Successful landscape sales professionals know the value of asking the right questions. Those of you who consistently sell hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of work are undoubtedly good at asking questions and even better at listening. The reason for asking your prospects and clients questions is very simple. You ask questions so you can deliver exactly what your clients and prospects want.
Some, if not all, of the questions I’m about to share with you will help you give your clients and prospects exactly what they want. (Hint: Those who offer their clients and prospects exactly what they want and ask for usually get the sale.)
My eight best questions to ask a prospect are:
1. Where did you hear about us? A prospect who says they called because one of your best clients told them to call you is a much better lead than someone who says they are getting several quotes and got your name out of the phone book. It is important to spend your time on good leads.
2. Do you enjoy working in the yard? This is a good question to ask as it will tell you how interested your client will be in what you are proposing and will also help you know how much detail you need to give your prospects. I have found those who have some knowledge of landscaping like to know more details about what you are proposing to do. Successful salespeople recognize what is going to be important to a prospect and communicate only that.
3. How could I make your job easier? This is a great question to ask a property or facilities manager. You might really identify a problem an overworked employee has and be able to address how you could help them solve that problem and come away with a sale.
4. What are you looking for in a landscaper? Your prospect will be impressed you asked this question; chances are they will tell you everything they have been troubled by with their previous landscaper and you now have a chance to address all this in your proposal.
5. How long was the prior contractor working here? I like to work with people who are loyal. In asking this question you might find out this prospect changes landscapers more than they change the channel on their TV. This may be hard to believe, but many prospects are ones you should not even work with, even if you do need work. You should be looking for long-term relationships.
6. How many people are in your family? This is another obvious question to ask a homeowner. If you know how many people are in their family, you can design a patio with enough room to accommodate them. Just for fun and to show we are attentive to details, at Grunder Landscaping we frequently draw the family on the patio enjoying the new environment.
7. What is your budget? A tough question, but a fair one. Don’t be afraid to ask it. Other industries, such as the automobile industry, do it all the time and you should too. It is very hard to work on a proposal for a prospect when you don’t know what the budget is.
8. What is your biggest headache with this property? The best thing you can do to get the sale is to deliver a solution for your client’s problems. Sometimes the problem will be big, sometimes they will be small. Either way, if you ask enough questions, you will find out all you need to know and make a lot of sales in the process.
The next time you go on a sales call, try some of my questions. I think you’ll find they will help you earn some more sales.