Episode 1 | Questions and Questioning Part 1
Description
I’m often asked what the “killer questions” are for uncovering IT services opportunities.
In fact, I was asked that question several times this past week during the new employee sales training that was held in the Walnut Creek Office. The unfortunate truth is that there is no such thing as a true killer question. Nothing that will work the same way every time no matter the situation. There’s only conversation starters that will hopefully lead to high quality business discussions that eventually lead to new business relationships.
That said, I have a list of questions that I use consistently and I thought I’d spend an episode or two sharing them with you. This is part one of a series about questions and questioning. I’m also including a list of the questions I discuss in the show notes. This isn’t the definitive list, I’m sure there are tons of other great questions to consider adding to your tool box. If you have a really good one that you’d like to share, please add it to the comments section, I’d love to give it a try!
In this episode we talk about:
My process for qualifying prospective clients with lots and lots of questions:
- Pain / issue focused questions and going three levels deep
- Report building questions
- General technology questions
- Money / cost questions
Show Notes:
Business / report building questions:
- What is your role in the business?
- How long have you been in business?
- What is your role in the marketplace?
- Cost leader?
- Cost about the same as most?
- Value leader?
- Who are your competitors?
- Why do your customers buy from you?
- If a prospect told you that they could get the same thing that you provide at a 20% discount, what would you tell them?
- What are the key priorities for the business?
- What are your key priorities personally?
General technology / calibration questions:
- Why did you take the meeting?
- Are you wrestling with a specific issue that you’d like to talk about?
- If you could wave a magic wand over your technology, what would you want?
- On a scale of 1 -10, how reliant is your business on technology?
- Why would you grade it that way?
- Same scale, how would you grade the experience you have with your technology?
- Why would you grade it that way?
- What would a 9 or 10 look like?
- How would your employees grade their experience?
- Why do you think they would they grade it that way?
Money / spending questions:
- Do you have a IT plan?
- If so, how many years is it? (1, 2, 3 years?)
- How do you view your IT costs?
- Operational costs vs. Capital Expenditures
- How often do you refresh your technology?
- When was the last time you upgraded your technology?
- How is support provided?
- How are you billed for this?
- (Fixed fee, Hourly)
- Are there other soft costs that you include in cost of support?
- Relative to other companies your size, do you spend more or less than you think you should on IT?
The post Episode 1 | Questions and Questioning Part 1 appeared first on Jason Clause | Microsoft 365 Consultant.
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