Submitted by Ron Levine, CEO at Accelerated Sales Training, Inc.

Sales professionals depend on knowing how to ask the right questions to discover the real needs of our clients. Often our clients tell us what they would like us to do, such as, “I need a solution on change management,” but without telling us the ultimate result they want to achieve.

To be truly effective we must be able to help our clients articulate the cause of the problem and to be able to identify what would be different if the solution is successful. Armed with this additional information we can then design the most effective solution for the problem at hand.

So what are some examples of questions and statements you can use to open up the prospect to discussing their problems.

Help me understand. How do you measure your key performance indicators?

I’d like to learn a little more about. What do you do when that happens?

Where do you find are the bottlenecks?

How high is the absentee rate?

What are the biggest challenges you are currently facing?

What are your top priorities over the next three months?

Tell me more about that.

Give me an idea how you currently process that specific type of data?

Please describe how you use spreadsheets?

What do you do when your system goes down?

Please explain your funding process?

Compare for me how your test scores went down last year and up this year?

In what way do you measure your production?

To what extent has this been a problem?

Go through the steps when your production line goes down?

What happens when a system outage occurs?

These questions are designed to root out the problems, needs or challenges your prospect is incurring right now. The next question is one you need to ask yourself. Can you fix the problem with your solution?

If the answer is yes or even a partial yes then you have the basis for closing for an appointment. If the answer is no, you’re better off letting the prospect know up front rather than wasting their valuable time or yours.

Submitted by Jonas Lamis

Inspired by Pam O’Neal Mickelson’s recent presentation on Viral B2B videos, I’ve been searching for other examples that might actually drive purchasing. I came across one today…

The IT Room teaser: http://theitroom.com/index.php

I found the link embedded in a TechCrunch advertisement and had to check it out. While the company behind this serial Geeks gone Wild save Corporate America with a Monkey remains obscured (at least on the surface) I cant help but wonder why the video “player” has a discrete DELL brand at the bottom.

Regardless, I’ve added it to my RSS feeds as the teaser episode was entertaining enough to make me want more. Plus – and a big plus, the video streamed through my company’s firewall. This is something that Youtube videos don’t do, and something that marketers should be aware of as they consider B2B video.

Submitted by John Siberell, Marketing Manager, SuperFlow  Technologies

I was invited to travel to Tokyo and meet with the man who was Toyota’s minister of housing.

He was the chief “bud” for lining up and building homes for the corporate executives at the company. Each bigwig there got housing along with their employment at Toyota. I was there to help some associates sell the idea of building American neighborhoods and “stick” built (2X4) homes for a new development Toyota was preparing to build. (You see, the Japanese go Gonzo over American stuff….Harleys, cowboys, 50’s cars and American homes and architecture…believe it!) I was working with an architectural firm from Minneapolis with whom the car maker was interested in partnering with.

After sipping on tea and having completed cordialities, we started our very formal meeting in the top of the Toyota Corporate headquarters. After about 20 minutes of fact finding conversation from both sides, I asked Mr.housing minister, through his interpreter, if our design firm could prepare a proposal for him and send it over for he and his staff to review.

In amazement we watched him look down at the table, ponder for a moment, slowly push his chair back and stand up. He bowed. Said nothing and walked out of the boardroom. Just that fast.

I looked at our interpreter, and at the Toyota interpreter then at my associates in puzzlement. The corporate interpreter said the meeting was over and thanked us for coming. We were in the elevator just as fast as she could bow and say goodbye.

While plummeting downward from the top floors, we stood all silent…stupefied actually. I looked at everyone in the elevator and asked, “What did I do?!”

Our personal interpreter said that he would share with us at the bar what had happened. Great.

It turned out that I had put the housing minister on the spot. By asking him my question, he was unable to answer it without total disgracing himself in front of us and his staff. You see, I had asked him a question that he would ultimately have to take to his subordinates to discuss before it could be answered. So, he was now in a shameful position because he could not answer properly. The only way he could deal with the situation was leave! Meeting over.

So, in retrospect dealing with the Japanese takes careful study and planning on how one is going to go into a meeting and what you are going to say. Much coaching and roll playing needs to take place with a national (not American) Japanese business person. Japanese mores and local social customs will make or break the process.

Take your time to read up and ask questions on how to successfully deal with any foreign business person. They do not know what a New York minute is….

Submitted by Ron S. La Vine
President of Accelerated Sales Training, Inc.

DO match and mirror the speed, tone and volume of the other person’s voice.
DON’T speak in a monotone.

DO call for a specific reason such as to provide some information of value.
DON’T call just to check in.

DO go the prospect’s web site first to see if they fit your ideal prospect profile.
DON’T randomly send out expensive (your time, material costs and postage) literature.

DO tell the truth even if you do not have the answer to a question at that moment.
DON’T try to fake like you know the answer to a question you don’t.

DO ask for the business.
DON’T assume you have it until the paperwork is signed.

DO use good manners.
DON’T assume an air of familiarity.

DO speak clearly and slowly when leaving a message.
DON’T mumble your message.

DO leave your name, company name, area code and phone number twice in a row.
DON’T leave your name and phone number only once.

DO get the person’s name right before speaking with them or leaving a voice mail.
DON’T mispronounce their name.

DO use direct questions or statements such as “Maybe you can help me.”
DON’T use wishy-washy phrases such as “Might you possibly please tell me some information?”

DO write down an assistant’s name if they provide it to you.
DON’T ask for their name and put them on the defensive since they might think you are going to get them in trouble.

DO develop different forms of marketing materials such as a one page Key Benefits fax cover sheet.
DON’T rely solely upon printed literature.

DO leave a voice mail for of “What’s In It for Them” compelling benefits.
DON’T leave a voice mail to see “if they might be interested in what you have.”

DO listen to and concentrate on what’s being said.
DON’T let your mind wander.

DO identify all the buyers and influencers.
DON’T rely solely upon one person who may leave for another job.

DO be polite yet respectfully persistent.
DON’T give up after one or two calls.

ReachForce customer, Linda Roach of PlanView, writes to The B2B Lead Blog with a few tips for transforming your B2B Marketing Organization from “the group that generates the leads” to a performance-driven demand generation organization.

1. Organize your staff around integrated Marketing programs. Each member should have responsibilities for managing integrated Marketing Programs. That means each team member works together to stretch beyond their tactical focus to orchestrate multi-touch, multi-media programs designed to deliver messages to the customer in the right way at the right time.
2. Shelve low-yield marketing techniques. As you reorganize your team around integrated marketing programs, all of a sudden your Marketing Program managers are no longer willing to accept 2 to 3 percent response rates. The more you target your audience, the better your response rates will be and the greater yield you can expect from Marketing programs. Funnel the budget that you’ve allocated for list rentals or email blasts toward a more cost-effective and targeted contact discovery campaign instead.
3. Integrate your communications with the Customer Buy Cycle. Are you communicating with customers and prospects at the right time with the right approach? Or, are you generating leads through a barrage of emails and handing them off to Sales? Marketers today must realize that some prospects that respond to programs are not always ready to talk to Sales. They may be in the Education phase and simply looking for resources. So, why waste the time of your valuable Sales resources and risk turning off your prospects with a premature Sales call? Make sure you are nurturing buyers with multi touch programs designed to programmatically usher them through the funnel.

Share your tips with readers of The B2B Lead Blog.