In this article, we’ll outline the difference between open and closed sales questions, talk about how to use them in your business, share examples, and highlight critical mistakes to avoid.

What Are Open-Ended Sales Questions?

An open-ended sales question is a probing query that helps sales reps better understand their prospects. They can be used at any time during the consultative sales process, from initial conversations with a potential customer up until the close of a deal.

A few characteristics of open-ended sales questions include:

• They are conversational.
• They usually involve the Five W’s: Who, What, When, Where and Why, as well as How. (Some people call these the Six Ws—even though “How” doesn’t start with W).
• They don’t have a set pattern, meaning there is no formula or structure to them.
• They usually require thought before someone answers.
• They are naturally subjective, not objective. That is to say, they’re often more about personal feelings, than set-in-stone facts and figures.

When used in sales calls, open-ended questions enable sales reps to create dialogue with prospects and learn important information about them that can help close a deal.

Open-Ended vs. Close-Ended Sales Questions

Close-ended sales questions aim to uncover important information about prospects—just like their open-ended counterparts. The main difference is that close ended sales questions lead to specific answers, like a yes or no, or a multiple-choice option.

Because of this, open-ended questions allow the control of a conversation flow between sales rep and prospect, while close-ended questions keep reps in the driver seats at all times.

Here’s a quick example:

You could ask a prospect, “Do you have any other questions that I can answer for you today?” which is a close-ended question because the answer is either yes or no. Or, you can ask, “What other questions can I answer for you today?” which opens the door to dialogue.

Why Sales Teams Should Ask Open-Ended Sales Questions

Now that we know what open-ended sales questions are, let’s talk about why you should ask them. Here are three important reasons to ask your prospects open-ended questions:

Engage Prospects

Open-ended sales questions encourage prospects to talk about things they care about. It’s easier to engage in conversations that we find interesting and meaningful.

Once a prospect is engaged, you’ll find that building rapport with them, learning their pain points, and closing a deal is a much simpler process. This is because your conversation will feel like a true dialogue, not a sleazy sales pitch.

Discover Pain Points

Engaged prospects talk more, which will give you plenty of opportunities to discover their true pain points. You can then use this understanding to frame your company’s products and/or services in the appropriate ways and increase your chances of closing.

For example, if, after asking an open-ended sales question, a prospect says, “Our current software is just so hard to use,” you can talk about how intuitive your solution is.

Build Trust

Finally, open-ended sales questions build trust because they demonstrate to prospects that you actually care about their thoughts and opinions. You’re basically inviting them to tell you everything about a specific topic—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

When a prospect feels like they can tell you exactly what they’re looking for in a product, any concerns they have, etc., they’ll naturally start to trust and open up to you.

55 Examples Of Open-Ended Sales Questions (By Category)

In this section, you’ll find 55 examples of open-ended questions in sales, separated into 10 different categories based on when they’re best used.

Remember, as Sam Parker, sales trainer and author of Just Sell.com says, you are asking the prospect to answer the question. You want to hear what they have to say, meaning no leading, no prompting, and no interrupting.

Rapport Building Questions

When working to build a relationship with the potential customer and establish a personal connection, use Rapport Building Questions.

As Xactly.com explains, rapport-building requires you to really get to know your prospects. Without this level of intimacy, you can’t consult the account. You have to know what they want and need so you can position your product or service as the perfect solution.

Examples:

• What needs to happen today to make this appointment worth your time?
• What motivated you to take this call with me?
• How do you evaluate vendors in this [Area/Field/Industry]?
• What concerns do you have about making changes in this area?
• What part of your [Process/Product/Service] do you enjoy the most?
• What have I not covered that you would like to know more about?
• How’s business? Have there been any changes since we last spoke?

Qualifying Questions

It’s important to evaluate new leads and determine where they are in the buying process. Qualifying questions help determine a prospect’s interest level, what they think of your sales approach so far, and what your next move should be to close the deal.

Examples:

• When do you think you might assess your solutions in [Your Industry/Category]?
• What do you think about our offer so far?
• How should we move forward after today?
• Do you have any questions about our product that I haven’t answered yet?
• What’s your budget look like for this [Project/Product/Service]?
• What’s changed since the last time we spoke about this?

Needs-Based or Pain-Based Questions

When you want to learn more about the challenges your prospects face, try Needs-Based Questions, aka Pain-Based Questions. Just be cognizant of the pains your offering solves. In other words, don’t ask about areas that your product or service doesn’t address.

Each of the following open-ended sales questions aims to uncover important details about a prospect’s current system and why it isn’t working for them.

Examples:

• Why isn’t your particular solution and/or process working for you?
• What’s preventing you from hitting your goals?
• What are some challenges you’re looking to solve?
• What do you think about our offer so far?
• What improvements are you looking to make in your department?
• Have you tried to resolve this problem before? What happened?

Impact or Benefit-Driven Questions

Wanting to learn the best way to close a potential customer? Ask them Impact or Benefit-driven questions to discover the product features your prospects find most intriguing. Then, use their answers to these sales questions to inform your approach.

To prepare, review the features and benefits of your product or service so you can ask good open-ended questions to potential customers.

Examples:

• How important would you say [Feature] is to your [Industry/Process/Business]?
• How much time do you spend [Performing a Specific Task]?
• How would you spend the extra 30-60 minutes a day if you didn’t have to [Task]?
• If this problem remains unsolved, how will it affect your business in the future?
• How do you think you could avoid issues like A, B, and C?

New Future or New Reality Questions

These kinds of questions help prospects visualize what it will feel like to achieve their goals using your company’s products and/or services. As such, they’re quite powerful.

Examples:

• How do you think changing this area would improve your day-to-day process?
• What would you like to achieve in the next year by making this change?
• If time and money were no object and you had full authority to do whatever you wanted, what would you change about your current system?
• If you were to describe your situation in three years, what would you want to be different from what you have today?
• If you could go back in time, what would you change about your business?

Objection-Based Questions

Objection-based questions are designed to uncover objections before they derail your sales process. Or, at the very least, give you the details you need to disqualify leads and move on.

