Communication
Skills
Learning Objectives
4
L 1 Explained the importance of collaborative, two-
way communication in personal selling.
Explain the primary types of questions and how
L 2 they are applied in selling.
Illustrate the diverse roles and uses of strategic
L 3 questioning in personal selling.
Identify and describe the five steps of the ADAPT
L 4 questioning sequence.
Learning Objectives
4
Discuss the four sequential steps for effective
L 5 active listening.
Discuss the superiority of pictures over words for
L 6 explaining concepts and enhancing
comprehension.
Described the different forms of nonverbal
L 7 communication.
Sales Communication as
a Collaborative Process 4
Trust-based sales communication: A
collaborative and two-way form of communication
that allows buyers and sellers to develop a better
understanding of the need situation and work
together to co-create the best
response for resolving the
customer’s needs.
Verbal Communication: Questioning
4
Salespeople skilled at questioning take a strategic
approach to asking questions so that they may:
• Control the flow and direction of the conversation
• Uncover important information
• Demonstrate concern and
understanding
• Facilitate the customer’s
understanding
Types of Questions: Controlling Amount
and Specificity of Information 4
• Open-end Questions
“How do you manage your time?”
• Closed-end Questions
“Do you manage your time well?”
• Dichotomous/Multiple-Choice Questions
“Are you a good or bad time manager?”
Purposeful,
carefully crafted
questions can
encourage
thoughtful
responses from the
buyer.
Ethical Dilemma
4
Types of Questions: Strategic Purpose
4
• Probing Questions – designed to penetrate below
generalized or superficial information
1. Requesting Clarification
“Can you share an example of that with me?”
2. Encouraging Elaboration
“How are you dealing with that situation now?”
3. Verifying Information and Responses
“So, if I understand you correctly… Is that right?”
Types of Questions: Strategic Purpose
4
• Probing Questions
• Evaluative Questions – use open- and closed-end question
formats to gain confirmation and to uncover attitudes, opinions,
and preferences of customer.
– “How do you feel about…?”
– “Do you se the merits of…?”
– “What do you think…?”
Types of Questions: Strategic Purpose
4
• Probing Questions
• Evaluative Questions
• Tactical Questions – used to shift or redirect the topic of
discussion
– “Earlier you mentioned that…”
– “Could you tell me more about how that might affect…”
Types of Questions: Strategic Purpose
4
• Probing Questions
• Evaluative Questions
• Tactical Questions
• Reactive Questions – refer to or directly result from
information previously provided by the other party.
– “You mentioned that …Can you give me an example of what you
mean?”
– “That is interesting. Can you tell me how it happened?”
Guidelines for Combining Types of
Questions for Maximal Effectiveness
Amount of and Specificity of Information Desired 4
Strategic Application of Questioning
In Trust-Based Selling 4
• Generate Buyer Involvement
• Provoke Thinking
• Gather Information
• Clarification and Emphasis
• Show Interest
• Gain Confirmation
• Advance the Sale
Situation Questions
4
Definition: Finding out facts about the buyer’s existing situation.
Examples: What types of operating arrangements do you have with your suppliers?
Who is involved in the purchase decision-making process?
Discovery Questions
4
• Questions probing information
gained in assessment
• Seeking to uncover problems or
dissatisfactions that could lead to
suggested buyer needs
• Open-end questions for
maximum information
Examples: I understand you prefer a JIT relationship with your suppliers – how have
they been performing? How do you feel about your current suppliers
occasionally being late with deliveries?
Activation Questions
4
• Show the negative impact of a
problem discovered in the
discovery sequence
Examples: What effect does your supplier’s late delivery have on your operation?
If production drops off, how are your operating costs affected, and how
does that affect your customers?
Projection Questions
4
• Projects what life would be like
without the problems
Examples: If a supplier was never late with a delivery, what effects would that have on
your JIT operating structure? If a supplier helped you meet the expectations
of your customers, what impact would that have on your business?
Transition Questions
4
• Confirms interest in solving the
problem
• Transitions to presentation of
solution
Examples: So having a supplier who is never late with deliveries is important to you?
If I can show you how our company ensures on-time delivery, would you
be interested in exploring how it could work for your organization?
Verbal Communication: Listening
4
Ethical Dilemma
4
Types of Listening
4
Little
Concentration
or Cognition
Social Listening
Requires
Concentration
and Cognition
Serious Listening
Active Listening
4
Active
Listening:
The
cognitive
process of
actively
sensing,
interpreting,
evaluating, and
responding to the
verbal and nonverbal
messages.
Effective Listening
4
Understanding the
Superiority of Word Pictures 4
• Generate a mental picture in the receiver’s mind.
“Tropicana juices are bursting with flavor.”