Successful sales recruiters and professionals recognize that sales are as much about understanding your customer base as it is about selling. You need to know who they are, the challenges they have, and how your products and services can help them meet their business goals.

Understanding your customers’ needs, concerns, and objections is a key factor in being able to develop high-quality sales solutions. One of the key ways to understand concerns is to ask the right questions.

Are you asking the right questions? Are you having the right conversation with your customers to get the information you need to better understand their position?

1. Ask Open-Ended Questions

One of the most effective ways to get information about your customers is to ask them open-ended questions. Open-ended questions give your customers the opportunity to elaborate and answer in a way that allows them to express their concerns. So, give them a platform to explain their position and their needs.

The second important part of asking open-ended questions is to be an active listener. You not only need to ask the right questions, you also need to pay attention to the answers. You need to be able to interpret the information provided and use it to develop sales solutions that will address your customers’ top concerns.

2. Questions to Help You Determine Your Sales Customers’ Concerns

Objectives and concerns are part of the sales process. To understand them and get the information you need, you need to ask the right questions, such as:

• What steps do you need to take to make a purchase?
• Who is involved in the decision making process?
• What type of budget do you have?
• What are your short term and long term goals?
• Why are you dissatisfied with your current solutions/vendor?
• What are your criteria for success?
• What level of service are your looking for?

Naturally, the type of questions you do ask will be customized based on the client, the conversation, and where you are in the sales process.

More Tips From Sales Recruiters for Managing Customers During the Sales Process

Get more highly effective tips and advice for working with customers and improving your sales process by reading these blog posts from our sales recruiting experts:

“UGH, Do I Have to Answer That?” 3 Irritating Sales Customer Questions and How to Answer Them

5 Ways to Say “I’m Sorry” to Customers When a Sale Goes Wrong

5 Effective Ways to Retain Customers

SalesForce Search is a sales recruiting company which specializes in the recruitment and placement of sales professionals. We recruit salespeople in every sector of the economy including, software, manufacturing, financial services and medical devices. Find the right salesperson for your organization, start your search here.