Examples:

• The common objection is, “I need to discuss this with my supervisor,” so the question would be: “Who else is involved in making these types of decisions?”
• The common objection is, “I can’t afford this right now,” so the question would be: “What budget do you have allocated for something like this?”
• The common objection is, “I’m not interested in your product or service right now,” so the question would be: “When are you interested in learning how I can save you X% with this product/service?”
• What concerns, if any, do you have so far?
• What else would you like to talk about?
• What would stop you from making a change today?

Buyer History Questions

Buyer-History Questions help to uncover prospects’ past experiences and purchasing habits. They’ll also help you understand the state of a prospect’s relationship with their current provider, which can have significant implications for your sales process.

Examples:

• What has your past purchase experience with [Product/Service] been like?
• When was the last time you evaluated something like this?
• Why weren’t you satisfied with your previous vendor?
• How would you describe the level of service you receive from your current provider?
• What measures have you taken to fix your problems with your current solution?

Clarifying Questions

What if a prospect doesn’t give you enough information on a specific topic? Try asking open-ended questions that help clarify their thoughts and opinions. These are great for directing sales conversations, while allowing prospects to maintain control.

Examples:

• Can you tell me more about that?
• What do you mean when you say [X]?
• Would you be able to give me an example of that?
• Can you give me more information on [X]
• How did that affect your team?

Closing Questions

The best open-ended sales questions will help you take prospects from new leads to paying customers—but only if you ask the right ones at the right times. Here are a few questions that will help you “seal the deal” and earn the commission bonus you’ve been eyeing:

Examples:

• What’s your timeline for making a purchase?
• Who else are you comparing us against?
• What would it look like if our products helped you overcome your challenges?
• If we make a deal, what would it mean for you personally?
• What else can I do to help you finalize your decision?
• When can we get started?

Open-Ended Questions to Ask After Closing

You know the saying, every ending is a new beginning.

A closed deal is really just the beginning of your company’s relationship with a new customer. That’s why it’s important to ask engaging sales questions after closing to ensure customers are enjoying their experience and want to continue doing business with you.

Examples:

• What caused you to reach out to us?
• How can we help you get started with [Product/service]?
• Now that you’re a customer, what can we do to make sure your experience is perfect?
• What questions do you have about the onboarding process?

Tips to Ask Better Open-Ended Sales Questions

Once you’ve prepared your sales discovery questions for each stage of your prospect meeting, you should think about how to ask open-ended questions in sales.

Everything from the order in which you ask your questions to the various ways you transition from one to the next should be considered so that your flow seems natural and your prospects never feel like your conversations are overly structured.

Sales professionals who have trained use a series of needs-based questions to uncover the prospect’s pain.

Similar to a traditional funnel, the pain questions start broad; i.e., “What are some things you would like to change about your current system/provider/product line?” They then move to more specific questions like, “Can you give me an example?”

Invert the funnel. Funnels are broad at the base and build up to a point. When asking open-ended questions for sales, invert the funnel by asking board queries first, then working your way down to more specific ones.

For example, ask a simple, non-threatening question to start such as, “What should I know about your business? Then look for areas to explore in greater detail based on the response you receive, using pointed questions to reveal important details.

Exude curiosity. It’s important to show sincere interest during the open-ended questioning process. Think about how you can help your prospects rather than the sales commission they represent. Nobody wants to interact with sleazy sales reps.

If you can make your sales calls about your prospects instead of about you, your company, or even the products and services you sell, you’ll have more success.

Shut your mouth. One of the best things you can do on a sales call is listen.

Let your prospects speak about the things on their minds. Ask questions that give you a deeper understanding of their circumstances. Then adjust your approach to address their wants, needs, and concerns. Doing so will form a bond between you and potential customers.

As leadership guru Michael Hyatt says, “you will often find that people volunteer amazing amounts of information that you would have never obtained any other way.”

Keep it personal. Preparation is vital to a successful sales call. However, over-preparedness can be extremely dangerous because it can make your exchanges feel impersonal and robotic, like you’re reading from a script.

Work hard to make your conversations feel personal. That way you can build rapport with potential customers and gain their trust.

This isn’t an invitation to not prepare for your sales calls. Instead, it’s a warning to not let your preparation distract you from your goal: to get to know your prospects so that you can sell them products and/or services that will make their lives better.

5 Mistakes Reps Make When Asking Open-Ended Sales Questions:

1. Answering your own questions. While it may feel natural to suggest certain answers to the questions you ask prospects, doing so isn’t advised. This is because your suggestions can alter what a prospect was planning to share with you.

Instead, ask your questions and then zip your lip. That way you learn exactly what’s on your prospects mind, without it being colored by your own input.

2. Forgetting to listen to the client. Similar to answering your own questions, forgetting to listen to the potential customer defeats the purpose of asking open-ended questions.

3. Interrogating clients. Rapid fire questions that dig a little deeper than a person wants feel more like an interrogation than a conversation, which is not going to help you build rapport.

Be sure to ask enough follow up questions to gain a better understanding of your leads, but not so many that people wonder if they should have a lawyer present.

4. Asking too many “why” questions. “Why” is one of the Five Ws, however it can be tricky to ask a “why” question without sounding accusatory. As Arden Coaching points out, “Why did you do that?” is more pointed than “What did you use as the basis for your actions?”

You can ask why, of course. But be careful about how many times you ask it and the tone you use when asking, so as not to offend your prospects.

5. Jumping straight to a solution. Remember, this part of the sales process is all about building relationships, not pitching your product or services.

If you notice that your prospect has a problem that your product or service can help with, resist the temptation to share information about it immediately. Instead, save it for the appropriate time. Remember, good sales come to those who wait.

Ready. Set. Question.

Asking consultative selling questions will give you the chance to listen to your prospects and build relationships with them. Once done, you’ll be in a much better position to close deals because you’ll understand their pain points and can adjust your sales approach to suit.

Just remember, the way you ask your open-ended sales questions matters. Ask them correctly and you’ll harvest new qualified opportunities for your business, while optimizing your sales funnel and improving team efficiency. Win!

Perhaps most importantly, however, open-ended sales questions allow you to prioritize your prospects to optimize your sales funnel for efficiency and success.

