The Wisdom of the Right Question

On tap today: You can't deliver value if your buyer has answers to all your questions.

Good morning!Or should I say Happy April Fools Day?What’s the most memorable April Fools Day prank you’ve fallen for?As a kid, I remember Dad serving dessert with whipped cream. It was an unexpected treat on a weeknight. Which should have been the tip off that all was not right. Yum, Barbasol... Today’s Sales Growth Quote:"The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge." Thomas Berger The Wisdom of the Right QuestionW.S. Merwin, was among the greatest of our American poets. A former Poet Laureate of the United States, Merwin died last month at age 91. I recently read an interview with Merwin in which he addressed the topic of wisdom. He said, "I think the indirect kind of wisdom is the interesting one anyway...The wisdom should probably take the form of a question that you can’t answer.”So it is in sales.The best wisdom you can deliver to your buyers is in the form a question they can’t answer.Look, there are two primary ways to make yourself interesting to buyers. One is to demonstrate a true interest in them. Typically you do this by asking questions. The other is to deliver value (and wisdom) to the buyer by asking a relevant question they can’t answer.I call this type of question a killer question. (It’s a killer question because it tends to kill off the competition…)A killer question is one that asks the prospect something about their business that they should know the answer to. But don’t. This forces them to pause. And, think.Killer questions demonstrate a level of understanding and acumen about the buyer's business that immediately engage their attention and interest. Buyers are becoming so conditioned to answering the same set of superficial scripted questions from sellers that their answers have become scripted. Killer questions break from the script. And lead your buyers to consider the value you offer, and wisdom, in a different light. - Andy Paul