Thoughtful Thursdays – What do I need to know?

Last week’s post, What makes a good question? talked about asking the right questions and planning your conversation.

Today’s sales thought is about what you might need to know to make the sale. Knowing what you need to know will guide you to developing good questions.

You rarely get all the information needed in one call. It is helpful to have a list and then prioritize the importance of what you think you need to know.

Here is a list that can be a good starting point. The items are in no particular order and come from personal experience gained over many years.

• Customer Information
  • Culture
  • Core values
• Current supplier(s)
  • Who
  • How long have they been the supplier
  • Strengths
  • Weaknesses
• Current product(s) being purchased
  • Volume
  • Frequency of purchase
  • How much $
  • Strengths of the product
  • Weaknesses of the product
  • Terms
• Approval process
  • What is involved
  • Who is involved
  • Time lines
• Stakeholders
  • Purchasing
  • Approvals
  • Finances
  • How are stakeholders measured?
• Influencers
  • Who?
• Customer’s customer
  • Who are they
  • What are their needs

You may require less information or more depending on the products and services you are offering and the industry.

Once you have the information needed, the situation can be analyzed. Then you can develop sales strategies and tactics that will eventually close the sale.

Good selling,
Richard

Have a question about sales? Contact Sakanashi and Associates Inc. and I will respond.

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