Pressure. It’s something sales reps have learned to deal with on occasion. But now, it seems like pressure is a constant struggle. Not only are sales reps dealing with the normal pressures of selling (such as deadlines, last-​minute complications, sudden developments, etc.), they also have to combat the hesitancy to buy in the age of COVID-​19. The pressure to meet sales quotas is higher than ever. However, Andres Lares, writing for SellingPower, says that sales reps can use certain types of sales meeting questions in high-​pressure situations to help you land sales.

When you have a sale that is down to the wire, Lares recommends asking the prospect five types of questions. Here are three of them.

Sales Meeting Questions

Alternatives

If a prospect is stalling on signing a contract, it may be because they are considering other buying options. When a prospect is showing a seemingly unexplainable hesitancy, ask them bluntly if it's because of a competitor's product or service. You need to find out what your competitors are offering that you are not. Then, see what you can do to sway the sale in your favor based on what you learn. The solution could be as simple as shedding a little more light on a particular benefit of your product or service.

Interests

Use sales meetings questions to find out what is important to your prospective customer. To accomplish this, you can discuss further what the needs are that your product or service would be fulfilling for the prospect. Are there some pain points you prospect has mentioned that you have not fully addressed yet? If the base product or service you are offering doesn't fulfill all of the prospect's current needs, you could offer to address the unfulfilled needs through add-​ons or perhaps another product or service. 

Prioritizing Interests

You need to dig deeper into the sales meeting question of your prospective client's interests. Perhaps one of the needs your product or service can’t fulfill is at the top of your client’s list in terms of importance. Also, you should be digging deeper into which aspects of your product or service are the most important to your prospect. Is there a way you could sweeten your deal by broadening your offerings in these areas? Are there additional product or service benefits you did not highlight during your initial sales pitch? Do so now.

There are two more types of questions Lares recommends you ask in order to flip a high-​pressure selling situation in your favor. Make sure you’re focusing on the right things. Mastering sales meeting questions can make or break a sale.