Prospecting & Lead Generation
Market Research & Targeting:
• What criteria do you use to define your ideal customer profile?
• How do you segment your market to prioritize your efforts?
• What tools or platforms do you use for market research and competitor analysis?
• How do you stay updated on industry trends that might create new opportunities?
• What's your process for identifying companies that are growing or changing?
Lead Generation Strategies:
• Which lead generation channels produce the highest quality prospects for you?
• How do you balance inbound versus outbound prospecting activities?
• What role does social media play in your prospecting strategy?
• How do you leverage referrals and word-of-mouth marketing?
• What's your approach to networking events and trade shows?
• How do you use content marketing to attract potential customers?
Qualification Process:
• What questions do you ask to determine if a prospect is worth pursuing?
• How do you assess a prospect's urgency and timeline for making a decision?
• What red flags indicate a prospect isn't a good fit for your solution?
• How do you qualify the prospect's authority to make purchasing decisions?
Discovery & Needs Assessment
Understanding Pain Points:
• Walk me through your discovery process from first contact to proposal.
• What open-ended questions do you use to get prospects talking about their challenges?
• How do you dig deeper when a prospect gives you surface-level answers?
• What techniques do you use to uncover problems the prospect hasn't recognized yet?
• How do you quantify the cost of a prospect's current problems?
Decision-Making Process:
• How do you map out a prospect's organizational structure and buying committee?
• What questions help you understand their vendor evaluation process?
• How do you identify the real decision-maker versus influencers?
• What's your approach when multiple departments are involved in the decision?
• How do you uncover their timeline and what's driving their urgency?
Budget and Investment:
• How do you bring up budget discussions without seeming pushy?
• What strategies do you use when a prospect says they have no budget?
• How do you help prospects think beyond initial costs to total value?
• What's your approach when their stated budget is lower than your solution cost?
Presentation & Value Proposition
Customizing Your Approach:
• How do you adapt your presentation style for different personality types?
• What's your process for customizing demos or presentations for specific industries?
• How do you present differently to technical versus executive audiences?
• What research do you do before a presentation to make it more relevant?
• How do you incorporate the prospect's specific challenges into your presentation?
Demonstrating Value:
• How do you calculate and present return on investment for your solutions?
• What methods do you use to make abstract benefits more concrete and tangible?
• How do you use case studies and success stories effectively in your presentations?
• What's your approach to addressing both logical and emotional buying motivations?
• How do you quantify soft benefits like improved efficiency or employee satisfaction?
Handling Complex Information:
• How do you explain complex technical concepts to non-technical buyers?
• What's your strategy when you don't know the answer to a technical question?
• How do you involve technical team members in the sales process?
• What tools or materials do you use to simplify complex information?
Objection Handling
Common Objections:
• "We're happy with our current solution" - how do you respond?
• "We need to think about it" - what's your follow-up strategy?
• "Your competitor is offering a lower price" - how do you handle this?
• "This isn't the right time" - how do you create urgency?
• "We don't have the budget" - what's your approach?
• "I need to discuss this with my team" - how do you stay involved?
Advanced Objection Strategies:
• How do you prevent objections by addressing concerns proactively?
• What's your technique for getting to the real objection behind the stated one?
• How do you use questions to help prospects overcome their own objections?
• What's your approach when facing multiple objections from the same prospect?
• How do you handle objections that come up repeatedly across different prospects?
Competitive Situations:
• How do you position against competitors without bad-mouthing them?
• What's your strategy when competing against a much larger or smaller company?
• How do you handle situations where you're not the incumbent vendor?
• What do you do when a competitor has a significant price advantage?
Closing & Follow-up
Closing Techniques:
• What natural closing opportunities do you look for during conversations?
• How do you test for readiness to close without being pushy?
• What's your approach when a prospect seems ready but hesitant?
• How do you handle multiple decision-makers in the closing process?
• What do you do when a prospect asks for a discount during closing?
Managing Sales Cycles:
• How do you keep deals moving forward without being seen as pushy?
• What's your strategy for maintaining momentum during long sales cycles?
• How do you prioritize your time among multiple opportunities?
• What systems do you use to track and manage your pipeline?
• How do you know when to walk away from a deal?
Follow-up Strategies:
• What's your systematic approach to following up with prospects?
• How do you add value in your follow-up communications?
• What's your strategy when prospects go silent or unresponsive?
• How often do you follow up before considering a lead dead?
• What tools or methods do you use to stay organized with follow-ups?
Relationship Management
Building Long-term Relationships:
• How do you transition from vendor to trusted advisor with your clients?
• What's your approach to staying in touch with customers post-sale?
• How do you gather feedback to improve your products or services?
• What role do you play in ensuring customer success and satisfaction?
• How do you handle situations where a customer is unhappy with results?
Account Growth:
• How do you identify upselling opportunities within existing accounts?
• What's your strategy for introducing new products or services to current clients?
• How do you expand your relationships within a customer organization?
• What triggers do you look for that indicate expansion opportunities?
• How do you balance pursuing new business versus growing existing accounts?
Difficult Situations:
• How do you handle customers who are consistently difficult or demanding?
• What's your approach when a customer threatens to leave for a competitor?
• How do you manage expectations when you can't deliver everything a customer wants?
• What's your strategy for rebuilding trust after a service failure?
• How do you deal with personality conflicts with key customer contacts?
Customer Retention:
• What proactive measures do you take to prevent customer churn?
• How do you identify early warning signs that a customer might leave?
• What's your approach to contract renewal conversations?
• How do you demonstrate ongoing value to existing customers?
• What role does customer feedback play in your retention strategy?
