Here’s a thought for you: Within the first few seconds of every sales conversation, your prospects form an impression of you, and this reaction triggers their brain in one of two ways.
First of all, if you come across as pushy, needy, and attached, and you don’t ask the right questions, your prospect’s brain will go into fight-or-flight mode. And as a result, they’ll simply push back and try to get rid of you by saying things like, “I’m too busy right now,” or “Call me back later,” or “We already have that.”
But on the flip side, if you present yourself as calm, neutral, and detached from the expectations of making the sale by asking the right questions, their brain will become so curious that they feel like they must engage with you. And to be more specific, that’s what Connection Questions do for you.
In other words, Connection Questions are designed to disarm, rather than alarm your prospects. And since you have something to offer that might be very important to your prospects, these questions will get them to want to open up to you.
So, with that said, here’s an example of what a sequence of Connection Questions might sound like. Of course, you may find it helpful to adapt them to fit your industry and what you sell.
“Hey [Prospect Name}, this is [Your Name] with [Your Company}. It looks like you responded to an ad recently and asked us to call you back about possibly helping you with [their problem], so that you can [their desired end result]. Is that right?”
“Okay. Then since I’ve got some time before my next appointment, I guess I should start off by double-checking with you: Have you found what you wanted, or are you still looking for [rephrase their desired end result]?”
“And do you know what kind of [type of product you sell] you’re looking for, besides this one that we’re talking about today, just in case it’s no longer available by the time you could come down here to look at it?” (If you sell multiple products that have unique features and a limited quantity, such as cars, boats, or furniture, this question will help build urgency by hinting that your product could be gone very soon.)
“So, when you saw the ad, what was it about what it was saying that led you to want to look into this further?”
“Okay. Well, just so you know, the purpose of this call is pretty simple. It’s basically for us to find out what you’re using now, the results you’re getting from that, versus what you might be wanting to get, and see what that gap looks like. Then, towards the end of the call, if you feel like, hey, this might be what you’re looking for, we can talk about possible next steps. Would that help you?”
“And just so I have a better understanding, is there anything else you’re hoping to get out of this call today?”
“Oh yes, I’ll definitely go through all of the various options, for sure. It really depends on your specific situation, such as your [factor A], [factor B], and [factor C]. Once we understand all of these details, I can show you all the different services we have for our clients. Would you find that helpful?” (You can use this question if the prospect knows a little bit about what you provide and asks about a specific part of your offer, such as cost.)