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Questions or comments? Contact SPOTIO at info@spotio.com or comment below.

SPOTIO is the #1 field sales engagement platform designed specifically for outside sales managers and reps to optimize their field sales efforts.

Want to see a product demonstration? Click here to see how SPOTIO can take your sales game to the next level.

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Sources:

Saltis, Sam. “87 Open-Ended Sales Questions Every Digital Agency Should Ask in Every Buying Cycle.” www.coredna.com. 6 November 2018. Web. 15 November 2018. < https://www.coredna.com/blogs/open-ended-sales-questions#>.

“Open-ended Questions Require and Answer Beyond “yes” or “no”!” richardson.com. Web. 16 November 2018. < https://www.richardson.com/sales-resources/open-ended-sales-questions/>.

Rose, Lisa. “Open-Ended Questions for Sales: How to Get Your Prospect Talking.” Brooksgroup.com. Web. 15 November 2018. < https://brooksgroup.com/sales-training-blog/open-ended-sales-questions-how-get-your-prospect-talking>

Parker, Sam. “Top 30 Open-Ended Questions.” www.justsell.com. Web. 16 November 2018. Web. < https://www.justsell.com/top-30-open-ended-questions/>

Schultz, Mike. “21 Powerful, Open-Ended Sales Questions.” www.rainsalestraining.com. Web. 16 November 2018. < https://www.rainsalestraining.com/blog/21-powerful-open-ended-sales-questions>.

Scott, Jordan. “24 Open-Ended Sales Questions Your Reps Should Be Asking.” Xactlycorp.com. Web. 26 February 2018. Web. 16 November 2018. < https://www.xactlycorp.com/blog/importance-open-ended-sales-questions/>.

Alessandra, Tony. “15 Tips For Asking More Effective Sales Questions.” Blog. Hubspot.com. Web. 16 November 2018. < https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/10-tips-ask-sales-questions-si>.

Hyatt, Michael. “7 Suggestions for Asking More Powerful Questions.” Michaelhyatt.com. Web. 16 November 2018. < https://michaelhyatt.com/asking-more-powerful-questions/>.

Perry, MA, PCC, Maren. “How (and Why) to ask open-ended questions.” Ardencoaching.com. Web. 16 November 2018. < https://ardencoaching.com/how-and-why-to-ask-open-ended-questions/>.

Salespeople and any one else involved from the supplier side could find this confusing, stressful, and time-consuming. It can feel like a whole committee is involved in signing-off on the deal.

Whereas, for those more used to smaller sales cycles and order values, deals are usually done quicker. And with fewer stakeholders involved. Bigger ticket sales can take months to cycle through; always at the risk of a deal collapsing.

In this guest article from CrankWheel, we look at how salespeople can win new clients when dealing with multiple decision makers and budget holders.

10 Strategies for Selling to Multiple Decision Makers and Budget Holders

#1: Qualify on the first call

Imagine working for weeks to get an introduction to a BIG potential client. A customer — if you landed them — with a brand name you can take to the bank. A Big Deal!

Before running away with yourself, there’s something you need to do on the first call: qualify them.

Same as any sales lead. Every salesperson needs to be as sure as possible of every deal entering the pipeline; hence the need to qualify them. And that’s especially the case with potential big deals. On a basic level, aim to check the following:

• Do they potentially need this product/service?
• What pain points would it solve, or what would it help them accomplish?
• Does a budget exist, or could one be approved?
• How soon are they going to need to roll out/buy?
• Who needs convincing (e.g., who are the decision makers and budget holders involved in this process)?

Plus any other qualifying questions you would usually ask. Be as sure as you can that they’re a viable lead before getting managers and anyone at a senior level in the company excited about the prospect.

#2: Establish expectations

Once a lead is qualified, you need an idea of what to expect. Naturally, this is not going to be a quick easy process. But are we talking 3 or 6 months?

How many stages are involved, how many stakeholders? And how many other potential vendors are you competing with?

Getting a clear idea of as much as possible will make it easier to move forward. Knowing all of this also means you’ve got something solid to report to a manager. Sales leads who aren’t clear on these points are potential time wasters, probably with an existing vendor whose they’re trying to squeeze on price.

Be cautious of time wasters. Especially big sales leads who can afford to waste time. Chances are, you can’t waste 6 months on a deal that comes to nothing. So, if there are red flags then be prepared to walk away.

#3: Understand multiple viewpoints

When multiple decision makers are budget holders are involved, you need to understand the various viewpoints that have a voice at the table. The dynamic could be anything from a key decision maker, with overall authority, plus a budget holder and those who are going to be using the product/service, to a range of departments with multiple decision makers and budget holders.

Understandably, this could get confusing. As a salesperson, you need to understand the various needs to be addressed. This is how you tailor pitches according to those needs and requirements.

Here is where the SPOTIO Automation feature, will come in handy. With this, you can simplify data entry and boost productivity by 46%. Keep track of everyone involved in the sales process automatically, and reduce the need for manual data entry.

#4: Tailor stakeholder pitches

Every stakeholder could have a different reason for wanting/needing what you are selling.

For example, you are selling a new type of project management software for IT teams. It’s expensive, so it mainly appeals to mid-size and enterprise clients, as it’s designed around their needs and pain points.

A product manager is going to have a different reason for wanting it than a CFO. Tailor every pitch and argument accordingly, whether you are doing a demo or sending a proposal document.

#5: Handle multiple objections

At the same time, this means you could be fielding multiple objections. Aim to come up with an answer to every one, either by asking more qualifying questions, or working with other stakeholders to understand how to combat any objections being raised.

#6: Identify your advocates

Advocates are an essential part of the sales process when dealing with big sales lead. Having the right advocate on your side could make or break a sale. You need someone with influence, able to support you, who’s keen to start using the product/service.

If you can get an influential advocate on-board, then you could be closer to getting the deal landed.

#7: Deploy impactful sales enablement material

Support the sales process with impactful sales enablement material. Presentations, proposal documents and case studies are all pretty essential when dealing with any prospect. Make sure all of this sales enablement material makes a positive impact.

