At some point in your life I bet you have taken some form of a time management class.  Mine was the original Franklin Covey time management seminar, where you purchased the Covey planner of your choice and then learned how to effectively use it with the Covey system.  Over the course of several years, I think I owned and attempted to use each planner size they made in hopes of finding the perfect solution for my needs.  Obviously, something wasn't working, and I was searching for a workable answer. 

Yes, we are going back to the basics.  Why?  Because when you are losing races, your track coach will tell you to focus on not allowing your arms to cross the center line of your body, keep a loose grip, and more.  If you want to make countless sales, "getting back to the basics" is the surest way for you, and your team, to improve your conversions which equates to an increased bottom line.  "Sloppy selling is an unafforable luxury," says author and coach Anne Miller.  Knowing how to ask the right questions so you can effectively feature and benefit sell with a smooth, polished, and natural approach is a critical and very affordable luxury within your reach.

We all know that the easiest way to sell your products and/or services is to info spew about features.  But, this is lazy selling and gives our customer no compelling reason for reaction.  We should always take our selling to the next level; we should always first ask questions (discovery) so that we can then cater our pitch to include the benefits that are most appealing and inspiring to make our customers buy. 

As we continue to improve and build on the Top 10 Customer Service Skills List, we now understand the importance of creating memorable interactions with our prospects and customers, and we know:

• the power of a lasting first impression.
• how to build rapport and create trust. 

But, where would we be without mastering our questioning skills? What are the appropriate questions to ask, and what is discovery? Discovery frames your conversations around solutions. As successful sales and service people, we solve and assist with tailored solutions, and we don't just blindly speak and randomly push products/services.