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Title: Socratic Selling: How to Ask the Questions That Get the Sale by Kevin Daley, Emmett Wolfe ISBN: 0786304553 Publisher: McGraw-Hill Trade Pub. Date: 01 August, 1995 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4

Rating: 5
Summary: Are you tired of losng sales and not knowing why?
Comment: Do you find it hard to get customers to let you in on their decision making process?

I found the ideas in this book very helpful both in and out of sales situations. It helped me learn to listen to people a lot better; perhaps it can be as helpful to you?

Rating: 2
Summary: Not for the TeleSelling Professional
Comment: While I found this book helpful in the general sense of the word, it was aimed solely at the "outside" sales rep who sees his/her customer face-to-face. It provided good reminders for seasoned sales reps, but wasn't revolutionary in it's ideas of selling. It was a short read - no more than 4-5 hours. It demonstrated very good closing tactics and objection handling, but all of this is after you make contact. It didn't explain how to get past the secretary screen, how to get the appointment or even how to find out who the decision maker is. Most of the sale, if not all of it, is done over the phone and that was completely overlooked.

Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent Socratic Questions for Solution Selling
Comment: Most salespeople are trained to give a spiel, answer objections, try to close, and keep closing. This book argues that that approach will not be very productive. The book argues that the customer expects this to be a buying experience with the customer in charge. The standard sales approach is primarily annoying to the customer.

First, I should share with you that I spent three years at Harvard Law School where almost all classes used the Socratic teaching method. From that experience, I can certainly tell you that being asked hard Socratic questions is tough on the person answering the questions. So I was immediately taken by this book's emphasis on asking easy-to-answer Socratic questions that would help the person think through their own issues.

The Socratic method is simply a way of asking questions that permits the answerer to develop her/his own point of view. It is intended to be helpful, but it can feel like being put on the spot unless the questions are very easy. (An example of an easy question is "What is the worst experience you have had in buying these products in the past?") (An example of a hard question is "What would it take for you to buy from me today?" asked in the first 2 minutes of the meeting.)

Mr. Daley reports on a survey with 300 experienced salespeople and 400 buyers. They agreed that the main problem with salespeople is that they talk too much. In response, Mr. Daley advocates a system of active listening (80 percent of the time), interspaced with questions designed to help the customer (rather than manipulate the customer). I think he really has something here. I thought back to my most successful sales meetings with consulting clients, and essentially these meetings contained all of the elements described here.

Here's an overview of the suggested process:

1-explain what you've prepared to discuss 2-invite the customer to speak about his/her interests in that subject 3-offer an immediate benefit for this sharing (such as being willing to direct your comments to the customer's needs as just expressed) 4-ask for more detail about what the customer says 5-check for urgency and locate potential deadlines 6-find out what is bothering them the most in this area 7-find out what motivates them the most to do something in this area 8-summarize what they have said 9-get the customer's agreement with the summary 10-make a recommendation 11-answer the customer's questions and objections about your recommendation 12-create appropriate closes for the customer's needs.

Three Socratic principles are proposed:

1-Always have and show respect for the customer (especially by active listening) 2-Help the customer think (the book has questions to help you do that) 3-Help the customer to make a decision (the book has more questions to help in this area, as well).

I think that virtually any salesperson can master this approach within 3 months if practiced diligently. I also suspect that your sales will improve if you do, especially if your customers have problems that they need you to help them solve. The larger the economic value of your sale, the better this approach should work. It should be most helpful in selling intangibles like services.

Good luck in overcoming your misconception stall about how to sell!

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