Here is where the SPOTIO Autoplays feature, is going to be useful. With Autoplays, you can ensure that nothing slips through the cracks. It’s an automated reminder system to check that everything has been sent to a prospect and the sales process for leads of this size is being followed.

#8: Make information sharing easy

When you share sales enablement material with prospects, it helps to keep track of it. Using email tracking software, you can see who’s sharing documents and emails, who’s reading, downloading and opening them.

With this data, it could also show more clearly who the internal advocates are. Also, it could show who’s not spending time getting to understand the proposal, and therefore who you may need to work harder to win over.

#9: Have empathy

Empathy is an important part of the sales process. Aim to understand the dynamics of the group you are dealing with. Alongside that, look for internal issues and cultural politics and processes that could be influencing the sales process.

#10: Be patient

And finally, when it comes to sales that take a while to land, patience is going to be needed. You could be working on this for months, so make sure there are plenty of other leads in the pipeline to keep you busy day-to-day, and keep hitting monthly targets. If this lands, then it could be a huge deal, but don’t bank on it until that happens.

In the meantime, keep working on this deal, keep pushing for it and supporting any internal advocates effectively. Don’t let it go, but don’t push so hard the prospect walks away.

Landing big clients takes time, patients, and persistence. Not every sale will close, of course. Sometimes they get focused on other things and walk away. But as long as you have qualified them successfully, and can juggle the needs of multiple stakeholders and budget holders, then you are doing everything possible to land them as a customer.

This is a guest post by Jói Sigurdsson, Founder & CEO of CrankWheel, a zero hassle screen sharing web and mobile-based app, designed to help salespeople increase conversion rates and engagement with prospects.

Cut your sales cycle in half: Go from two or more calls to one with CrankWheel.

Think about the last time you wanted to buy something on the web. Chances are, you spent hours scouring the internet for people’s reviews on the products you want to buy. But, let’s say there were no reviews. This could put a damper on your purchase as no one likes to buy something without knowing what previous buyers thought about it.

Suppose your brand is in this category where your products have little to no reviews, or the ones left by the customers are not as captivating. Then, it is time to implement a strategy that will bring more customers to your website and increase sales.

You can start by creating B2B video testimonials strategies on your website. Using video reviews brings a human touch to your products as customers can relate to the person reviewing the products. We are in an era where everything is digital and from the look of things, video testimonials dominate the business world, so why not give video testimonials a try.

You may get the impression that taking a video and posting it is easy. But that’s not the case, as a lot goes into making powerful and engaging video testimonials. Let us explain what B2B video testimonials marketing is and why you should use it.

A customer video testimonial is a video that shows your customers speaking honestly about their experience using your products and services.

So, what are the benefits of having video testimonials in your business?

• It helps show customers that your brand is credible and trustworthy
• The customer helps explain how to use the products, benefits, and experience, which can appeal to your target customers.
• Improves conversion rate
• It is natural and user-friendly. It is easier to believe a person than an ad.

Here are eight tips to use when making B2B video testimonials. First, before filming, find the right customers, those who wholeheartedly love your products.

1. Do Not Use a Script

Customers rely on video testimonials because they are authentic, so when you post a scripted video review, your customers and potential clients will know. This might make it hard for them to trust your brand.

Do not push the person making the video to speak the way you want as it might stress them and make them nervous. You can view some video testimonial examples to give you an idea of what other businesses are doing.

2. Humanize the Video with Real Emotions

The best B2B video testimonial is when your customers tell a personal and emotional story on how your products and services impacted their lives. It’s best to start with an issue that had plagued their lives, but became history after using your products. Then, you can use these video testimonial examples as your inspiration.

3. Keep it brief

Keep your video testimonial short and to the point. Nobody likes to listen to someone speaking about something for hours. A brief video will capture the attention of your viewers while getting out your message across.

Therefore, ensure that your video is about 3 minutes long or less. In addition, it would be best to caption your customer’s name and experience on the video to increase the time they spend talking about the product’s benefits.

4. Tell a Story

Present the testimonial in the form of a story. Try and make the story interesting for the listener irrespective of the interviewee’s age. To make the story authentic, write the questions following a particular order.

For example, you can start by asking what problem they were facing. How did they find out about your products? How did your products help them solve their problem?

The way they communicate the answers will create a narrative that is relatable to everyone watching.

5. Keep it Simple

Do not complicate your video testimonial by using complex terms. Use simple language and words that are understandable to your target market. You can incorporate data and statistics in your testimonial, but keep it short.

6. Send Out Questions Before the Interview

Make sure to provide your interviewee/customer with the questions before the scheduled interview. This allows them to familiarize themselves with the questions and avoid any awkward moments during the filming.

This does not necessarily mean that they need to memorize the answers for the recording. Instead, it gives them an idea of what to expect, be present, and humanize their responses.

7. Make it interesting

Don’t just set the camera only to capture the speaker’s face; it would be interesting to show his/her face at different angles, enhancing their expressions by zooming in and zooming out. This will help viewers get a perspective of the speaker’s emotions.

However, it is not a must since it requires several cameras to achieve this and a large crew, which would be expensive. That’s why it might be best to outsource the task to specialists for remote video testimonials to get the best outcome.

8. Don’t Interrupt

When filming, do not interrupt the speaker because it might appear scripted. Let them go with the flow when filming. Before posting, edit the video to remove the parts you feel are unnecessary. So no matter what the situation is, do not interrupt.

Suppose you are a small business and do not have the resources to film or hire a video testimonial service. You can request your loyal customers to send videos of themselves talking about your products or services, then ask for permission to post them on your website.

Ensure to end your video with a call to action and ask your viewers to share their experiences in the comment section.

Now let us see how to boost sales using video testimonials.

How to use B2B video testimonial in marketing to drive sales

After creating a powerful customer testimonial video, you must position it in a manner that is going to boost sales. For example, a survey conducted in December 2020 shows that 84% of consumers are more likely to buy a product after watching the brand’s video.

In addition, the survey found out that after three days, people remember about 10% of what they heard but still retain about 65% of the images in the video. This clearly shows that B2B video testimonials are a powerful marketing strategy for any business looking to boost sales.

