In the last article in this series, we explored how understanding your prospects’ past can help you understand what they need going forward. Asking the right questions about your prospects’ past sets you apart from other accountants and bookkeepers who ask traditional, transactional questions. This, in turn, helps your value sensitive prospects see you as someone they can partner with to drive their business forward...not just someone who will help them comply with tax requirements.
Although many prospects will book a call with you because of a past experience, sometimes the prospect faces an immediate challenge they need help overcoming. Remember, the transitional question - “What led you to reach out for this call?” - tells you where you need to steer your sales call. If the prospect mentions a challenge they are currently facing, your questions need to focus on where they are now.
Learning where they are now
Just like with the questions that help you understand the prospect’s past, you don’t want to ask transactional questions to understand what your prospect is currently facing. Again, avoid questions that ask about what software they use, how many transactions they have per month, or any payroll-related questions. Instead, focus on questions that will help you get to the root of the prospect’s challenges. Some of these questions are:
- What are the crossroads you face at this time in your business?
- What is the story you are telling yourself about your current challenges?
- How might you be contributing to your biggest challenge?
- What is the value your organization creates for your customers?
Some of these questions seem more like coaching questions than accounting or bookkeeping-related questions. This is by design. Remember, you want your prospects to see you as a different kind of bookkeeper or accountant...one they are willing to pay well. Even if you don’t offer coaching services to your customers, you will be advising them in some manner over the course of your engagement with them. Setting this tone during your sales call will put you on the footing you want to have for the entire relationship.
The “learning where they are now” questions can be difficult to work into a typical sales conversation. Listen closely at the beginning of the call to determine ways to segue into these questions so they don’t seem out of the blue.
Trust your gut
The “learning where they are now” questions dig deep, and they can be difficult for the prospect to answer. This is why the question that helps your prospects open up - “May I have your permission to ask a few personal questions about your business?” - is so important. But even with their permission to ask personal questions about their business, you might notice your prospect shutting down instead of answering the questions.
Trust your gut. If you notice the prospect shutting down, hedging, or even their voice taking on an uncomfortable edge, change the course of the conversation. You want to set yourself apart from your competition, but alienating your prospect won’t serve either of you.
Past, present, and…
So far, we’ve looked at how asking the right questions can set you apart from your competition. We’ve discussed some questions that focus on the prospect’s past, and we’ve looked at some questions that will help you discover where the prospect is now. In the next article in this series, we’ll explore the questions that really help set you apart from your competition: questions about designing the future of your prospects’ business. If you want to jump ahead, check out our “Value Starts With Hello” e-book at www.profitfirstprofessionals.com.
Author Bio: Billie Anne Grigg is the Senior Strategic Guide at Profit First Professionals and the founder of Pocket Protector Bookkeeping. She has more than 20 years of small business bookkeeping and cash management experience. Billie Anne is passionate about elevating the bookkeeping and accounting community so we can help small businesses thrive.