One day, I went over to his house, and he had nuts and seeds in his bread mixer.
So, I asked for a taste…
It was so good, I asked him, “What’s in it?”
We both worked at Good Earth Natural Foods, and Art would often go to the bulk bins for healthy, whole-food ingredients.
His plan was to create a special mix – for his snowboarding adventures, with ALL the nutrients a human body needs.
Since I was cycling 100 miles every weekend at the time…
I asked if he’d put some in a bag for me to snack on during my next race.
Professional athletes (especially those who compete in long-distance endurance sports like cycling) are always looking for clean energy, from easy-to-digest food.
So, I tested his mixture out…
And couldn’t believe how good I felt.
When I saw Art again, I told him, “We’ve got to sell this! It’s amazing.”
So I came up with the name, “ProBar” – for professionals.
And got it into the first 100 stores.
Every store I went to purchased ProBars.
I had a 100% sales success rate.
Was it beginners’ luck?
What would you say to get your new product on the shelf at your local supermarket?
First, I started with a direct question –
Because store managers are busy, direct questions show them you’re not wasting their time.
“Are you the owner?”
“I’m Cory Molloy, the marketing director at ProBar, and I have a new product for you…”
“Have you ever had a ProBar?
I’d hand them a Bar.
While they were taking a bite or looking at the package, I’d ask an unexpected question (pattern interrupt) to get their attention…
“Do you have kids?”
“Well (or if you did) wouldn’t you want to give them the best tasting, highest nutritional content bar ever made?”
“My best friend made this in his kitchen with 17 whole food ingredients, and it’s delicious.”
There are a lot of variations on this – that worked great.
But I made it clear that I was offering something, more, better, and different to make their customers happy.
Sometimes the owner/manager didn’t want to be bothered or didn’t show interest.
To them, I’d say:
“Aren’t you in business to make money?”
This is a powerful question (pattern interrupt) that gets to the core of why they work.
This was my lead-in question so I could explain how a good businessman would want to carry our new bar…
“Because it’s the bestselling bar in all the stores, we’ve gotten them into…”
“And wouldn’t you want to carry the bestselling bar in your store?”
“I guarantee it will be the bestselling bar because we hand out FREE SAMPLES to your customers, so they all know how good it is.”
“And if the bars don’t sell – we will buy them ALL back from you.”
I made it easy for them to say “YES” with very little risk, (a few minutes of their time) and lots to gain.
Here are 3 Lessons About Asking Powerful Sales Questions:
Be Direct: Successful Entrepreneurs are busy, and they appreciate a clear, concise message that respects their time.
Be Unexpected: Create fun ways – to stand out and get attention.
Be Bold: Share how you are there to serve them, and how you guarantee their success.
Questions are an important part of sales and marketing.
Sometimes the MOST important part.
You can engage your audience, get advice about how to improve your product, and build up their desire to work with you…
Build Your Value Even More – With This Important Question:
When someone shows interest in hiring Effective Advertising, I often ask –
“What’s important about working with us?”
When they answer this question themselves, it helps them to think about their reasons and often strengthens their desire to work with us.
This is how powerful questions work – They ask what your client values, and when you can connect their “why” with your offer…
You’ll find yourself with a loyal customer.
If you could hire a top sales and marketing team –
What would you ask them to do for you?
That approach does well…
Yet, some prefer a softer approach…
If you’d like a hand making some extra money with your messaging, we know some talented creatives you could talk to.
Do you find these examples of powerful questions valuable?
Recent Comments