Where should you use the B2B testimonial videos?

Landing Page

This is the first place your customer lands upon visiting your website. Statistics show that landing pages/ homepages increase the conversion rate by 86%. Customer testimonial videos help to:

• Generate leads
• Persuade prospective client to buy your products

You can also add a testimonial page on your website where clients can go to see other customer reviews.

Social Media

Almost everyone, from teens to baby boomers, is on social media. So why not post your customer testimonial video on social media where you will have a broader reach? From small enterprises to large corporations, you will find they are all present on social media.

A Digital 2020 report, published in collaboration with We Are Social and Hootsuite, shows that digital, mobile, and social media are indispensable parts of our daily lives worldwide. Over 4.5 billion people are using the internet as of Jan 1st, 2020, while social media users are above 3.8 billion. These are all potential customers you can target.

Make a habit of posting customer video testimonials on your social media pages to increase brand awareness and drive targeted traffic to your website. You can also run a campaign on your social media pages.

Analyze your testimonials

Since the video does not provide in-depth information, make an individual case study for the client by explaining how the customer used the products to the final results. This makes it easier for your customers and prospects to follow.

For instance, many people are advertising their nutrition programs by showing their clients’ before and after pictures. While this is encouraging, it doesn’t show you the whole process or how long it took. So a case study would be best at this strategy as it would explain their nutrition and exercise in detail.

After creating the video and publishing it on multiple channels, automate some tasks, such as data entry and sales tracking. Automation will improve your team’s productivity by approximately 46%. This is because it eliminates the data entry tasks since it logs every potential interaction in real-time.

In addition, the Sales tracking feature provides you with clear insights and analytics, which show you whether your video strategy is working.

Final Thoughts

Scaling a business is easy if you know what you are doing. The way you use customer reviews to promote sales plays a crucial role in your business. As we’ve seen, B2B video testimonials are here to stay, so don’t get left behind. Get creative and start posting.

Also, be ready to tweak the videos as each channel is different from the other. Don’t give up because the first video does not convert as per your predictions. Everything takes work and time. Doing it consistently will lead to better results.

About the Author 

Sam Shepler is the founder and CEO of Testimonial Hero. 150+ B2B revenue teams at Google, UiPath, Medallia, InsightSquared, and many others use Testimonial Hero to easily create customer videos that engage prospects, reduce friction in the sales cycle, and drive more revenue faster. Twitter | LinkedIn

However, when done consistently and properly, cold calls can prove a formidable force in your field marketing strategy.

Does the mere thought of launching a cold call campaign invoke mild to moderate panic? You’re not alone.

Most account executives would prefer to test the selling waters using a more virtual interactive approach. Fortunately, it is possible to get over your aversion to dialing your way to a sale.

Don’t go into the cold call process cold; know a few proven tips before you hit the phones to help increase the odds of a meaningful client engagement that keeps the sales process moving forward and lands you more face-to-face appointments.

#1 | Know Your Audience

Recent statistics show that 42% of sales reps feel they do not have the right information before making a sales call, making preparation key to success.

Do your research before the call.

First and foremost, know your product. After that, know who you’re calling, their business, and how what you’re offering addresses a pain point or resolves a problem for them.

#2 | Opening Is Key

It’s common in sales; sometimes we’re so focused on the close, that we overlook the importance of the open.

First impressions count and can make or break the call before it ever really begins. Don’t wing it; prepare an opening statement to keep you focused.

Forget about asking questions like “Did I catch you at a good time?” or “Do you a moment to chat?” Instead, be ready to greet, introduce yourself, mention something specific about the prospect (pain point, industry news, etc.), touch on the benefits of your products, and transition into the conversation from there.

#3 | Prepare A Script

Yes, really.

Your script doesn’t have to be anything rigid or formal; all you really need is a simple outline of benefits, possible objections, and potential responses. Not having a cold calling script increases the odds of leaving out key information or (gasp!) babbling. Use it as a reference throughout the call to keep you focused.

#4 | Ditch The Premature Pitch

Many sales reps, in an effort to get the call over as soon as possible, race to the pitch. Take your time. Be confident. Let the dialogue unfurl naturally, using a “talk less, listen more” approach so you can gain insight into what your prospect wants and needs before launching into your sales pitch.

#5 | Take Control Of The Call

Successfully keeping the conversation on track and moving forward requires a careful balancing act where you challenge your prospect without coming on too strong. If you find the interaction running off-road, gently, but assertively, guide your prospect to keep the call moving forward toward a sales.

#6 | Don’t Give Up To Soon

Effective cold calling is generally never a “one and done” initiative. Don’t quit if the first call was unsuccessful. Recognize that you’ll likely have to call the same prospect several times before feeling a little tangible sales momentum.

The good news? Every engagement with the same person allows you a chance to build on your existing rapport with the prospect, making each subsequent call feel a little less cold.

What’s your go-to tip for a successful cold call? Tell us all about it in the comments section below!

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Questions or comments? Contact SPOTIO at info@spotio.com or comment below.

SPOTIO is the #1 field sales automation platform to increase your revenue, maximize your profitability, and increase your team’s productivity.

Want to see a product demonstration? Click here to see how SPOTIO can take your sales game to the next level.

The SPOTIO team recently had the opportunity to sit down with “The Brand Ambassador Guy,” Michael Rosenberg, and learn from his successful 35-year career leading companies driven by door-to-door sales. Rosenberg started his door-to-door sales career at age 12 when building his paper route. After years of tremendous growth across 22 states and building to millions in revenue, he sold his company in 2008.

Today, Rosenberg acts as an executive coach and consultant, helping companies around the globe optimize their door-to-door sales operations with a tremendous focus on talent strategy, recruitment and retaining talent. In this article, we’ll share what we learned from Rosenberg, including his go-to strategies for recruiting and retaining rock-star talent.

An Unconventional Interview Process

“I can teach pretty much anything, but there are two things I simply can’t teach – I have to hire for them,” Rosenberg said. “I can’t teach people to be likable, and I can’t teach people to be persistent.”

Kindness is King

According to Rosenberg, the first quality he looks for in a job candidate is a relatable and likeable personality.

