Recently, I’ve been giving serious thought to the process of building a business case. I’ve found myself following a diverse range of sales and pre-sales leaders on LinkedIn, keen to absorb their best practices and ideas. A frequent point of interest is the significance of structuring the sales process, and having effective, timely questions prepared.
What questions should we pose during the qualification stage? What queries should be launched during the discovery phase? What are the apt questions to ask during a demonstration? Should we allocate a specific stage for the business case? If so, what are the appropriate questions to ask at this juncture?
Consider the following questions:
- If successfully implemented, what would this enable you to accomplish that you can’t today?
- If you were writing up the headline to announce the outcome of this project, what would you want it to say?
- How would you summarise the value of our solution for you and your team?
- How would you summarise the value of our solution to your company?
Such incisive questions not only help you establish a business case, but also enlighten you about whether your champion understands how to promote the solution internally.
LinkedIn is swiftly gaining ground as a resource on par with sales books. However, it requires discernment to sieve out content that resonates with you and your process, separating the wheat from the chaff.