Steve’s Sales Coaching Tips
The question and answer period is an opportunity to build audience support. Don’t feel threatened. Look at questions as a way to uncover concerns and sensitive areas that were not obvious in your audience analysis. Good answers enhance and reinforce your message.
As you plan
Anticipate questions. Think of three questions you hope the audience won’t ask. Develop thorough answers to them. Minimize surprises.
Control the situation
State your policy on questions at the outset. Do you want the audience to ask them as they arise or hold them until you finish?
Stay on message. Henry Kissinger once walked into the White House press room and asked, “Does anyone have any questions for my answers? Wow!
With a large group, it helps to repeat or paraphrase the question. With any size audience, re-phrase negative or hostile questions.
In general, don’t answer a question with a question.
Identify the issue behind the question. What is the real concern? Probe and clarify before you answer. Besides, it buys you time to think.
Break complicated questions into parts before you answer. Answer the part you like best first.
Look directly at the questioner. Once the question has been asked, break eye contact and lock onto another person. This avoids one-on-one confrontation and signals to the audience that your answer is of interest to all.
Be sensitive
With a mixed audience, ask for general questions first. The detailed questions can come later.
Listen. Respond quickly, but be sure you know and understand the whole question before answering.
If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so and promise to find it. If you have informed associates present, invite them to answer but buy some time for them to think by discussing it aloud first.
Encourage the audience to discuss questions with you.
Handle objections
Find a way to agree with people who put questions in the form of objections. For example, “You’ve raised a critical concern to which we have given a great deal of thought.” Then humbly and respectfully set them straight.
Be tactful. Turn negativism into positive replies.
Even the most belligerent questioners are helping you. They have come out in the open, let you know they oppose you, and told you why. Seize the opportunity to answer them. Be courteous, humble, patient, and firm.
Never become defensive.
Remember:
Strive for question and answer sessions that generate lively audience response. Effective question and answer sessions can increase the audience’s knowledge, reinforce your main points, and ad to your credibility. Emphasize your advantage in every answer. Above all, be quick, be courteous, be correct, and be complete.
Good Selling!
As you plan
Anticipate questions. Think of three questions you hope the audience won’t ask. Develop thorough answers to them. Minimize surprises.
Control the situation
State your policy on questions at the outset. Do you want the audience to ask them as they arise or hold them until you finish?
Stay on message. Henry Kissinger once walked into the White House press room and asked, “Does anyone have any questions for my answers? Wow!
With a large group, it helps to repeat or paraphrase the question. With any size audience, re-phrase negative or hostile questions.
In general, don’t answer a question with a question.
Identify the issue behind the question. What is the real concern? Probe and clarify before you answer. Besides, it buys you time to think.
Break complicated questions into parts before you answer. Answer the part you like best first.
Look directly at the questioner. Once the question has been asked, break eye contact and lock onto another person. This avoids one-on-one confrontation and signals to the audience that your answer is of interest to all.
Be sensitive
With a mixed audience, ask for general questions first. The detailed questions can come later.
Listen. Respond quickly, but be sure you know and understand the whole question before answering.
If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so and promise to find it. If you have informed associates present, invite them to answer but buy some time for them to think by discussing it aloud first.
Encourage the audience to discuss questions with you.
Handle objections
Find a way to agree with people who put questions in the form of objections. For example, “You’ve raised a critical concern to which we have given a great deal of thought.” Then humbly and respectfully set them straight.
Be tactful. Turn negativism into positive replies.
Even the most belligerent questioners are helping you. They have come out in the open, let you know they oppose you, and told you why. Seize the opportunity to answer them. Be courteous, humble, patient, and firm.
Never become defensive.
Remember:
Strive for question and answer sessions that generate lively audience response. Effective question and answer sessions can increase the audience’s knowledge, reinforce your main points, and ad to your credibility. Emphasize your advantage in every answer. Above all, be quick, be courteous, be correct, and be complete.
Good Selling!
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