“Whether I’m using a video conference or meeting someone for lunch, I look first for nice,” Rosenberg said. “I’m looking to see if the person looks me in the eye, says please and thank you, and comes across as a genuine nice person.”

If Rosenberg doesn’t get the warm and fuzzies, he doesn’t move forward. But according to Rosenberg, likeability is the easier of the two unteachable qualities.

Testing for Persistence

According to Rosenberg, traditional interview questions fail to truly test for persistence. That’s why Rosenberg consistently leverages a strategy he learned from The Ultimate Sales Machine author, Chet Holmes.

The strategy is based on the theory that most customers are going to say “no,” or “come back later.” When you ask traditional interview questions about how candidates handle rejection, they’ll likely provide a scripted example. There’s no way to know if that story represents their consistent and repeatable behavior.

“I need a sales rep that’s not going to back down,” Rosenberg said. “When they hear no, I need to know they’ll keep going. And I need a way to simulate that in the interview.”

To do this, Rosenberg takes an unconventional approach. He rejects them in the interview and observes their reaction.

“Eight out of ten candidates are going to accept the rejection,” Rosenberg said. “These are not the right candidates for me.”

According to Rosenberg, about one out of ten will get angry and defensive. He usually hires these candidates for their grit, but these are not the candidates who show the most promise.

“The best candidates will say something like, ‘Thank you for the feedback, but what is your definition of a rock star sales rep?’ with ease and grace.”

Rosenberg is looking for candidates who are not going to take no for an answer, but they’re going to be polite about it. They may switch gears by telling you a story.

“They’ll tell you about the time they didn’t make the basketball team but kept showing up for practice, or a time that they pushed really hard to earn something,” Rosenberg said. “And they’re going to keep telling stories with ease and grace – those people have superstar potential.”

Finding and Developing Leaders

According to Rosenberg, building out a quality sales force is only half the battle. If you want to grow a company exponentially you must focus on attracting and developing leaders – people who can run businesses.

Rosenberg cites The E-Myth by Michael Garber as the book that changed his mindset about building his business.

“If you want to be wildly successful, you have to work on your business, not in your business,” Rosenberg said, citing the popular book.

Rosenberg acknowledges that while door-to-door sales is a tough game, great door knockers are not always great business leaders. To reach exponential growth, you have to find people who can run companies.

“I’ve become successful by finding people ten times more capable than myself,” Rosenberg said. “I find people with the potential to run companies, and I fast track them.”

Rosenberg believes that company leaders should have first-hand experience in their business, so he starts them at the bottom even if they have great leadership experience.

“I make a commitment from the beginning,” Rosenberg said. “If leadership recruits hit their numbers in four to six weeks, I tell them they will be offered the chance to manage one of my offices.

“And at six months, as long as they are honest, hard-working, and people respect them, I’m going to make them my partner.”

According to Rosenberg, the key was to get out of the day-to-day business and shifting his focus on finding top talent who would run their companies as their own.

“Sometimes this means I took profits of my company and put them in business,” Rosenberg said. Sometimes it was through franchise, partnership, or a company store, depending on the situation.”

Retaining Talent

According to Rosenberg, retaining talent has never been an issue for him in his experience and this method to success is very simple.

“Retaining talent comes down to creating a great company culture, creating good air, and focusing on things people care about like recognition, incentives, good comp plans, and benefits,” Rosenberg said. “Also, retention often comes from the spouse and family.

“I do my best to make sure the family is happy and proud of the company their family represents.”

According to Rosenberg, 99 percent of companies are shaped like an upright pyramid. Everyone’s job is to make the owner on the top money. Rosenberg believes this is philosophically backwards and instead encourages the organizations he consults to operate as an upside-down pyramid that puts the boss at the bottom and the customer on top.

“As a leader, your job is to serve the team, so that they in turn are motivated to serve the customer” Rosenberg said. “When the boss serves the team, creates great mentorship and advancement opportunities, and treats the team like family, the team is committed to doing what’s right for the customer.”

If you treat your employees well, they treat your customers well – Everything comes full circle, he said.

Want more from Michael Rosenberg?

After a wildly successful career in door-to-door sales, Rosenberg now helps others reach their full potential. To learn more or to contact Rosenberg directly for a free coaching session, reach out to him on LinkedIn.

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Questions or comments? Contact SPOTIO at info@spotio.com or comment below.

SPOTIO is the #1 field sales acceleration platform to increase your revenue, maximize your profitability, and increase your team’s productivity.

Want to see a product demonstration? Click here to see how SPOTIO can take your sales game to the next level.

Yes, this final quarter brings with it numerous challenges as you strive to generate as much revenue as possible before year-end. However, these last few weeks also deliver multiple selling opportunities as well. Time may be running out – but it’s not too late to leverage several Q4 sales strategies to help you achieve your goals before the holidays, so you can actually enjoy them this year.

1. Start With The Pipeline

When was the last time you carefully evaluated your existing pipeline? If it’s been awhile, take a moment to glean through your prospects, refreshing yourself on potential marketplace needs and connecting with anyone deemed a high priority for a final push. If your current pipeline seems pretty sparse, it’s officially time to launch an outbound attack to start filling it up, stat.

Consider sending a “where did this year go?” email to both current clients and warm leads that reminds your buyers that Q4 is fleeting fast, and you’re ready to help them finish out their year strong with various product, services, and strategies.

2. Know Your Customer

Sure, you may find some potential clients have pushed the hold button on purchases until January. However, many companies adhere to a “use-it-or-lose-it” policy with budgets and spending. Typically, these businesses and departments will underspend during the first three quarters of the year to ensure they don’t prematurely max out designated allocations. As year-end approaches, there is a renewed sense of motivation and urgency to spend, spend, spend.

Make it easy for them to preserve their budgets for next year by proactively reaching out with mission-critical information and solutions that address their specific pain points now.

3. Get Creative With Your Pricing Packages

Let’s face it; everyone loves a great holiday deal. Many buyers purposely wait until Q4 before making a major purchase to find needed products and services at the best price points possible. Use this information to your advantage by creating various end-of-year promotional pricing, discounts, and specials that resonate with your client base to convert them from prospects into customers.

