Learning effective qualifying and questioning skills is important to the sales and leads process inside every independent contracting company whether in the industry of HVAC, plumbing, or electrical. When we learn to ask great questions then we can move forward in building strong company-client rapport and move forward to the close. Today we are going to breakdown an intriguing quote by author and speaker, Chip Bell:
“Effective questioning brings insight, which fuels curiosity, which cultivates wisdom.”
We are going to explore how effective and intelligent qualifying, leads to amazing results in three important ways:
“Brings Insight”
Qualifying works to bring insight and organization during company-client interaction. When technicians or CSRs qualify potential clients by asking great questions then it works to get them on the same mental page as the client and helps them understand the most vital needs or questions the client may have about the sales or service call process. A client may know that something is wrong with their system because it is not working properly externally; however, a tech can get a better idea of what is wrong internally when he first listens to the client’s account and then asks directed questions. When a tech is a good listener and a good qualifier, it also helps the client feel in control of the situation and that their most pressing needs and concerns are being handled rather than simply being immersed into a tech’s personal sales agenda. Discovering the history and potential issues inside a client’s system or product starts with first building insight through effective qualifying and questioning.
“Fuels Curiosity”
Once a tech has gained his own personal insight and begun to build rapport through qualification, it is important for him to understand that it is his job to answer his clients’ internal questions and curiosities. After a tech has performed a thorough diagnostic, all clients either verbally or nonverbally express these important questions:
“What are you recommending?”, “Why should I accept your recommendation?”, “Why should I have you perform the recommendation?”, “How can I afford the recommendation?”, “When should I perform the recommendation?”
When a technician understands that throughout the rest of his call it is his duty to work to answer all of these important questions for his client then he can better prepare for these questions of curiosity and learn how to give wonderful and insightful answers. It is always a good sign when clients express this curiosity and begin asking questions because then technicians can see that there is intrigue and interest. When clients’ intrigue and interest is met with team members’ knowledge and service excellence then it sets the stage for cultivating client wisdom and knowledge as well as company success!
“Cultivates Wisdom”
Qualifying occurs throughout the entire process of a sales or service call but when all questions have been thoroughly answered and knowledge has been gained then the call can seamlessly result in setting a lead or closing a sale. Once a client knows the recommendation, why he should follow through with the recommendation soon, how he can afford the procedure, and why he should choose your service company then curiosity and interest turns into wisdom and understanding. Asking great questions and having the insight to effectively answer clients’ questions is a great asset inside an independent contracting company because it helps grow client relationships as well as grow wisdom when interacting within the company team or interacting with clients.
Growing your team’s questioning and qualifying skills works to bring success to your service company and stronger service excellence to your clients. As we explored the aspects of the quote by Chip Bell, we learned that questioning: “brings insight,” “fuels curiosity,” and “cultivates wisdom.” We have wonderful tools and resources that can take your team’s qualifying skills to the next level! Thank you for following our weekly post. Here at Service Excellence Training, we turn learning into earning.
-Resource curated by Whitney Stewart of Service Excellence Training
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