response. Customers who ask, "What part of 'no' did you not understand?" probably should not be considered ideal prospects. A no answer causes a fight for control over where the sales call goes next. Do you now see why customers view these questions as controlling? Just answer yes or no.

No Loose Ends

You keep building momentum in your sales calls by ensuring that each goal or filter is measurable before pursuing the next one. When you need to return to previously discussed goals and filters to gather missed measurements, it slows your forward progress. It is like stopping at a gas station and only filling up the tank halfway to save time. Eventually you are going to waste more time having to stop twice as often. Making sure you have a full tank of measurable goals and filters speeds up your progress in determining if customers' goals are achievable.

Don't Shoot Yourself

If someone shoots at you and misses, you do not hand him more bullets when he runs out. Yet, when you agree with negative statements made by customers, that is exactly what you are doing. The only difference is that one kills people; the other kills sales calls. Do not tell customers you too think something is a negative until both parties understand how it affects achieving the customers' goals. Then, if you are unable to help them achieve their goals, let them know why, and do so before they let you know why. Hitting issues head-on is another way you turn negatives into positives and build credibility and trust with customers.

Think Positively

When you make assumptions, you usually make negative ones. Most of us learn early in life to assume the worst: "I bet he wants me to lower my price." If you are going to make assumptions, you can just as easily make positive ones: "I bet he wants me to cost-justify the price." Assumptions do not require proof, so make them benefit you and assume your customers prove you right, not wrong.

No Echoes

Depending on who is counting, the English language has more than 3 million words. These words provide a plethora of choices to show off your originality. In addition, when you rephrase—and do not merely parrot customers' responses—it shows you have thought about what they said. That fact alone encourages customers to continue to share information. Rephrasing is easy if you use the Safety Zone strategy and rephrase their comments in terms of how they affect their goals.