4. Slow And Steady

It’s easy to get overwhelmed thinking about how many deals you’ll have to close to achieve your Q4 goals. So don’t. Instead, set small, attainable quotas to focus on every day. According to Harvard Business Review, setting smaller daily sales goals boosts overall productivity by nearly 5% to keep you motivated and incrementally moving towards your final targeted revenue before time is up this year.

Sales Cycle

Here at SPOTIO we have two sales cycle lengths: a 17 day and a 90 day. Depending on the length of your sales cycle, Q4’s destiny may already be set. For those whose cycles are longer (more than 60 days), take this time to plan your execution strategy for Q1; because there’s no way you will be able to hit your number in time. But if you have any deals that will fall into the quick (under 30 days) cycle timeframe, put all your focus and energy into closing those. Because these are your ticket to knocking your Q4 quota out of the park… in the nick of time.

What are some of the ways you stay on track to hit your year-end numbers? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

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Questions or comments? Contact SPOTIO at info@spotio.com or comment below.

SPOTIO is the #1 field sales enablement platform designed specifically for outside sales managers and reps to squeeze every drop out of their field sales efforts.

Want to see a product demonstration? Click here to see how SPOTIO can take your sales game to the next level.

A sales team structure describes the way you organize the workflow for a sales department; the model you put into place should ensure you maintain an efficient workflow. It should also help cut costs and optimize the customer acquisition costs for your company’s resources.

Before deciding on a sales team structure, you should learn more about the different sales team models and determine which one aligns best with your goals.

In this article, we will explain the anatomy of the modern sales team, share sales model examples that work for different organizations, and tips for how to structure a sales team for success.

Anatomy of the Modern Sales Team

Before we jump into the sales team models, it’s helpful to understand the different roles within the modern sales organization to determine how they fit within each model. Hubspot identifies the seven core roles within the sales teams:

Hiring Manager:  The hiring manager finds and retains talent, as well as onboarding them into the organization. Larger more established companies might have this role in Human Resources; smaller, startups would likely have the sales manager handle it.

Sales Trainer:  The sales trainer teaches the new sales professionals the organization’s process. Except for behemoth companies, this role will likely be the sales manager’s.

Administrator: An administrative assistant often supports sales teams. However, sometimes smaller organizations skip this role, leaving the sales professionals to handle administrative tasks themselves.

Sales Development Reps (SDR): The SDR is responsible for generating leads. In smaller teams, this task is handled by the sales reps themselves.

Sales Representative:  The sales rep is also known as the Account Executive (AE). They close the business. Many of the other roles in the sales organization support the efforts of your sales reps to optimize close rates.

Account Manager:  The account manager services the new account, always looking for upsell opportunities. Sizeable teams have a separate employee who handles account management while smaller teams place this job under the sales reps’ umbrellas.

Customer Service:  These employees handle the customers’ questions and needs after the account is established. These departments are especially pertinent if the sales team structure does not include headcount for account management.

3 Team Structures That Dominate Sales

When it comes to sales team models, three sales organization charts perform best. These include the Assembly Line, the Island, and the Pod. Each of them has their strengths and weaknesses.

It is vital that you decide which sales department structure works best for your organization. Let’s take a closer look at how each one works, the pros and cons of each model, and the type of organization where each works best.

Sales Team Structure #1: The Assembly Line

The Assembly Line is named for its linear structure and specialized process that divides and conquers the sales process for an organization. Each step of the line is a specific job associated with the sales cycle, with people who specialize in each sales task. Usually, these assignments are divided into the following areas:

Lead Generation Team: People on the Lead Generation Team researches potential prospects, gathers information around their needs and pain points, and then organize the data for the team to optimize prospecting for the department.

Sales Development Team: Employees that concentrate on sales development take the initial research forwarded from the Lead Generation Team and qualify prospects. Qualifying the prospects could include calling the lead in addition to research. The Sales Development Team forwards only the qualified leads to the accounts team.

Account Executive Team: The Account Executives are the closers. They take the qualified leads and pursue the sale. From product demonstrations, responding to prospects’ questions and overcoming objections, these employees sign the account and pass them along to the onboarding crew.

Customer Success/Support Team: This part of the team specializes in helping customers settle into the new product or service. Their job is to keep customers happy, educate customers on the value the product or service provides, and uncover new opportunities to deepen the relationship.

Organimi, a free online organizational chart tool, suggests that the Assembly Line style of sales structure is ideal for startups. By breaking the job down into smaller parts, it allows team members to specialize in different skills for the sales process.  

Close.io, a sales application company, details the strengths and weaknesses of  the Assembly Line model as:

Pros of the Assembly Line Model

• Improves the accuracy of your sales projections because of the quality of data you gather from each part of the team
• Provides a specific task to each team member, which can alleviate stress and help team members focus when facing a big task
• Facilitates experimentation with the sales process over time, allowing you to find improved ways to approach each step of the process with innovation and creativity

Cons of the Assembly Line Model

• Decreases ownership of the customer that you might expect from a dedicated sales rep who handles a customer from start to finish
• Contributes to sales team silos when a focus becomes too narrow on a particular task, which can interfere with flow and customer experience
• Inhibits the emotional engagement between the sales professionals and the customer because the process and relationship are shared by several people
• Lacks practicality for smaller organizations or sales departments that have fewer resources

Sales Team Structure #2: The Island

The Island gets its name because each sales rep is on their own in the sales process. Unlike the Assembly Line style, the sales rep is responsible for all of the tasks associated with the sales cycle, from generating and qualifying leads, to closing the business and identifying upselling opportunities. Some joke this sales team structure is called the island because the sales reps must sell or die.

When it comes to the Island sales team structure model, it works for any company that still relies on its founder as the primary salesperson. Additionally, the Island works for organizations that cannot afford to hire more than a handful of sales reps for their sales team.

