Rudyard Kipling wrote, I keep six honest-serving men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who

Though he wasn't necessarily writing for salespeople, sellers would do well to pay attention to Kipling's words. Probing and listening are fundamental selling skills.

In my book, Value Added Selling, the chapter entitled "The Needs Analysis" is the longest section on selling skills in the entire book. It is twice as long as the chapter on closing. That's because there is an inverse time relationship to probing and closing in sales. The more time you invest probing and listening to the customer, the less time you need to spend closing the sale. Conversely, the less time you invest in probing and listening to the customer, the more time you will spend closing—and perhaps resurrecting a dead sale.

Effective salespeople listen twice as much as they talk. One study found that the most effective salespeople do not make product or service recommendations until at least half the time has elapsed on the sales call. What do you think the customer and salesperson are discussing? The weather? Sports? I think not.

Effective probing is best accomplished by having a theme based on your call objective. I think of this theme as a string that holds pearls together forming a necklace. Without the string, all you have is a handful of pearls. Without a probing theme, all you have is a bunch of questions. For example, let's say that your call objective is to understand more thoroughly the buyer's current project and how you can help him finish it faster. You might ask:

• Please walk me through your project (cradle-to-grave).
• What obstacles do you anticipate along the path?
• Please describe your decision process.
• Where are you now with this project?
• Where do you want to be with this project?
• What is your timeline?
• What do you need from us to help you reach your goals on time?

Planned is not canned. Having a probing theme requires you to plan your sales calls. There is a formula I try to live by in sales:

P + P = 2P. Planning plus preparation equals twice the performance. You could construct a list of questions for each of your primary call objectives. For example, create lists for cold calls, targeting specific competitors, spotlighting your value-added services, defensive selling, and pioneering new brands.

The most effective way to expose buyers' needs and ignite their motivation to change is to have a guided conversation about where they are and where they would like to be, identifying areas where you can add value to the process. Your questions will guide your selling strategy down the path of sales success.