The goal here is to conduct stronger discovery. Also, when someone says they are happy, to me it’s a red flag. Consider these questions to uncover hidden opportunities:
Tell me why you say that, explain to me what you mean.
How do you consistently the ideal new client?
Do you have any areas to develop?
Is your current vendor subbing out any portions of your digital campaign?
What are the more attractive types of work/clients/customers to attract (higher margin, quicker turn/cash flow)?
If gap/pain point identified attempt a trial close:
“Thanks for sharing the information around this with me, it has really helped me understand why that is so important to you and your company. I may have a few ideas on that front, would you be open to hearing them if they may sense?”
Better discovery leads to a quicker agreement and mitigates chasing, running multiple presentations, etc…
New Business Acquisition Questions:
1) How many locations do you own?
2) Who is your ideal customer?
3) How are you getting customers to engage with your business?
4) What are the biggest challenges you are having? What keeps you up at night?
5) What’s your quarterly strategy looking forward to 3/6/9/12 months down the road?
6) What are the most important services for you to focus on?
a. Most Valuable?
b. Most Traction?
c. Least Traction?
d. Most Profitable?
e. Least Profitable?
7) Who are the investors in your business? Any silent investors?
8) What are the consequences for missed sales projections/results?
9) Why do your customers buy your service/product?
10) Why didn’t potential customers buy your service/product??
11) What are your needs?
12) What kinds of ROI/ROAS are you looking for from your marketing spend?
13) How are you measuring this?
Getting Turned On/Off – More questions to assess digital need
1) What are the rationalizations that people use to justify using your product?
2) What are the real motivators driving the use of your product?
3) How can these hidden motivators be harnessed to increase sales?
4) Why have people recently switched to your product?
5) Why did they reject the competition?
6) Why did they almost reject your product in favor of which competitor?
7) What are the problematic parts of your marketing that almost caused them not to buy?
8) What are the excuses and smokescreens that people give to your salespeople, in conventional focus groups, and in surveys, to justify not using your product?
9) What are the real reasons they have rejected either during the sales process, or rejected after trial or adoption?
10) How can these real reasons be neutralized even before they come up?
11) What are the deep, fundamental, non-obvious needs and desires that you must tap into?
12) How important are the hidden things that people don’t like to talk about, such as prestige, professional image, fun, wanting a change for change’s sake, fears, and self-doubts?
13) More importantly, how can these be used to cement customer loyalty?
14) What are the subconscious turn-offs to your product?
15) What are the qualms, discomforts, negative reactions that prospects themselves don’t realize that they have?
16) How can these negatives be circumvented at this same subconscious level?
17) What are the turn-offs that are hidden in your ads, brochures, sales presentations, demos, exhibits, events, and your customer service?
Product and Services Mix to ask Your Prospect
1) Who handles your marketing?
2) Who makes the decision?
3) How much personal involvement do you have in your marketing?
4) Who are key influencers within your company?
5) Let’s talk about your current mix:
a. How many vendors/partners are you using?
b. what are your off-line channels?
c. What are your on-line channels?
d. SEO
e. PPC
f. Social Media
g. Retargeting
h. Email Marketing
i. Video
j. Facebook Ads
k. Web Site
6) What are your current marketing companies doing really well for you?
a. Where are their holes?
b. Where are they failing?
7) What expectation did your marketing partner set for you?
8) What are the missed opportunities that your marketing materials don’t address, but that your customers want to hear about?