Here are a few more strengths and weaknesses of the Island model:

Pros of the Island Sales Team Structure

• Improves the amount of “boots on the ground” while using the fewest resources, which is ideal for organizations on a budget
• Deepens the emotional engagement of your customers who often form a relationship with their sales representative or account executive
• Allows you to customize your territories to fit the skills of your team members

Cons of the Island Sales Team Structure

• Decreases the control you have on how your brand is presented; sales reps have a unique style and might have individualistic approaches to the sales process
• Increases the risk of customer churn if you have turnover in the sales team and the rep who is leaving is the primary connection the customer has with the company
• Provides fewer opportunities to develop new or less experienced reps that might not be able to keep up with the experienced sales reps

Sales Team Structure #3: The Pod

The Pod sales team structure describes how the sales team is organized. Small groups of sales professionals that specialize in certain sales process tasks work together to achieve sales goals.

Each pod usually includes employees that generate leads, qualify leads, close business, and onboard new customers. The Pod sales model mixes the concepts behind both the Assembly Line and Island sales team structure models; the specialization of sales tasks comes from the Assembly Line, but the individual achievement of the pod takes after the Island sales structure.

Pod Sales are a natural progression for organizations that employ the Assembly Line style of sales structure. It also works well when the sales team is enormous already, or the organization has the resources to hire a larger staff to concentrate on sales.

Close.io has details on some of the positives and negatives about Pod sales team structures:

Pros of Pod Sales Team Structures

• Helps the individuals see and care about the entire customer journey
• Reduces friction in transitions and enables better communication within the team
• Facilitates flexibility and agility to the sales team

Cons of Pod Sales Team Structures

• Limits competition between individuals, inhibiting the natural growth that comes from co-workers pushing each other
• Decreases specialization for each role with its multiple task approach to the sales process

Decentralized vs. Centralized Team Structure

In addition to the way you organize how your sales team processes your prospects through the sales cycle, you can also have a choice with where your team is located. Two team structures exist from which to choose, decentralized and centralized.

Decentralized Team Structures have sales team members posted at various locations at strategic points. These posts could be regional, state-wide or national. All of the team members are focused on sales for their strategic area.

Marketing91,  suggests that decentralized teams increase the reach of the organization and provide a superior way to control the “boots on the ground.” Also, you often enjoy excellent customer service when you have someone local to respond to customer concerns.

In addition, sales reps enjoy freedom to work the way they want and with fewer hours spent traveling. Plus, the organization reduces travel costs while increasing sales with a local presence.

Centralized Team Structures keep the sales team in one place and usually are run by one person who makes the decisions. This type of structure often has the owner at the center of the team.

Chron.com says centralized teams often excel at making decisions quickly because the decision maker is present. Also, centralized teams are usually better for organizations where the owner is still intimately involved in operations and wants a more focused vision. Organizations with a centralized structure also reduce conflict while maintaining control of their organization. This is because structure reduces any ambiguity, which boosts accountability for the results.

Which Sales Team Structure is Right for Your Business?

With so many options, its natural to wonder what sales team structure to implement for your organization’s sales goals. If you already have a sales team structure in place, then you might be wondering if you choose the right one.

You want to optimize your sales team for efficiency and performance. However, you also want to reward and develop your team appropriately to grow with the organization.

Also, let’s not forget about the customers. You must ensure that the sales department structure works for them or nobody will be working, quite literally.

With that in mind, here are five tips for building a rock solid sales team structure for your organization that will work for everybody—and keep everybody working.

Tips for How to Structure a Sales Team for Success

1. Stay Future-Focused: It can be difficult in a short-term results-focused business like sales to have a long-term view of your sales team structure. However, having a future focus is crucial to your success when building your sales department structure. How you set up the program today affects where the sales team will go tomorrow.

2. Stay Customer-Centric: Ideally, you should center everything you do around what is best for customers. There is no department in the organization where that is more vital than the sales department. The personal connections and relationships developed through the sales department are the foundation of sales.

3. Stay Data-Driven: Building a sales team requires using the right tools. There is a myriad of options available for your Sales Stack[TL1] ; be sure you have chosen the ones that work best with your sales team structure, so your people have the information they need when they need it. Also, having a data-focus lets you see where there are challenges or obstacles you need to help the sales team surmount.

4. Stay Cognizant of Employee Stagnation and Turnover: Hiring people is easier than keeping people. However, keeping people is better for your organization than hiring new people all the time. Have regular check-ins with all the members of your team to ensure that your employees are working towards their individual career goals with your organization instead of at the competition’s.

5. Stay Hungry: Creating the proper sales incentives is critical to keeping your team driving toward new goals. Also, celebrating smaller successes is an excellent way to keep the team motivated and engaged. After all, lots of little wins can lead to your team’s even fiercer desire to land humongous ones.

Having the appropriate sales team structure to maintain an efficient workflow for your sales professionals is imperative for an organization’s success. It starts with your hiring manager finding the right individuals with skills that range from prospecting to qualifying to closing and managing accounts.  Having the right team to slot into the sales organization charts is a significant factor in your success.

Once you have the people, how you use them depends on how you structure your sales team. Early on, you might consider the island structure, where it’s every man or woman for themselves. However, as you grow, you might determine that an assembly line with specialization is the way to go or maybe the tightly-knit team structure of pod sales. Whatever you choose, you must ensure that you have the resources and a workplace culture that allows your sales team to succeed.

Success requires attention in several areas. These areas include a long-term view of what the future of your sales department will look like, as well as what customers want to see. Also, you must have the right tools to gather the data you need to grow sales and adjust your strategy. Perhaps most importantly, you need a team that is motivated to sell more while staying engaged with the organization and achieving their individual career goals.

It is not an easy task choosing the proper sales team structure to achieve your organization’s goals. However, with a little research, some patience, and a whole lot of commitment, you will understand how to structure a sales team. Moreover, you will find the sales team structure models that work for you, your customers, your employees, and your bottom line.

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Questions or comments? Contact SPOTIO at info@spotio.com or comment below.

SPOTIO is the #1 field sales automation and performance management software that will increase revenue, maximize profitability, and boost sales productivity.

Want to see a product demonstration? Click here to see how SPOTIO can take your sales game to the next level.

You will learn:

• How to prioritize
• How to maximize your time
• How to double the time you spend selling
• and much MORE…