Effective questioning skills are essential to closing sales. They’re a fundamental element of trust-based selling that makes you stand apart from other solar panels salespeople. When you improve your question-asking skills, you’ll improve every area of your life, especially your sales career. You’ll build trust with potential clients during your conversations that will help you present the best solutions, and ultimately, close deals. Poor questioning skills lead to resistance—but when you improve this skill set, buyers will trust your advice, believe in your presentation and simply prefer to do business with you.
Here are seven ways to improve your questioning skills and position yourself as a trusted solar installation partner:
Encourage Involvement
Don’t dominate the conversation. Nothing is worse than the salesperson who talks too much and listens too little. Ask thoughtful questions so that you can fully understand the potential client’s needs and current situation. Find out what their specific wants are and what their desired outcome is. Ask engaging questions that help you learn about their pain points, fears and concerns.
Listen Effectively
One of the most important elements of trust-based selling is effective listening. Be present and really digest what the potential buyer is saying. Don’t assume anything—clarify every point that you’re uncertain of and figure out what they mean, not what they said. Ask further questions to probe any issues and concerns.
Gather Information
Fill in the gap between “what do we need to know?” and “what do we already know?” Ask questions that help you understand the impact of solar panel installation on the potential customer’s life, as well as the problems they foresee or are concerned with. This gives you the chance to address and underscore any potential negatives and will help bring the emotional element of their buying decision out into the open.
Provoke Thought
Fight the urge to close the sale too quickly. Instead, use your critical thinking skills when asking questions, but don’t disregard the emotional component of their buying decision.
Show Interest
Paraphrase or summarize what the potential customer says to demonstrate that you’re truly interested in helping them find the right solution. Humans have an innate need to be understood—and when they feel that they’re truly heard, this draws them closer and builds trust.
Solicit Confirmation
Reach for the micro-commitments—ask easy “yes” questions to help build momentum so that you can move the conversation and the process forward.
Advance the Sale
Avoid the tired cliché “Are you ready to move forward?” Instead, be thoughtful and develop questions that allow the buyer to answer positively and realize that they can meet their own needs by accepting the solution you present, whether it’s solar panel installation or something else.
Applying these principles and developing your question-asking skills will improve your trust-based selling technique as a solar installation partner, while helping both you and your clients.