Questions to Get People To Switch their Vendor to You

As we know, one of the most important job of a salesperson is to bring in new business, that is new customers.  Since the market is fixed (there are hardly any new customers newly set-up), new business often means getting business from other competitors.  How to break into existing vendor relationships?  How to make people switch their existing vendor to you?

Never ask the stupid question of "What do you like about your existing vendor?"  This is because such a question is simply opening the door for your prospect to start valuing his current vendor and undermine your efforts to break into this prospect.  Instead, ask questions that focus your prospect uses in selecting a vendor.  This is really 'Customer Focused Selling' as we are focusing on solving problems for the prospect.

There are 6 Questions that a Salesperson Can Ask to Get People to Change Their Existing Vendor:

1. Would you share with me the ideal qualities you look for in a vendor?
2. How does your ideal situation compare with your existing situation?
3. When you originally choose this vendor, what were your selection criteria?  In what ways have your criteria changed as you evaluate your needs today?  What would you like to see happen in future?
4. How would you rate your existing vendor relationship on a scale from 1 to 10?  (Base on their response, ask, "What would have to happen for it to move from a scale of __ to 10?")
5. If you could change one thing about your current vendor, what would it be?
6. In what ways can your vendor better align itself with your goals?

Once you have asked these questions, listen to their answers.  Then find ways that your as a new vendor can add value and help your prospect do things that he all along wanted to do but unable to do with his existing vendor.  

By Andy Ng, Sales Trainer Coach with Asia Trainers, details of our Sales Power course is at here.